F450 Owners

[colin@greenoil]

Hello to all F450 owners, I have recently joined your club. I just picked up an 08 F450 4x4 with a Procomp 6" lift and stock 19.5 wheels and 245/70/r19.5 tires. It's a real basses truck, but the rear really rides stiff and I can't pin point whether the rough scattered ride is from the ultra tough sidewalls in the tires or the heavy duty suspension. My plan is to throw 22/37 on it with some toyo mts as well as having Deaver make some rear springs. However I want to prioritize one over the other based on other fellow owners and their experiences. Especially for the guys who have lifted f450's, do you feel the ride was most improved by rear springs or the switch to light truck tires?

Thanks,

John

[Ryan Rønning]

I run the stock suspention on my 450 with 245's on it. I can tell you that both the sidewalls and the springs are the cause for the rough ride but the springs are the bigger reason. After you get about 1000-1500lbs in the bed it starts riding a lot better.

[MD05]

Originally Posted by colin@greenoil

Hello to all F450 owners, I have recently joined your club. I just picked up an 08 F450 4x4 with a Procomp 6" lift and stock 19.5 wheels and 245/70/r19.5 tires. It's a real basses truck, but the rear really rides stiff and I can't pin point whether the rough scattered ride is from the ultra tough sidewalls in the tires or the heavy duty suspension. My plan is to throw 22/37 on it with some toyo mts as well as having Deaver make some rear springs. However I want to prioritize one over the other based on other fellow owners and their experiences. Especially for the guys who have lifted f450's, do you feel the ride was most improved by rear springs or the switch to light truck tires?

Thanks,

John

Check out a Air ride rear setup. the difference is a smooth ride and more carrying capacity. Kelderman Suspension systems is the one I chose on all 4 corners, bit more that steel springs but I am not loosing my teeth over bumps and the auto level feature is great with a big load (6,000) in the bed. They make stock and lifted kits. It will take you more than a weekend to put on but it is worth every penny and hour spent.

[kingranch89]

got any pics of the new ride?

[colin@greenoil]

Heres a pic of it once I got the steps off and cleaned it up a bit. Yea I definitely feel that the sidwalls are super stiff but I did just read on here that I can drop the psi down to like 35-40 and its not that big of a deal? Any truth to that?

Thanks,

John

[MD05]

Commercial tires are not like LT or car tires. There is a point of no return. Check the manufactures ( Tire) website for load and inflation pressures.

Now the why, Commercial tires are designed to run in a load condition under full or within 15% of rated pressure. Reducing that pressure reduces the load rating dramaticly. The Side walls are not designed to run grossly underinflated and will begin to break down over time. Also the side wall is where tires disapate heat add to that the from underinflation a side wall blowout is possible.

Rigs like the F450 were designed to run loaded not as daily drivers Put a load in 'em and they ride great, empty more like a wagon with square wheels.

Example Michelin XD2's 265/70R19.5 min tire pressure 65PSI 3200# single at max pressure 110 it is 5000# single

[MD05]

Sorry those numbers are per axle in KG

13660 @65 PSI
20820 @ 110 PSI

[MD05]

Steps you took off are they the running boards or the tube type?

[colin@greenoil]

The Steps are the ovalish tube style not the flat running board style.

-I just had about 2200lbs in the bed yesterday, 60psi in the rear tires and the ride was just the same as completely unloaded. So I'm not sure what the deal is with these bad boys but I just got a quote from Deaver for custom rear springs I'm looking at $1050 which will improve ride without diminishing much of the tow capacity at least for my needs.

Thanks,

John

[derrickc]

I run 40-45psi in my rear tires and they have less of a bulge at the bottom than the front ones do at 80psi. I wouldn't think they are under any more stress than the front tires given that the sidewalls are flexing much less than the fronts. It makes a big difference in ride quality. Just my experience.