Floaty ride on new 2025 truck

[IconicXLT1]

So my truck currently has 650 miles on it and i have been noticing that during highway speeds the ride tends to be "floaty" when going over certain bumps on the road. My truck is a 4x4 XLT crew cab and has the 275/65/18 Goodyear Territory AT Tires set at 35PSI.

i have been doing some research and have noticed that some people have addressed this issue by either upgrading all 4 shock absorbers to the likes of bilstein 5100/4600 or fox 2.0. i have also read that some people have removed the blocks in the rear and have also upgraded just the rear shock absorbers.

Please note that this is my daily driver and i do not tow anything. the bed for the most part stays relative empty.

With that said, what would be the most economical way to address this?

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[TexasTruck]

I had a similar experience with my then new 2022. Like you discovered that shocks are probably the most economical and are popular. Some even go a step further and replace the front coil overs with something that lets you optionally raise the front end a little for a more leveled stance. I don’t see how removing the rear blocks help with the porpoising concern but it does help level the look of the truck (less rake).

 

[dmac]

The first thing I would do is bump your (at least the front) tires up to 38-39 psi.

Next step would be to replace the rear shocks with bilstein 4600 shocks (or 5100 if you want to lift the front eventually).

I have the 4600 rears and stock 18" tire size rims with 39 psi all around and got rid of the floatiness to my liking.

 

[IconicXLT1]

The first thing I would do is bump your (at least the front) tires up to 38-39 psi.

Next step would be to replace the rear shocks with bilstein 4600 shocks (or 5100 if you want to lift the front eventually).

I have the 4600 rears and stock 18" tire size rims with 39 psi all around and got rid of the floatiness to my liking.

i will try this. Did you upgrade the front suspension as well or just the rears?

 

[jewc75]

First thing I did was replace the rear shocks on mine with Bilstein. The floating or as I call it porpusing stopped immediately.

 

[dmac]

i will try this. Did you upgrade the front suspension as well or just the rears?

Just the rears. 30m job in the driveway with simple tools. No alignment or jacking up truck needed.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

This is mostly due to Ford's infinite wisdom and their under valving the rebound on their dampers. This causes the suspension to over extend when driving on surface streets giving you that classic 1985 Caddy ride.

i will try this. Did you upgrade the front suspension as well or just the rears?

So far on mine I just did a set of Bilstein 5100's on the rear (three years ago) and it resolved about 90% of the rolling boat like ride the FX4's are plagued with. Took about 30 min with a ratchet, socket, screw driver, and wrench.

 

[Davexxxx]

I have those exact tires and IIRC, the sidewall says 56psi?

Unless towing, they're too harsh there for my tastes but play with 40 and up.

That for sure, would be the most economical and give you the most control.

 

[IconicXLT1]

This is mostly due to Ford's infinite wisdom and their under valving the rebound on their dampers. This causes the suspension to over extend when driving on surface streets giving you that classic 1985 Caddy ride.




So far on mine I just did a set of Bilstein 5100's on the rear (three years ago) and it resolved about 90% of the rolling boat like ride the FX4's are plagued with. Took about 30 min with a ratchet, socket, screw driver, and wrench.

This is exactly how mine feels. is the fx4 suspension any different from the regular 4x4 suspension?>

 

[Porpoise Hork]

They use different shocks and struts for the FX4 than what is put on the 4X4's. The dampers on the FX4 allegedly provide a better ride for off road situations but many owners consider them to be way too bouncy under most driving conditions. Thus why they get replaced for dampers with much tighter rebound valving.

 

[Mosey]

I have the 4600 rears and stock 18" tire size rims with 39 psi all around and got rid of the floatiness to my liking.

+1 for rear shock changeout. I run my tires at 38-40 psi too.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

+1 for rear shock changeout. I run my tires at 38-40 psi too.

I ran the OEM Pirellis at 32psi. Mostly because of how the tire was shaped. When you looked at it you could see that it was a domed tire, So the contact patch was smaller. The replacements I have on it are flat across the contact patch so I run them at 35 psi cold and provide a decent ride.

 

[Norvak]

They use different shocks and struts for the FX4 than what is put on the 4X4's. The dampers on the FX4 allegedly provide a better ride for off road situations but many owners consider them to be way too bouncy under most driving conditions.

My 2025 f150 FX4 is bumpy! Highway it drives solid but side roads it feels like a tractor. I wish mine was softer and more bouncy.

 

[PowerBoostSoCal]

First thing I did was replace the rear shocks on mine with Bilstein. The floating or as I call it porpusing stopped immediately.

Did you do the shock install yourself or at a shop? If a shop, how much $$ (if you don't mind). Thinking I will make this change on my '25 Lariat too.

 

[doit100us]

Question, 2025 f150 xlt fx4 tow on weekends 4000lb boat or 5000lb enclosed sxs trailer, which rear shocks would you all recommend for this. Stock setup height. Floats too much on highway. Bilstein 4600, 5100 or Eibach shocks. Looking for a firmer handling but not a semi truck ride. No offroading so not worried about that aspect. I see that 5100 are recommended for towing. Thoughts on which rear shocks would be best for my application. Thanks. May do fronts later if needed.

 

[Davexxxx]

Question, 2025 f150 xlt fx4 tow on weekends 4000lb boat or 5000lb enclosed sxs trailer, which rear shocks would you all recommend for this. Stock setup height. Floats too much on highway. Bilstein 4600, 5100 or Eibach shocks. Looking for a firmer handling but not a semi truck ride. No offroading so not worried about that aspect. I see that 5100 are recommended for towing. Thoughts on which rear shocks would be best for my application. Thanks. May do fronts later if needed.

I tow in the 7.5Klb. class and my tires are the Goodyear Wrangler ATs. They have a wide PSI range.

I played around a lot with PSI, up to the max of 56 (IIRC) and settled on 45. This substantially reduced body roll in all conditions and leave them there full time.

I also installed the 1000lb version of SumoSprings on the rear and that helped too.

They have about 1" before touching, so you keep the softer ride under most, unloaded conditions but definitely firm it up loaded. I expect them to last the life of the truck and while a shock install isn't difficult, was an easier install.

 

[National Superbike]

My brother has a late model Ram and when he rode in my truck mentioned that it felt bouncy-er than his. Some better shocks and a rear anti-sway bar will make a big difference. Some guys have skipped the shocks and done the sway bar and been happy.

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