Unlevel Ride Height?

[tkdr6]

Starting a new thread.

Can you please measure your rear fenders from the ground, curious if your height is any different than mine.

My driver side rear measures 40 inches and my passenger side rear measures 41 inches.

 

[Variable]

Can you please measure your rear fenders from the ground, curious if your height is any different than mine.

My driver side rear measures 40 inches and my passenger side rear measures 41 inches.

Same but then again it’s gone the exact opposite way as well, driver high passenger low.

 

[tkdr6]

Measured again this morning and now driver side is showing 40 3/4 inches and passenger showing 41 1/4, so now it's only 1/2 inch off and not even noticeable via the naked eye.

Starting to wonder if this isn't an issue and all ??

 

[Bambi]

Measured again this morning and now driver side is showing 40 3/4 inches and passenger showing 41 1/4, so now it's only 1/2 inch off and not even noticeable via the naked eye.

Starting to wonder if this isn't an issue and all ??

I still think this is due to how soft the rear suspension is

 

[tkdr6]

I still think this is due to how soft the rear suspension is

I'm starting to agree with you. Think I will give this some more time before taking into my dealership, certainly don't want them messing with anything that ISN'T broken.

I already sent them an email on this giving them a heads up that I may want to bring it in and have them take a look. Might just pump the brakes a bit and watch my truck closely over the next few weeks.

 

[Variable]

I still think this is due to how soft the rear suspension is

Agreed, it’s because of the amount of travel and lack of a rear sway bar.

 

[soulsea]

At the request of @tkdr6 I decided to measure my heights. I figured the best place to do it would be with the truck on my garage floor. Please do keep in mind that this was in no way scientific, just me dangling the tape measure at the point in the fender I could center with the center caps. So there's at least a 2/10" margin of error in my measurements.

With no one in the truck, tire pressures within 1psi, and about 4/10 worth of gas in the tank, mine is as follows:

DF: 39 10/12
DR: 41 7/12
PF: 40 5/12
PR: 42 4/12

So if I got my math right, rake angle is within a couple of tenths difference from one side to the other, therefore no real diagonal unevenness.

It is leaning about 7/10 to the driver's side.

I don't know if that's good or bad, or better or worse than other trucks on the forum. My eye honestly didn't pick up on it, but now of course I have to comment suicide. So thanks for that.

 

[Variable]

I still think this is due to how soft the rear suspension is

At the request of @tkdr6 I decided to measure my heights. I figured the best place to do it would be with the truck on my garage floor. Please do keep in mind that this was in no way scientific, just me dangling the tape measure at the point in the fender I could center with the center caps. So there's at least a 2/10" margin of error in my measurements.

With no one in the truck, tire pressures within 1psi, and about 4/10 worth of gas in the tank, mine is as follows:

DF: 39 10/12
DR: 41 7/12
PF: 40 5/12
PR: 42 4/12

So if I got my math right, rake angle is within a couple of tenths difference from one side to the other, therefore no real diagonal unevenness.

It is leaning about 7/10 to the driver's side.

I don't know if that's good or bad, or better or worse than other trucks on the forum. My eye honestly didn't pick up on it, but now of course I have to comment suicide. So thanks for that.

And if you measure it again tomorrow it will be different.

 

[tkdr6]

At the request of @tkdr6 I decided to measure my heights. I figured the best place to do it would be with the truck on my garage floor. Please do keep in mind that this was in no way scientific, just me dangling the tape measure at the point in the fender I could center with the center caps. So there's at least a 2/10" margin of error in my measurements.

With no one in the truck, tire pressures within 1psi, and about 4/10 worth of gas in the tank, mine is as follows:

DF: 39 10/12
DR: 41 7/12
PF: 40 5/12
PR: 42 4/12

So if I got my math right, rake angle is within a couple of tenths difference from one side to the other, therefore no real diagonal unevenness.

It is leaning about 7/10 to the driver's side.

I don't know if that's good or bad, or better or worse than other trucks on the forum. My eye honestly didn't pick up on it, but now of course I have to comment suicide. So thanks for that.

You rock @soulsea for sharing your measurements and doing it so quickly!

My measurements are VERY similar, and for the record I've been checking this daily (morning and night) before/after driving it... and I keep getting ALMOST the same measurements every single time.

DF: 40
DR: 40 3/4
PF: 40 3/8
PR: 41 3/8

This means the truck has about an inch or less of factory rake front/back. Looks like my truck leans towards the driver side a little more than a half an inch.

If my truck and @soulsea have really close to the same measurements... then I say we declare this NORMAL...

Also want to add that all these measurements were taken when I was in auto mode (shocks in “street” setting) and I also have the retrax Pro XR installed on top of my bed.

 

[Bambi]

You rock @soulsea for sharing your measurements and doing it so quickly!

My measurements are VERY similar, and for the record I've been checking this daily (morning and night) before/after driving it... and I keep getting ALMOST the same measurements every single time.

DF: 40
DR: 40 3/4
PF: 40 3/8
PR: 41 3/8

This means the truck has about an inch or less of factory rake front/back. Looks like my truck leans towards the driver side a little more than a half an inch.

If my truck and @soulsea have really close to the same measurements... then I say we declare this NORMAL...

I have a fix for this.

Hire a prostitute to “sit” in the right rear seat.

 

[Variable]

I have a fix for this.

Hire a prostitute to “sit” in the right rear seat.

Great plan.

 

[soulsea]

She better be a Wisconsin prostitute.

 

[soulsea]

You know, because they tend to be heftier than gals from other states, with maybe the exception of Minnesota.

I'm guessing I don't actually know.

 

[soulsea]

My point is you might need that amount of weight to level things out was my point.

 

[soulsea]

I'll show myself out.

 

[Caliche]

Ahhh this is what happens when you go to the vaults..... I need to get some of that. Haha Cheers

 

[BSomm41]

I would be very curious on the damping profile for the shocks in a compression vs rebound standpoint.

From a former suspension and damper engineer usually rebound damping is much higher than compression damping to prevent severe top out events especially in droop travel.

I would be curious if this is just a matter of the adaptive shocks sensing a higher load on the driver side due to fuel load and driver weight to increase the damping. Effectively settling the shocks in a more compressed state.

You might be able to test this with a low fuel tank and lifting the truck to see if the suspension settles down to a more level state (side to side). But it may not be fully effective as the shock damping may be preset at a static position based on its last powered state that depends on relative load. Lowering the vehicle very slowly to the ground can mitigate bypassing the ideal static position at which the spring load balances the vehicle weight at each corner perfectly.

If the coulomb damping within the system (friction) exceeds the spring force at the relative difference across the springs then there isn't enough restoring force to return the truck to a level ride height. This situation could possibly be tested by applying an external load to the high side of the truck and seeing what state it returns to once the additional load is removed.

 

[Caliche]

I would be very curious on the damping profile for the shocks in a compression vs rebound standpoint.

From a former suspension and damper engineer usually rebound damping is much higher than compression damping to prevent severe top out events especially in droop travel.

I would be curious if this is just a matter of the adaptive shocks sensing a higher load on the driver side due to fuel load and driver weight to increase the damping. Effectively settling the shocks in a more compressed state.

You might be able to test this with a low fuel tank and lifting the truck to see if the suspension settles down to a more level state (side to side). But it may not be fully effective as the shock damping may be preset at a static position based on its last powered state that depends on relative load. Lowering the vehicle very slowly to the ground can mitigate bypassing the ideal static position at which the spring load balances the vehicle weight at each corner perfectly.

If the coulomb damping within the system (friction) exceeds the spring force at the relative difference across the springs then there isn't enough restoring force to return the truck to a level ride height. This situation could possibly be tested by applying an external load to the high side of the truck and seeing what state it returns to once the additional load is removed.

Yeah what you said. Appreciate your insight. Cheers

 

[tkdr6]

I would be very curious on the damping profile for the shocks in a compression vs rebound standpoint.

From a former suspension and damper engineer usually rebound damping is much higher than compression damping to prevent severe top out events especially in droop travel.

I would be curious if this is just a matter of the adaptive shocks sensing a higher load on the driver side due to fuel load and driver weight to increase the damping. Effectively settling the shocks in a more compressed state.

You might be able to test this with a low fuel tank and lifting the truck to see if the suspension settles down to a more level state (side to side). But it may not be fully effective as the shock damping may be preset at a static position based on its last powered state that depends on relative load. Lowering the vehicle very slowly to the ground can mitigate bypassing the ideal static position at which the spring load balances the vehicle weight at each corner perfectly.

If the coulomb damping within the system (friction) exceeds the spring force at the relative difference across the springs then there isn't enough restoring force to return the truck to a level ride height. This situation could possibly be tested by applying an external load to the high side of the truck and seeing what state it returns to once the additional load is removed.

This totally makes sense, I will try and add some load on the higher passenger side and remove the load and see what happens. I want to make sure I do this test while the truck is running and all systems are active.

 

[Variable]

The larger issue is there isn't a rear sway bar, the shocks have been programmed to deal with that torsional impact but aren't active when the truck is off. The compensate when the truck is running, but are dormant when the truck has no power. Its not actually an issue, its just an aesthetic problem at times.