Possible suspension Woes

[Gordon Tucker]

I recently purchased my 05 ST 4x4 Adrenilin Model and I find that when i hit a bump I sometimes get a lot of shaking. Almost to the point where a weaker person could possible losse control at highway speed. The rear springs are squeeky and it sometimes feels like its hopping when I make a turn. The ST only has 34000 Km (19000 miles) on it and is still under warranty.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated or let me know if this is normal for this model

 

[Todd Z]

ALL the ST's stock shocks leave A LOT to be desired..



The squeaking is more then likely the rear sway bar end links, not the leaf springs...



you can upgrade those parts and have the st handle great, give you some road feel and ride firmly...



Todd Z

 

[Alan Peters]

Sounds like your shocks are shot, which is not surprising. I have an 03 Adrenalin model and replace the shocks are 20K miles because of a similar issue. The truck handles bumps, braking, and turns much better now. I'm going on 42K miles and still shocks operate like new. Wheel hop is common to worn out shocks. DO NOT PUT MOTORCRAFT SHOCKS BACK ON! Go with Monroe's, Pro comp, Rancho, and some other models.



The squeeks are the sway bbar links. Some members have some greasable fitings to prevent squeeking. Common problem but almost all trucks have this problem.

 

[Bill Ellis]

The stock shocks are no good when they are brand new. Many good choices for shocks. Monroe Reflex are very popular and well regarded by Trac owners here. The difference in the ride and control are simply amazing.

 

[Jerry Abson 3]

Guys, after hearing all the problems that everyone seems to be having with thier ST's, I am begining to wonder if I have one? It was how my 05 Adrenalin handled that made the wife go purchase the 05 Explorer, especially when I told her it would be even better than my ride. I have over 20K on my trac, and enjoy taking it over the bumps in our area, and she handles just fine. Sure, the big bumps at over 50 tend to make the trac go squirrely, but that makes it fun! She may not go around the corners on rails, but she can handle her own. Improvements can be made no matter what vehicle you have, sorry if I seem to be bit**ing, but I love my trac, and other than horsepower improvement, I love the ride, the height, the interior, the step bars, the hood, the tailgate, etc.

 

[Bill Ellis]

No doubt you love the ride now. You've said so. But, good shocks improve the ride more than you are likely to believe. I changed shocks on my '04 at 2,500 miles because I noticed things I didn't like about the stock ride. Yea, it was soft and comfortable; but the nose dropped too much during hard stops. The backend skittered too much on a curved bumpy surface. The Trac was buffeted far too much by trucks on the interstate. New shocks cured all those problems. Trained mechanics, not knowing that they are holding a new Trac shock, will push and pull on it and tell you it is bad. They have less resistence than a Susan Summer's Thigh Master. And that is no lie.

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

As stated here, your problem is the shocks and rear end links. There is a project on changing the rear end links in the projects section from yours truely. Easy fix and inexpensive. Changing out the shocks is just as easy.



inspectrjerry, I, like you, liked the way the ST rode when I got it. That was untill my little girl kept throwing up during long rides. I changed out the shocks and the difference is night and day. It does make the ride better. If you're happy with the way it rides now, then that's ok. I just got tierd of cleaning vomit out of the back seat.

 

[Gordon Tucker]

Thanks everyone. It sounds like a resounding YES to new shocks and end links.

I'll give it a whirl.

 

[Dre L]

It bothers me that you say shaking, if your steering wheel is shaking violently when you hit that bump, try greasing your front swaybar bushings. I had this happen at hwy speeds when one bushing was greased with spray lube and the other was not, thanks to a mechanic who was troubleshooting a creak. If you have any sort of binding in those bushings, it will handle erratically.



a quick fix is to douse both sides of the bushings with spray lube, moving the wheel all the way right and left, then dousing again, driving around, and dousing again. If the shaking stops, that was it.



The following upgrades will drastically help your ride:



Shocks (Bilstein are nice, edelbrock are a waste)

sway bars F & R (rear for the wheel hop, front can wait a bit)

end links F & R

greasable bushings for the sway bars

tires (a nice highway all season, skip the all terrain unless you're offroading, I went to BFG LongTrails recently which are a nice highway tire with a smooth ride and aggressive look.)

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

The '05 already has good rear End Links on it, DO change out the front End Links to the MOOG Problem Solver End Links that you can get at AutoZone (AutoZone name w/ MOOG part nos.); and put on Rancho RSX shocks or KYB Monomax shocks. Add the ZabTeck rear sway bar or Explorer Express sway bar with DISCO's (quick disconnects for off-roading). Do all that any you'll think you were driving a different vehicle.