Suspension

[Camar068]

After running the coal strip jobs today, my head is still shaking like a bobble head from the crappy dirt roads. This thing runs like a tank, every small bump, rock and squirrel hits hard (pavement or dirt road). It doesn't help the gas tank squeaks, the tail gate jumps, the dash cracks and the sun visor squeaks(thing that sticks out beyond the windshield...mounted to outside roof). What a horrible ride today. Imagine that with no radio (type of mod not decided on yet).

Anyway, a few questions:

-what are the symptoms of bad springs?
-What are the symptoms of bad spring bushings?
-could either of these also cause a push in turns? (I could pull out the online racing car setup cheat sheet I used to use, but I want my tires to last longer than 500 miles)

I just put new springs ($100 for 4 of them after military discount) on it in the fall and that helped a lot with the steering and handling. It has always squeaked when the front end rises after coming to a complete stop. My driving style in a 86 k10 may explain some "push" going through turns. My driving style is:

-not a speed demon
-far from a grandpa
-when I'm getting on the interstate, I'm doing 10 over the speed limit prior to entering
-lol I drive 10 over the speed limit....period....always (except if it's a safety hazard to anyone)
-when I take off from a light, 90% of the time, I'm in the lead
-in short I don't over rev the engine or spin/bark the tires, but I give it plenty of gas.

Answers, thoughts, and suggestions appreciated

 

[chengny]

I think your problem is shocks rather than springs.

Springs deflect as the truck goes over a bump, then bounce back. The truck would continue to bounce up and down if the energy stored in the springs were not dissipated in some way.

The shock absorbers perform this function.

The primary function of the springs is to support the weight of the vehicle,

The primary function of the shocks is to absorb the "shock and rebound" of the vehicle (which is created by the action of the springs).

Without shocks, if you hit a good sized bump, you would continue to bounce up and down for a long time.

On the other hand, without springs, you wouldn't even be able to move - the truck would just slam to the ground and bottom out.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

As said above shocks are usually the cause for a rough ride, check for leaks on the shocks and worn out shock bushings