Tire pressure

G

gixxerkid3

Guest
Regarding ride quality. I have new shocks and still have the front and rear track bars which I will not remove as there are too many pro/cons (controversy) on the subject and I don’t need to get death wobble or any other front end issues. That being said. I want to increase the ride quality and decrease the bouncing and about the only thing left is either new springs, or reduce tire pressure. I currently have my 31” tires set at 30PSI. What’s the word on 25-26PSI for normal driving and towing behind RV?
 
30 psi is about the sweet spot for most 31's. You can try a bit lower if you like. Other than OME brand springs, at a certain point there really is no more improving the YJ ride, you pretty much just live with it. OME is the one exception I've seen to that. Of course, OME is not for everyone, it is expensive and they only sell it in one height (2.5" so it brings with it other mods to make it work. If you aren't wanting lift, then you're probably best off staying how you have it.

I would say ditching the rear track bar would not be a bad idea though. The front one is really the only one that is or should be debatable.
 
Thanks.
I would remove the rear actually but was not sure if it would matter. Had it off the other day actually to install new cat, muffler and tailpipe.
 
I had pretty good luck with greasable shackle pins and loosening the shackle bolts a bit. The stock torque spec for shackle bolts is excessive in my opinion. These two mods made a significant impact on ride quality when my jeep still had the stock springs. Ditching the track bars helped a bunch too (just sayin' 🤷‍♂️).
 
Thanks.
I would remove the rear actually but was not sure if it would matter. Had it off the other day actually to install new cat, muffler and tailpipe.
it’s not that dramatic either way really. The rear track bar is really not doing much. There is no lateral load back there so it’s not really doing anything the leaf springs can’t do, but it’s also not hurting the ride quality much either. Maybe a small amount. I’d say it’s worth getting rid of just to have one less thing going on back there.

I always felt the front was worth keeping once I removed it. I felt noticeably more loose steering without it and although I did have a tiny bit better ride I didn’t consider it worth the trade off in handling. Part of that was I was lifted at the time too though. Lift and no track bar exaggerates the steering looseness.

As for soft ride quality, there’s not a lot you can do on stock. You already did the shocks, but new stock springs are going to feel about the same as the current stock springs so I wouldn’t bother with those. You can try OME stuff but of course like I said it’ll put you up higher and it’s not cheap. It does ride well for sure though. Not sure what kind of magic OME is working into those springs but it works.

I did switch to greasable shackles and bolts with lock nuts so that I didn’t have to clamp the bolts down super tight on the shackles…..while I think those are good parts to have, I honestly did not feel any improvement in ride quality at all. I suppose that is a case by case basis how it turns out.
 
That’s good info guys. Thanks. I think I may take the rear track bar out but not the front . I don’t need any issues up there. The shocks made a huge diff as you ( Macho) may remember as the PO’s rancho’s were essentially frozen. Ok. Thanks again.
 
That’s good info guys. Thanks. I think I may take the rear track bar out but not the front . I don’t need any issues up there. The shocks made a huge diff as you ( Macho) may remember as the PO’s rancho’s were essentially frozen. Ok. Thanks again.
Yeah I remember. Glad it worked out well like it did. I wish I had tried different shocks. I went from stock with definitely bad stock shocks straight to rough country 2.5. Wish I had tried stock shock replacements to see what I think. That was so long ago that I guess it doesn’t matter though. I wanted to have the lifted look at the time anyways.
 
BTW, I run 31x10.50x15s @ 28psi front and rear.
It's a soft top with a 4 banger seems to drive nice and the tires are wearing evenly.
 
BTW, I run 31x10.50x15s @ 28psi front and rear.
It's a soft top with a 4 banger seems to drive nice and the tires are wearing evenly.

That me too. 28-30PSI it is for me. Wish I had the 4.0l though. Well like I always say. For me and my needs, 2.5l works. Not my daily driver .
 
I run 15-20lbs on my 31s 10lbs in the dunes. I’ve never lost a bead.I put on a Tough Country 2.5” lift 20+ years ago on my 89 and am very happy with it. The front track bar went in the rafters after the lift. I’ve towed it before and after the lift and saw no difference. The Tough Country springs have teflon inserts between the leafs for a smoother ride. I do not drive it on the highway much but I do get it up to 60+ on desert trails and the dunes. It’s a short wheel base vehicle so it will always be squirrelly which is the fun parr for me.
 
What’s the word on 25-26PSI for normal driving and towing behind RV?
Personally I would go to 24, check ride, and then watch for tread wear. Lower it from there doing the same things until you find something a little less jarring.

Out boarding the shocks in the rear would help a lot, but that’s a huge undertaking for most with less than stellar results compared to cost.

Running a C-rated tire would help as well, as the sidewalls have a lot more flex to them and can soften up events in the suspension.
 
I always felt the front was worth keeping once I removed it. I felt noticeably more loose steering without it and although I did have a tiny bit better ride I didn’t consider it worth the trade off in handling. Part of that was I was lifted at the time too though. Lift and no track bar exaggerates the steering looseness.
I’m curious what a currie anti-rock would do to improve the picture you painted here.
 
I’m curious what a currie anti-rock would do to improve the picture you painted here.
I don’t think it would do anything since that’s a sway bar. As for the sway bar, I felt my YJ was mildly acceptable on the road without one on stiff suspension, and straight up dangerous without one on stock suspension. So I definitely added one back. But I went with stock, not anything fancy.