Pursuit of Ram/Chevy smoothness ride quality

First post here. Bewarned it's a long one!

I recently purchased a 2019 CM Platinum. It is my first truck and I have lots of future plans with the family for it. (Boating, camping, roadtrips and etc).

I'm happy with my tundra purchase except one thing, The Ride quality. Honestly, I didn't notice it much on my short test drive and I test drove it first before the ram/Chevy. Didn't think much of it and thought they were all similar. Recently, I started to really notice the jarring ride, bouncing, feeling every expansion joint and general harshness of the ride, my back hurts and its really getting to me. I drove Both a friends Chevy and ram to validate the ride and they were both significantly better riding, ram was very car like. the wife and kids have commented on the rough ride of my truck and I'm not even confident in taking it on a roadtrip at this point (break my back). Mind you, I am coming from a luxury sedan. While I don't expect a truck to be a luxury car, I am pursuing for the best smoothest on road ride in the city and highway. offroad capability is not a concern.

I've done countless hours of research and still don't know what is the best options to pursue. Suggestions should not be that I go buy a lexus or Cadillac. I'm not expecting it to be a Cadillac.

I've installed rear 5100 in a cheaper attempt to remedy the issue. It seemed to improved slightly with the oscillation of the truck after hitting a bump but it still feels like a hard hit over manhole covers.

Items I have thought about doing to improve the ride.

1) 6112 on lowest setting or 1.3in lift. I've searched just all the posts and DMed a few people, all comment on a firmer ride, some commenting that it rides marginally better. Some claim it's better in that it's more controlled. It's a digressive shock and from my research, digressive do better on large bumps but not small expansion joints/manhole cover city driving. Knowing theses facts, is this the right option for me?

2) add CM+1 shackles with the poly bushings to help with the bed bounce and general bounciness. Would this help? Anyone with real comparisons of before and after on the shackles only?

3) switch out the 20" for 18" and put on 275/70/18 comfort tire on. Any recommendations? I currently have 31psi and it doesn't help the ride much.

4) Fox/king coilovers. Many claims ride is firm on OEM package settings. Are there vendors that can do custom valving for OEM fit and valve them for smoothness/comfort? 2.0 or 2.5? Resi or piggyback. I do like that it's progressive and perceived to be the best option for my purpose. Is that correct thinking? Im not a fan that they require 2 year maintenance/rebuilds. But IF it means this is the option to provide the best ride/smoothest on road ride for 2 years at a time, it's worth the cost and maintenance.

5) buy fox TRD PRO suspension. Do theses need maintenance? I don't know much about them.

How do they make Chevy's ride so much smoother?

Need you help guys! Thank you.

 

Definitely think your on the right track with the switch to smaller rims bigger tires and correct air pressure. When it comes to suspension I have always felt like any modification to a different shock over stock is only going to slightly stiffen or make the suspension more firm. Which i would imagine is the opposite of what you want currently. A lot of guys here love the 6112 shocks and claim it’s a much better ride but It’s tough as to where you should head because my 2017 platinum almost felt too spongy in my opinion and a little bit of firmness to the ride I felt like did the truck good. I have always felt like the tundra drives more “sporty” then those two other brands. Those trucks feel sluggish to me in almost every way so maybe it’s subjective as to what your willing to endure as they all offer something different. I think the tundras Acceleration and handling is much better then any other truck brand so I would be okay with it being a little bit of a “rougher” ride

 

An e rated tire will be your worst enemy if it rides rough. Honestly anything you do will make it rougher

 

I think you just have to get used to driving a truck and not a luxury car anymore. I have taken my truck on two 3,000 mile road trips and never felt uncomfortable. In fact we took the truck instead of my wife's Honda Odyssey minivan because we all like the truck more.
I daily drive my truck and put about 40,000 miles a year on it. It is actually very comfortable.

 

I can accept a firmer ride if it means the truck can negotiate the small pot holes/pavement breaks better.

 

Welcome from NY.

 

Welcome from NC!

 

Icon cdcv valved shocks set to S and 18's with a larger tire

 

If the ride is bone jarring now you will hate icons. I have them and they are much much firmer in slower speeds

 

The Ram us coils in the back and rides much more like a crossover. The Chevy has a stiffer frame and let’s the suspension do the work which translates less of the jarring irregularities to the cabin via frame flex. You’re not really going to be able to remedy the ride to a pint that will cancel those engineering advantages out when it comes to ride. You can make it softer but it won’t really be able to equal either of those.

 

Its a truck designed to be used as tool to work, towing hauling heavy loads in the bed ect. It never intended to drive like a car if it did, it can't do any work! You just can't have it all. If Your Tundra feels like your back is braking is a Ortho.

 

Start with 17 or 18 inch wheels with p-metric tires. I have a pro and love the ride but it’s firmer than dodge or Chevy. Just how it is (and part of why I got the Tundra).

 

I just went from a Tacoma off-road to a tundra sr5 with 20s. The taco had a much softer suspension with the stock bilstein shocks and smaller wheels. Im no expert on suspension but id look into the smaller wheels and softer suspension, possibly the off road set up. Maybe you can just go test drive on offroad tundra to see if there is a big difference and then go from there

 

Agreed, and it would take a redesigned rear suspension to equal or surpass either of those.

Wheels & tires are our only true method of softening out the ride on our leaf spring Tundra trucks... a taller sidewall equals a smoother ride. I ride on 18" wheels with a 6.73" sidewall for summer sport, and a 7.03 sidewall for all climate comfort... I can defiantly feel the differences in ride & handling between the two tires.

 

Shit can the 20's. I've got 20's as well, they will be gone next weekend. They look good on the tundra, but they ride like shit, not enough sidewall.

 

I bought mine because it feels like a truck.

It is the epitome of the feeling of driving one.
I test drove a lot of them and came down to this one due to I liked the feel of it.

Some were too smooth, the Toyota 4runner I just couldn't do.
That was what I was looking at and then found the tundra pro.

 

My 2002 Tundra is a 4WD work truck, and I love the way it rides on 16" Michelin radials with 7.03" tall sidewalls.

 

ride quality vs reliability……

 

Not really, Toyota can deliver both... the current Sequoia is an example of Toyota rear suspension ride quality & reliability

 

Sequoia also has independent rear. Apples and oranges unfortunately.

 

The ride quality was one of the main reasons I chose Tundra over others.

 

Amen, I am in the same boat. My 2016 Silverado LT rode so much better/smoother and so much more quieter. I miss that about the Chevy.

 

I went to e-rated 18” tires and love it for the piece of mind, definitely not the ride quality. If you plan to get many rugged years of use from your tundra as I do, maybe try and embrace the “truck like” ride, be glad it’s not a buttery ride. Once you do a few “truck things” with it you’ll be glad. I did a 4 mile off-road track with my wife and baby girl and after seeing other folks bouncing on the trail with p rated tires in crossovers, it made my rough riding e-rated tire Tundra so much more tolerable because I knew I’d rather be rough riding than broke down. Embrace the fact that this is one of the few “real trucks” left, or trade it on a cushy ride. I came from a 2015 f150 and have never looked back. We have a Pilot and a Tundra and empty the Tundra rides rough, but load it down for a week long road trip and the rides really even out. Maybe you could add some bed weight before you spend any money and see how that feels. My cushy f150 became bouncy as soon as I added weight to the back.

 

Lighter tires and smaller rims and add some weight to the bed.

 

Start with tires. I didnt see a mention of what tires you're on, what are they? Type, size, and "P" or "LT" rating?

From the sound of things a digressive valved shock is not what you want. 5100s are digressive, for quick jolts like expansion joints or speed bumps they'll be harsh.

 

Take off toyota wheels are plentiful and pretty cheap on craigslist. I'd try to find an 18 inch rim with stock tires and try those first if they help, then great, if not sell them for what you paid for them and you have narrowed down the issue.

 

I just went from 5100 to 5160, night and day difference. Truck is planted and feels much better. 6112s go in this weekend as I was waiting for the second shock mount that came yesterday.

 

I've driven a GMC Sierra since 1999. Had two of them. The ride quality of my new Tundra is just as good if not better. The Tundra is definitely firmer but not harsh. If anything the GMC's are soft. My Tundra has the TRD Offroad pkg with 18" rims. Larger rims with lower profile tires are rough riders. I agree with others that your rims/tires are the issue.

 

One option would be:

buy a Ram or a Chevy.