# 1999 Ford Ranger - How to soften ride? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** ford\ **Created:** [July 26, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890 "2020-07-26T14:49:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chevyman48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Chevyman48](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chevyman48)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/1 "2020-07-26T14:49:50Z")
Ray love your column in the San Jose Mercury. My question is, I have a1999 Ford Ranger pickup, love the vehicle, though it has 215,000 miles. It is an extremely rough riding vehicle. I feel every bump on our roads and highways. I have had the shocks replaced, does not help. What can I do to soften the ride? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/2 "2020-07-26T15:17:40Z")
> [@Chevyman48](#): > > What can I do to soften the ride? As far as anyone knows Ray does not post here . Want better ride ? Change vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/3 "2020-07-26T16:10:49Z")
Check to see if your tires aren’t overinflated. New shock absorbers might give you better ride control. Also, a load in the bed might help. Trucks are designed to carry loads. I once owned a 1950 Chevrolet one ton pickup. When I thought it rode too hard, I would go mow the pasture with an International Harvester F-12 with a sickle bar. When I got back in my pickup, it rode like a Cadillac. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/4 "2020-07-26T16:30:31Z")
> [@Chevyman48](#): > > What can I do to soften the ride? Pretty much nothing… it IS a truck, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Chevyman48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Chevyman48](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chevyman48)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/5 "2020-07-26T17:09:21Z")
Ouch, but we love that little truck. It just has such a stiff ride. ---
**Author:** ![Chevyman48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Chevyman48](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chevyman48)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/6 "2020-07-26T17:12:56Z")
Thank you Mustangman. I just sold my 1957 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery. It got to dangerous to drive, when you are 73 and cannot see outside the right side to lane change, it was time. I going to look for a safer classic, possibly an older Thunderbird……. 57? ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/7 "2020-07-26T17:14:30Z")
I think back to one line in the lyrics of the theme song for the TV show “All In The Family”: “Girls Were Girls and Men Were Men”. I could modify this line to read: “Cars Were Cars and Trucks Were Trucks”. When Consumer Reports tested trucks, they gave points to trucks that were “car like”. If I want a truck, I will buy a truck. I don’t want it to be like a car. Our first minivan was a 1990 Ford Aerostar. It rode on a truck frame. It had rear wheel drive. Consumer Reports downgraded the Aerostar because it was truck like. That’s what I liked about the Aerostar. Of the four minivans I have had since, a Ford Windstar, a Chevrolet Uplander, and two Toyota Siennas, I preferred the Aerostar. I had a hitch on the Aerostar and pulled trailers with the Aerostar. With my later minivans, I don’t feel comfortable pulling trailers and have not bothered to install a hitch. I had a truck license plate on the Aerostar which I have transferred to my later minivans. The later minivans are an insult to that license plate. Trucks should be trucks. Don’t expect them to ride like a car. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/8 "2020-07-26T17:46:45Z")
A 57 T-bird with the top up will have terrible right hand vision unless you install a right hand mirror… cars didn’t always come with one back then. There will be no safety gear anywhere on the car… seatbelts, door side beams, or even have a dual master cylinder. Bottom line is it is not really any safer than a 57 sedan delivery. And it really won’t ride very well. ---
**Author:** ![Chevyman48](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Chevyman48](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chevyman48)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/9 "2020-07-26T18:42:02Z")
we live on the coast of central california, we are a year round top down area. I would garage it and put a car cover over it. thank you for the insight though. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/10 "2020-07-26T20:48:48Z")
20 years old, maybe some of the suspension bushings are rock hard now. Control arms stiff, etc… Had a buddy complaining about harsh ride, took off wheels, upper and lower control arms stuck big time. Couldn’t move them by hand after ball joints separated. ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/11 "2020-07-26T23:32:40Z")
I think Twin Turbo is on the right track here, as are others who are telling you: not much. But control arms that can move and rubber bushings that can flex a bit will help. The other thing is tires: look for tires that rate highly for comfort. Consumer Reports has good tire test reports. [tirerack.com](http://tirerack.com), too. They are good folks to buy from, too, if your local tire shops can’t do right for you. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/12 "2020-07-26T23:44:28Z")
Throw a couple of dead bodies in the bed Good news . . . the ride will probably improve Bad news . . . the smell ---
**Author:** ![EjessicaW](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ejessicaw/32/21955_2.png) [@EjessicaW](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EjessicaW)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2020, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1999-ford-ranger-how-to-soften-ride/167890/13 "2020-07-27T15:23:56Z")
Hey. Here it is already a matter of the car itself. It’s pretty old already. Therefore, you will have to endure if you really love this car. Or you have to buy a new one