Washboard Roads Anyone?

What's a no bullshit setup for going over shitty awful washboard roads? I've the eibach shocks and they aren't nearly enough. Airing down didn't help either. Thought it did at first but after driving for 20-30 mins it was all over the place again. Should I be looking at 2.5s with reservoirs and 33" tires now?

 

My previous OR was horrible on washboard roads. My new Pro is a night and day difference; it actually holds a straight line and doesn't buck all over the place.

If/when I upgrade, I'll go with Accutune or similar vendor and specifically tell them I drive a lot of washboarded backroads. I'm guessing the setup of the shocks will make a bigger difference than the actual brand (assuming quality; King, Fox, ADS, Radflo, etc...).

 

Like mentioned above, a properly tuned shock will do wonders for washboard road. If you want the best bang for your buck, than Fox 2.5 with DSC adjusters would be our suggestion

 

Ads coilovers front and rear with some nice leaf springs.
You will love the way it rides.

 

Soft springs with lots of damping. My 6112/5160 setup (600lb springs) does great but would be even better with a softer leaf pack

 

What model ADS? I was looking at the 2.5 front/2.5 reservoir rear. Fox I was thinking 2.5 front 2.0 reservoir rear. The eibachs have been great except on washboard, I noticed after 10-15mins they heated up badly. They need to be softer on small bumps and they need more oil.

 

Air down helps immensely paired with a tuned shock. Granted, it's not going to ride like a cloud over the washboard, it will be just less of a handful

 

I bought the level one kit from headstrong.
But I just got the basic 2.5 non resis up front with 650# springs,and the rear 2.5 piggybacks for the rear and I have icon rxt leaf springs on stage one.
This setup makes me giggle with glee when I get on a shitty dirt road.
You can’t even tell your on a washboard road unless they are really bad. And in that case get going over 30 and problem solved.

 

My ‘17 Pro drives like shit on washboard roads but I think it’s due to my flattened leaf springs and ~300lbs of camping equipment. Adding Icon leaf packs option 1 soon. Hoping that does the trick.

 

How fast are you driving down these roads?

Shocks help, but the cost-free solution is slowing down.

 

Anywhere from 1mph to 10 mph, deflated to about 20psi. It actually felt better to drive faster and glide over the washboard roads.

 

Thats a seriously nasty washboard then.

Most of what Ive encountered I could take at a solid 30 mph even with stock sport suspension. The tooth rattlers maybe 10-20. I mean, its no where near comfortable, but I'm not in danger of losing my line either. I guess thats what I imagine when I hear "washboard," my definition is probably milder than everyone else's.

 

If you're talking about that really super tight washboard pattern that we'd typically refer to as "chatter", sometimes it just sucks no matter what you do or what your setup is. Airing down can help to some degree, but I hate running into that stuff. Going slow isn't really a good option either; it might smooth it out some, but you'll have to go tediously slow, and likely feel like a bobber in water doing so. Usually I only run into chatter on sandy trails that are frequented by SXS's.

For just your typical dirt road washboard, all of what's been said above is good advice; having a suspension tuned for handling those conditions can help immensely. I will add that going faster is usually much smoother than slow; or more so, finding the right speed/rhythm so you're just floating over the peaks.

 

The difference between 20 and 12-15 psi is huge.

 

Love my BP-51's for just about any conditions including washboard but gotta hit the washboard just right and play with compression/rebound a bit. As mentioned by another poster, I like hitting on the gas and skipping on top of it

 

I have a 20 Offroad with fox/ eibach Springs on the front and fox 2.0 with reservoir on the rear. I drive a lot of washboard roads, it is my experience that most of the time you can hit a speed where it becomes more like a vibration than a bouncing. Normally faster than you would think.

 

faster you go the smoother it is

 

yeah til the shocks get too hot then you start shaking your truck apart and every turn in the road becomes an adventure

 

Call the County DOT. They should be maintaining the road.

The "washboard" is a result of soft road and the harmonics of vehicle suspension.

Very common in the Spring in Iowa on the numerous gravel roads. Not much you can do with your suspension.

Best is to drive slowly, call the County road maintenance and find another path.

 

Cant say I've experienced that problem