Honest Opinion/Review of Ride Quality?

Best riding and driving Super Duty I have ever owned (It impresses me each time I drive it). I couldn't drink a cup of coffee in my '05 w/camper package when driving down the road and forget about placing it the cup holder, lol.
 
Late to the party here, but thought I should add my perspective as a shopper, partly because my experience is quite a bit different from many other folks.

First, there is no substitute for test drives in varied terrain. But that is not always possible these days.

I have done several back to back comparisons of F250, F350, Tremor, F150 Lariat, F150 Tremor. These test drives conducted at whatever tire pressure the dealer had with unloaded vehicles (being unloaded with high tire pressure is especially unfair for the F350/Tremor).

The most common / primary route included freeway with just a few potholes, followed by very curvy, narrow, rolling two lane paved road with lots of broken patched pavement and then back on the freeway.

Full disclosure - I do not currently drive a pickup and thus my day to day experience likely influences my perception that the Tremor drives uncomfortably stiff. Folks that drive pickups all the time likely have a different perspective, and my perspective could change if I drove a Tremor for a few months.

The F150's drive like big cars. Frankly I liked the handling of the F150 Tremor quite a bit better than the F150 Lariat. Moving on to the Super Duties, the non-Tremor F250 handled rough road sections almost as well as the F150 which was commendable considering that the F250 is designed for much higher payload.

The first time I drove a F250 Tremor was immediately after driving a regular F250. I was shocked at the difference between the two vehicles because the Tremor felt substantially harsher on the rough pavement (and railroad track). Whereas the regular F250 was more akin to the F150 - reasonably comfortable. I asked the salesperson why the Tremor ride was so much more jarring and uncomfortable than the F250 I had driven immediately before. Of course the salesperson had no idea and suggested that it was just the larger tires.

Later I learned the rest of the story. Namely, the Tremor F250 is really a de-rated F350. To my senses the Tremor drives like other F350's I have test driven - "harsh". I'm referring to rough road sections - broken pavement, patched sections, railroad tracks. On smooth unbroken asphalt they drive fine, probably in the same way that a locomotive rides fine on steel rails. Sorry, I'm getting carried away.

Just the idea of driving a SD Tremor offroad somewhere like the Quilomene in E. WA without first addressing the suspension / payload makes me want to boot up a CJC offroad Carli video to calm my nerves.

Honestly, I thought the Tremor and other F350's were very uncomfortable due to the stiff suspension. But, that is with a brand new vehicle, zero payload other than the driver, nearly empty gas tank and high tire pressures common to dealer lots. An F350 wasn't built the way it is to drive "empty" on rough roads.

Someone that is accustomed to driving heavy duty pickups may have a different reaction. Call me a wimp!

Other than the suspension, I love the SD Tremor and will likely acquire one soon. However, I would probably budget $$$ to modify the wheels, tires and suspension to suit my payload and my driving style - necessitating some softening of the suspension.
 
Late to the party here, but thought I should add my perspective as a shopper, partly because my experience is quite a bit different from many other folks.

First, there is no substitute for test drives in varied terrain. But that is not always possible these days.

I have done several back to back comparisons of F250, F350, Tremor, F150 Lariat, F150 Tremor. These test drives conducted at whatever tire pressure the dealer had with unloaded vehicles (being unloaded with high tire pressure is especially unfair for the F350/Tremor).

The most common / primary route included freeway with just a few potholes, followed by very curvy, narrow, rolling two lane paved road with lots of broken patched pavement and then back on the freeway.

Full disclosure - I do not currently drive a pickup and thus my day to day experience likely influences my perception that the Tremor drives uncomfortably stiff. Folks that drive pickups all the time likely have a different perspective, and my perspective could change if I drove a Tremor for a few months.

The F150's drive like big cars. Frankly I liked the handling of the F150 Tremor quite a bit better than the F150 Lariat. Moving on to the Super Duties, the non-Tremor F250 handled rough road sections almost as well as the F150 which was commendable considering that the F250 is designed for much higher payload.

The first time I drove a F250 Tremor was immediately after driving a regular F250. I was shocked at the difference between the two vehicles because the Tremor felt substantially harsher on the rough pavement (and railroad track). Whereas the regular F250 was more akin to the F150 - reasonably comfortable. I asked the salesperson why the Tremor ride was so much more jarring and uncomfortable than the F250 I had driven immediately before. Of course the salesperson had no idea and suggested that it was just the larger tires.

Later I learned the rest of the story. Namely, the Tremor F250 is really a de-rated F350. To my senses the Tremor drives like other F350's I have test driven - "harsh". I'm referring to rough road sections - broken pavement, patched sections, railroad tracks. On smooth unbroken asphalt they drive fine, probably in the same way that a locomotive rides fine on steel rails. Sorry, I'm getting carried away.

Just the idea of driving a SD Tremor offroad somewhere like the Quilomene in E. WA without first addressing the suspension / payload makes me want to boot up a CJC offroad Carli video to calm my nerves.

Honestly, I thought the Tremor and other F350's were very uncomfortable due to the stiff suspension. But, that is with a brand new vehicle, zero payload other than the driver, nearly empty gas tank and high tire pressures common to dealer lots. An F350 wasn't built the way it is to drive "empty" on rough roads.

Someone that is accustomed to driving heavy duty pickups may have a different reaction. Call me a wimp!

Other than the suspension, I love the SD Tremor and will likely acquire one soon. However, I would probably budget $$$ to modify the wheels, tires and suspension to suit my payload and my driving style - necessitating some softening of the suspension.
Good Review... I drive an F-350 Tremor, and I love it .... but ... I had to install a Fox steering stabilizer and replace the Tremor shocks with Fox 2.0 shocks. It now rides like a dream for me. I also installed Toyo Ridge Grapplers, which may also have helped. I traded up from a Larriat F-150 ... I thought it rode like a marshmallow and found the brakes to be like mush ... I always felt like, "I am ever going to stop?" I had to replace the brakes (power stop Z36) and also put in Fox 2.0 shocks ... it rode and stopped great after. I had the EcoBoost and could not stand how it sounded ... hence moving to the F-350. I do tow about twice a month, hence the F-350.
 
Your biggest bang which costs no bucks is tire pressure. You pull off the lot at 80psi feeling like you’re on a pogo stick. When you’re not towing or towing heavy drop that pressure to 55-60psi and it’s night and day difference.
 
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To my senses the Tremor drives like other F350's I have test driven - "harsh"
Good summary! I enjoyed reading this from your perspective as someone who doesn't daily drive a pickup. Also, your qualification regarding the spec'd tire pressure is important and should not be overlooked.

In the F150 lineup I had never changed (or needed to) from the OEM pressure. I found that a little goes a long way with my SD Tremor. As you correctly stated, we are talking about an F350 regardless of badging here - a "one ton" capable truck.

When I first got my truck I drove at the recommended pressure (60/70) for a day or two and then lowered to 60/60. After making the required changes in Forscan I now run 50/50. Both steps in reduced pressure made a noticeable difference.

As a inherent scientific A-B-A test I increase tire pressure when I tow our TT and reduce back down to 50/50 when not towing. I notice the change both directions.

I think the larger sidewall of the tires on the Tremor have a compounding positive effect. Not sure if this change would be consistent on a non-Tremor F350. It has been awhile since I drove a non-Tremor F250 so I can't comment here but I can say that my truck rides better than the non-Tremor F350 I recently drove (assume that was at factory pressure). No comparison to the F150s, but my wife and I both find it acceptable...
 
Revisiting this thread now after having spent a max payload’s worth of cash on upgrades to the truck, my conclusion is that the biggest bang for the buck is definitely just tire pressure, and that the conventional wisdom here of reducing the pressure to 50f/65r psi is wrong.

Nobody needs that much air in their stock tires unloaded.

I recommend running the Duratrash at 45f/35r psi. Your ride at that pressure will be drastically improved. And near as good as it’s going to get on pavement. The only cost might be needing to replace your tires somewhat sooner. But one could call that a blessing in disguise.

Here’s a relevant thread on tire pressures: https://www.fordtremor.com/threads/questions-about-tire-psi.7816/
 
I recommend running the Duratrash at 45f/35r psi
No doubt this makes sense based on load and comfort. I have been thinking of trying even lower in the rear. 50/50 has been a good compromise and appears to give fairly even wear and protection for runs to Home Depot, etc without needing to air up... I am only at my second rotation, though, so time will tell.
 
the biggest bang for the buck is definitely just tire pressure

Adding: Second biggest bang for the buck with regards to rear end harshness is just adding weight to the bed. 5th wheel bracket, bed cover, sand bags, whatever it takes…

Even with the top end Carli kit the rear end is rough without several hundred pounds more weight on the rear axle than my truck had on it stock.

I don’t feel any of the suspension upgrades earn their keep until going off-road or when speeding on twisty roads like a jackass.
 
Adding: Second biggest bang for the buck with regards to rear end harshness is just adding weight to the bed. 5th wheel bracket, bed cover, sand bags, whatever it takes…

Even with the top end Carli kit the rear end is rough without several hundred pounds more weight on the rear axle than my truck had on it stock.

I don’t feel any of the suspension upgrades earn their keep until going off-road or when speeding on twisty roads like a jackass.
This is great additional feedback from Oops, Modman, Naz, JR, and the others - a good reminder to me not to jump the gun spending a "max payload of cash" (LOL credits to Oops, but not funny, ouch) on suspension until I've worked the beast for a while with lower tire pressures. I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday and thanks for the additional comments to this aged resusicated post.
 
Good summary! I enjoyed reading this from your perspective as someone who doesn't daily drive a pickup. Also, your qualification regarding the spec'd tire pressure is important and should not be overlooked.

In the F150 lineup I had never changed (or needed to) from the OEM pressure. I found that a little goes a long way with my SD Tremor. As you correctly stated, we are talking about an F350 regardless of badging here - a "one ton" capable truck.

When I first got my truck I drove at the recommended pressure (60/70) for a day or two and then lowered to 60/60. After making the required changes in Forscan I now run 50/50. Both steps in reduced pressure made a noticeable difference.

As a inherent scientific A-B-A test I increase tire pressure when I tow our TT and reduce back down to 50/50 when not towing. I notice the change both directions.

I think the larger sidewall of the tires on the Tremor have a compounding positive effect. Not sure if this change would be consistent on a non-Tremor F350. It has been awhile since I drove a non-Tremor F250 so I can't comment here but I can say that my truck rides better than the non-Tremor F350 I recently drove (assume that was at factory pressure). No comparison to the F150s, but my wife and I both find it acceptable...

Anyone running this low should carry some way to inflate should they want to actually use their 250/350 like a 250/350. At 35-40 PSI your tires will be nearly maxed out - empty. Any additional load or differential loading (ie. going around corners at moderate speed, full tank of fuel and a plus-size driver adds weight to the left side tires, etc.) will almost surely over load the tires.

You all do you, but I have been happy with 60f & 68r. Sack up boys, you bought "1-ton" trucks. Go take any pre-super duty for a ride and you will never complain about your ride quality again.
 
Anyone running this low should carry some way to inflate should they want to actually use their 250/350 like a 250/350. At 35-40 PSI your tires will be nearly maxed out - empty. Any additional load or differential loading (ie. going around corners at moderate speed, full tank of fuel and a plus-size driver adds weight to the left side tires, etc.) will almost surely over load the tires.

You all do you, but I have been happy with 60f & 68r. Sack up boys, you bought "1-ton" trucks. Go take any pre-super duty for a ride and you will never complain about your ride quality again.
IIRC at 50psi I still have 3000lbs of load capacity per tire which is plenty for what I typically do with the truck. In case I need it in flight, my ARB Twin will be employed... I sacked up with my wallet! :p
 
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IIRC at 50psi I still have 3000lbs of load capacity per tire which is plenty for what I typically do with the truck. In case I need it in flight, my ARB Twin will be employed... I sacked up with my wallet! :p
My wallet is why I started playing with air pressure. My but-o-meter didn’t care enough for the time it takes to adjust pressure.

With 80psi in the rear, no trailer, and no box load I was starting to notice uneven wear. Dropping to to 60 ish has helped with empty rear tread wear. 60 in the front seems to wear pretty decent so don’t mess with it. With heavy tongue/pin weight around 1100 to 2500 lbs I find handling at lower pressure really suffers. For my bigger trailers 80 psi handles way better and ride is not objectionable with more even tire wear. When not going to be running a long distances empty just leave it at the recommended pressures to be a little more practical than having to air up and down throughout the day/week.
 
Coming from Ram, the ride quality of the Tremor is very impressive. The Tremor rides better stock than any of my 3500 Mega Cabs that were upgraded with Thurens complete front suspension and aftermarket shocks at all 4 corners.

Air pressure is absolutely the answer and should be run based off the tires load inflation chart. On the Tremor I run 52F 46R just to keep some headroom with the items I haul weekly and the rides more than reasonable for a 1 ton truck. If you're running any more pressure than this on a daily driver, you're punishing yourself for no apparent reason. Look up the chart for the tire you're running and add 800lbs for safety measures and Im willing to bet your opinion on ride quality will vastly change.

I keep a Milwaukee M18 inflator under the seat of my truck to maintain pressures, to adjust should I need to hitch up, and to make sure trailer tires are ready to go when Im on the road. This inflator is legit, fast, and commercial duty rated. I always installed ARB compressors but not anymore since picking one of these up.

 
My wallet is why I started playing with air pressure. My but-o-meter didn’t care enough for the time it takes to adjust pressure.

With 80psi in the rear, no trailer, and no box load I was starting to notice uneven wear. Dropping to to 60 ish has helped with empty rear tread wear. 60 in the front seems to wear pretty decent so don’t mess with it. With heavy tongue/pin weight around 1100 to 2500 lbs I find handling at lower pressure really suffers. For my bigger trailers 80 psi handles way better and ride is not objectionable with more even tire wear. When not going to be running a long distances empty just leave it at the recommended pressures to be a little more practical than having to air up and down throughout the day/week.
Yep, that makes sense to me. Unless towing the travel trailer I rarely have much load in the bed - an occasional load of rock or mulch. I also purchased the Indeflate which makes the air pressure adjustments pretty painless for when I need to do them.

That being said, I had to pickup the RV from service about a month ago and never deflated from that tow... It is noticeable but not terrible at 60/70 (mine is a 250).
 
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