Long drives with couple hundred pounds in bed

[Barnaby’sdad]

Personally…I’d look for a beefier spring and shock setup. I’m in a similar boat…I don’t need a lift, but I’d like beefier shocks and springs, as my steady state load on the rear end is probably in the neighborhood of ~250lbs heavier than stock.

In my case, I think it rides fine (JTR here), so I’m not in a huge hurry to do anything to it. On occasions when I’m loaded up a bit heavier (i.e. Drove a few hours to go SCUBA diving), I can really notice it though.

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[Gladbrennan]

I started out with a Mopar soft tri-fold tonneau cover, but eventually replaced it with a RSI Smartcap. It gives me full access to the bed, and allows me to carry more, but uses up 250 of the 1032 pounds of payload capacity.

I agree, I'm always concerned about that extra 250lbs.

 

[Rocksalt]

I have 120 lbs sandbags all winter and then on long trips an extra 150 lbs of gear. I havent noticed much of a difference.

 

[Gladbrennan]

Yeah, I typically cant tell the difference in performance with or without a passenger.

 

[Outback_Joe]

Just went to Rancho 9000,s on my 2022 Rubicon and it made a nice difference. I like the adjustable feature on the shocks. I can lower the resistance for bumpy trails and stiffen them up for hwys. Good upgrade for under $500.00. Now the truck stops bouncing after one cycle not the three cycles as before.

 

[Gvsukids]

Just went to Rancho 9000,s on my 2022 Rubicon and it made a nice difference. I like the adjustable feature on the shocks. I can lower the resistance for bumpy trails and stiffen them up for hwys. Good upgrade for under $500.00. Now the truck stops bouncing after one cycle not the three cycles as before.

Stock Rubicon?

 

[Dougstdig]

No the truck squats a little bit, but isnt too bad. It kinda feels like an old buick over bumps with weight. It waves around. I was thinking of trying some good shocks, but not sure if the springs are the problem.

I had a quad cab Chevrolet pick up truck that was so out of control. It would porpoise due to expansion gaps on bridges. All I did was swap out a set of Bilstein shocks and it was a completely different vehicle very stable without being harsh.

 

[Ogre_FL]

I regularly drive with several hundred pounds in the back, often thousands of miles. I always place the heaviest cases at the front, and I haven’t noticed much, if any, change in handling.
Once I get upwards of 1,000 lbs (or more,) she does get a little drifty…

Kevin

I wonder if the Overland shocks & springs are different than the Sport?
I run from Florida up to the GA mountains with 500-600 lbs of motorcycle in the back of my 80th Anniversary Sport, my wife & myself and the back seat loaded to the gills.
This includes going at a pretty fast pace through Atlanta keeping up with traffic.

My truck has the same 18" wheels/tire size as the Overland FWIW, and I think it rides quite well with that weight in it, as good or better than unloaded to me.
I also don't notice any degradation in the driving or handling except I can feel the weight up high in tight/fast down hill turns and of course acceleration is a bit less than driving solo with little to no load.

 

[John Lenheiser]

This is one reason why I haven't given up my RAM 1500 4x4 for a Gladiator, 300 lbs. in the bed of my RAM wouldn't change the driving of the truck, or the fuel mileage where it was even noticeable. The Gladiator is so susceptible to any change to the vehicle that you make to it, I find it nothing but a money pit just to get the ride back to normal, money wasted for improvements that you shouldn't have to pay for.

 

[Outback_Joe]

Stock Rubicon?

Bone stock. The front shocks made the most difference.

 

[Gvsukids]

I wonder if the Overland shocks & springs are different than the Sport?
I run from Florida up to the GA mountains with 500-600 lbs of motorcycle in the back of my 80th Anniversary Sport, my wife & myself and the back seat loaded to the gills.
This includes going at a pretty fast pace through Atlanta keeping up with traffic.

Yes, softer.

This is one reason why I haven't given up my RAM 1500 4x4 for a Gladiator, 300 lbs. in the bed of my RAM wouldn't change the driving of the truck, or the fuel mileage where it was even noticeable. The Gladiator is so susceptible to any change to the vehicle that you make to it, I find it nothing but a money pit just to get the ride back to normal, money wasted for improvements that you shouldn't have to pay for.

Max Tow have a stiffer rear spring.

 

[RubiDukkie]

So i recently got a 21 overland gladiator. I like the way it drives on the highway unloaded, but when i have my packouts in the back it feels less stable. Not looking to add a lift because i dont want to lose mpgs. Im sure with people adding racks and tents to there jeeps there is a way to make it drive a little better. Thanks for any info.

I have a '21 Rubicon Gladiator with an RSI Smartcap on the back and a toolbox. Enough extra weight that it has too much side to side sway, especially when cornering, catching cross winds, or on just plain bad highway surfaces. Haven't loaded it up yet with my Gazelle T4 Hub tent and camping gear, so I can only imagine the sway will get worse then. My local 4x4 shop recommended a stiffer rear sway bar like the Hellwig:

Hellwig Products Search by Vehicle - Hellwig Products
Hellwig Sway Bars, Helper Springs, Air Spring Kits - YouTube
How Our Hellwig Sway Bars Held Up Driving to Alaska (Review) - Mortons on the Move

It is still on order and hasn't been installed yet, so can't give any actually experience with it yet, but passing along in case this info is helpful.

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