Have you experienced white knuckle driving? You find yourself clinging to the steering wheel in effort to gain control of the vehicle when drivability and ride quality is so poor. Hold on too tight and the knuckles of your hands turn white from forcing blood from the capillaries. Sound comfortable? We think not.
White knuckle grip on steering wheel
Poor ride quality is caused by inefficient support in the vehicle’s suspension, most likely from the effects of a larger quantity of payload. Towing a trailer or hauling heavy loads like a truck camper can have significant effects on how your vehicle drives, especially at higher speeds.
What might cause you to grip your steering wheel?
- Severe truck sway
- Fishtailing trailer
- Rocking motion like you’re in a boat (body roll)
- Top heavy feeling – tipping over
Not only is this unsafe for you and other travelers on the road, but it can also cause heightened anxiety and stress for the driver. To fight these unruly characteristics, work with your factory suspension by installing the Torklift International StableLoad suspension stabilizer.
Lower StableLoads engaged and disengaged
The StableLoads are tested and proven to solve multiple drivability issues by pre-engaging the stronger factory overload leaf springs. When the truck’s factory leaf springs are activated, poor handling characteristics are dramatically decreased.
Many people turn to airbags to level their vehicle and correct handling when towing or hauling. However, the side effects of installing airbags will actually increase side-to-side sway and amplify bounce motion. This happens because airbags take the weight of your payload and balance them on an area roughly the size of two footballs. The power of the truck’s factory spring suspension is completely taken out of use.
The StableLoads put your suspension back into effect and work with the factory manufactured overload leaf springs to showcase exactly what they’re meant to do. Check out our article on how StableLoads affect your factory overload leaf springs for more detail on how this process is so effective.
To see if others could notice an improvement in ride quality with the StableLoad suspension stabilizer, we gave those who tow or haul the opportunity to take the StableLoad Challenge at a recent rally. The challenge allowed test-drivers to experience the Ford F-150 trucks suspension with a 2,800-pound load in the back. The challenge required driving the loaded truck both with and without Torklift International’s StableLoads.
Test-driver Mary Wrubel was blown away at the difference in ride quality. Watch her experience in this never-before-seen footage from the StableLoad Challenge:
Without the StableLoads:
“I know there’s something back there, swaying back and forth. It does a lot of wobbling,” said Wrubel. “Woah! I wouldn’t want to drive this for any length of time without something… a lot of bouncing.”
With the StableLoads engaged:
“Oh wow! What a big difference. You could go miles and miles and miles and miles with this,” explained Wrubel. “No wobbling. Boy, that feels amazing – that’s nice.”
Be sure to view the full video of Torklift International’s StableLoad Challenge and see how the experience made impressions on other rally-goers who took the challenge.
Click here to learn more about the StableLoad suspension stabilizer.