I have an '03 SE with 176k miles. The past couple of years I have noticed what, as best as can describe, as some "skipping" while taking some small bumps / hits going around the corners. The vehicle just doesn't seem to track that well. Small, square-edged bumps have felt like big bumps when encountered ... pretty harsh hits.
That said, I have just had the mechanic replace the factory shocks all around with a mid-priced Gabrial Ultra. Thinking that after the new shocks were put on that I would experience a "magical" ride, I was pretty disappointed to find the truck's ride had not improved. In fact, it seemed worse. Seems the front end "lifts" a little more upon acceleration from a stop and "dives" when braking.
Three days after installation, I replaced the worn rubber all around with a Michelin MTX tire + alignment. The new tires improved the ride a bit but there's still an underlying issue with the truck taking bumps/hits.
Any help / advice to my prob would be appreciated. Thanks!