Independent Rear Suspension Coming To Ford F-150 – Should Chevy Respond?
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A new report from our sister site, Ford Authority, indicates a new Ford F-150 with independent rear suspension is currently in the works.
It’s not clear when the updated F-150 will arrive, although it’s debut is believed to be just around the corner. This revised F-150 will introduce the alleged independent rear suspension version of the truck. It will only be offered on one or two F-150 variants, according to sources, with the rest of the range retaining the truck’s current leaf spring/solid rear configuration.
Independent rear suspension isn’t as well-suited to towing or driving with heavy loads as a solid rear axle setup, but can offer superior handling and a more refined, comfortable ride. This would make an IRS setup well suited to a high-priced luxury version of the truck, which may not be purchased by customers who do much towing, or a sportier version that demands more agile handling.
With Ford and General Motors always closely monitoring each other’s pickup programs, it’s not far-fetched to think that GM has at least thought of adding IRS to the Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra, or will plan on responding with a similar once it sees the alleged IRS F-150 variant. The Silverado received a heavy update for the 2019 model year, though, so such a radical change may have to wait until the next-generation Silverado arrives.
Toyota may also have an IRS version of the Tundra in the works, with the Japanese automaker having been recently spotted testing a prototype with low-hanging ‘curtains’ to cover up any secrets with regard to the truck’s suspension. The company could have also been hiding some sort of spring or air-suspension setup similar to the Ram 1500’s.
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Source: Ford Authority
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Some may recall that there was a rather ungainly looking IRS mule developed for the GMT800.
But for today, just plug in the IRS from the T1XX SUVs and call it a day.
Nevertheless, yet another example of GM following and not leading.
Earlier today, Ms Barra stayed she was ‘intent on staying ahead of industry disruption’…
Wasn’t aware she was ahead in the first place, but yes, Tomko – lead, don’t follow, indeed.
My guess would be it’s destined for the hybrid (which I’m hoping they offer with a V8 and 6’5″ bed, and that it somehow gets 25 mpg or better in the city).
Shocked the hell out of me to find out these guys hadn’t standardized independent suspension for ALL their products.
If you want a car buy a subaru leave the truck world alone to do manly man stuff like haul heavy objects ie truck bed or tow heavy trailers stop with tge it doesnt ride like my Mercedes crap its a damn truck
Um… ram has been doing this for years. lol. Ford is starting to troll Ram 1500’s…
Um…. RAM does not have an independent rear suspension set up. They have coils instead of leaf spring on some of their solid rear axle models. If you think the coils are something new and special to RAM, then I’d say take a look at Chevy and GMC trucks from the 60’s and 70’s to see who is trolling who.
ALL Ram 1500s since 2009 have a 5-link coil-spring rear suspension – air suspension is optional.
As the owner of a 2017 Ram I can attest that the solid axle with coils is awesome. As MRB stated GM really lead the way with this in the 60’s. The way most 1/2 tons are used this is a great setup.
Ford should just include a tube of vagisil with purchase. A real man drives a truck with a solid rear axle.
Clearly this is the way to go. Look at the awesome sales of the Ridgeline. /sarc
IRS can also make room for a battery
IRS on the Denali truck line makes sense. Maybe the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade too.
This makes me sad.
I see some many comments about “a battery” and “the Ridgeline” not to mention that whole article is about IRS on A PICKUP TRUCK!
What happened to real trucks? the ones with the nice sounding diesel motor that you could actually hear? the ones that start every day for 15 years and reach 200k miles problem free? The ones that dont have a 28 in screen? Why have trucks become so soft?
The same thing is happening at Jeep with the wrangler. People buy Wranglers “cuz they’re cool” and then b!tch about the wind noise, the ride, the “cheap” interior. Now they refined it, and took quite a bit of “Jeepness” out of it. WTF?! Truth is, that interior was not cheap; it was utilitarian. Maybe some of us actually liked the rough ride.
If you dont like a car for what it is, dont buy it! I’m not going to buy a BMW and demand they make the ride softer and the cars more affordable
With all the common engineering between GM’s FS pickups and Utes, if GM already has IRS coming on the Tah/Sub/Yuk/Esc, then adding it to Silv/Sierra LD is a no brainer. That said, GM’s leaders also have a responsibility to make a decent return, so waiting for the market to respond +/- makes a lot of sense. If IRS were to be offered and take off, GM could add it quickly and be no worse. If IRS hits the market and goes nowhere, then they saved a few hundred million dollars in certification costs…kind of important if you’re an investor, or even if you’re working to maintain a lead with RD $ in the AV space…
As for first to market/disruptor advantages, GM has not been the laggard that antagonists love to portray. Does anyone remember…
– Truck All wheel steering? GM offered it in the late 90’s/early 2000’s and while it was so cool, it couldn’t be priced effectively, no one followed, and it died.
– GM EV1? Not many remember this one. Not a bad vehicle, very innovative, etc. GM poured millions into its development and just ended up doing the spadework for the entire EV market…
– Pontiac Aztek? A bit of a reach, but mainstream car based crossovers weren’t on many radar screen when this product was launched… it didn’t help that it was uglier than a board fence, but even Honda followed with the Element…and neither worked… until Breaking Bad…
– GMC Envoy XUV and Chevrolet Avalanche? Quality killed the XUV, in addition to not as many people wanting to carry home their ficus tree from Home Depot as expected.. Avalanche was a different story… Chevy sold a decent number of them, and they remain sought after in the used market, but much like the current question about IRS, how much market will there be for another pickup/comfy riding people carrier.
While the pickup segment has exploded in the past 20 years with all the luxury packages, people still buy them with some sort of underlying intent, real or imagined, so they can have greater functionality.
The independent as an option in come half ton or on a mid size is fine but there is too much compromise.
The Air Suspensions will not fair well with time as Lincoln has proven time and time again. It breaks the car sags and it is more to fix it than the vehicle is worth.
Most folks are fine with the suspensions they have as they are not compromised and they are cheap and easy to maintain and modify.
With IRS …..Maybe a shot at all wheel steering–Ford ?
If yall will think about it. The real H1 hummers have IRS. More ground clearance. Great idea for 4×4.
“Independent rear suspension isn’t as well-suited to towing or driving with heavy loads as a solid rear axle setup, but can offer superior handling and a more refined, comfortable ride.”
This is not true. Provided that ample axle capacity exists, IRS-equipped vehicles are the preferred choice for towing. IRS vehicles have a stance as wide as the tires. Solid axle vehicles’ stance is much much narrower, effectively where it’s sprung. We’ve been testing tow vehicle/trailer combinations for 49 years.