4 Wheel Drive/SUVs: Dodge Ram rear suspension, back loads, rear tires

Question
I have a 2002 Ram 1500 4WD with 5.9L V8. My rear tires seem to wear in the center of the tire as though the tire is over inflated. However they are not. The rear end on this truck seems to bounce up and down terribly on the roads here in Oklahoma. I know that the roads suck and that they are the source of my pain but I'm trying to figure out how I can make the truck ride better. It seems that the wheel base hits the seams in the road just right and causes the bouncing. It's not like "weak shocks" bounce, it's like "riding in a chinook" bounce. Hard and jarring. It rides smoother when I have my 4 wheeler in the back. I can't figure out if the shocks need to be softer in the back or harder. I rotated the tires and they wore in the center again just like the other 2. They are at 27lbs pressure, not over inflated...Please help! THanks

Answer
Mark,

what you need is more spring jounce (softer) The extra weight of the 4 wheeler in the back loads the springs and makes them give a little more. I think if you can find a suspension shop in town they may be able to remove an overload spring in the leaf pack to help with this. Usually shocks tend to all be the same unless you go with Rancho adjustable where you can turn the dial on them to adjust for ride quality. They are a little more expensive but I have had good experiences with them myself. Try that out and see if it helps

Matt