Soft in back

I have a 2000 SEL, 3.8L, with rear drum brakes and 100k on it. I don't believe it came with a towing package, so I don't think it has heavy duty springs or shocks. It definitely does not have the heavier duty rear springs that are on my 2001.

The back end of my 2000 seems to be inadequate for my family of five when crossing dips, etc. and even worse when adding a trailer. :frown: I try to keep it at or under the recommended 200 lb. tongue weight, so it's not really adding that much to the back end. My take is the springs have gotten soft or the shocks are shot or both. The shocks do act shot when under those conditions but otherwise don't with regular use. If I try pumping it up and down, the shocks quickly dampen and stop it. I'd estimate that out of the 7" of space between the axle stop and the underside, there are 3 to 4 inches remaining when it's loaded.

So, my question is what should I do to make it handle a fully loaded van and also a trailer? BTW, what I tow does not exceed the recommended rating for the van and I shouldn't be exceeding it's load capacity with how I've been using it. I'd estimate trailer, people and cargo to be at or under 1800 lbs.

I am aware of several options. Replace the springs and shocks with something heavier duty - my least favorite choice. Add auxiliary helper coil springs and shocks - maybe. Add inside of the coil springs air bags that provide support proportional to the air pressure you adjust manually, with or without new shocks - maybe but better. Replace the shocks but not the springs with a heavy duty shock and spring combination that will add 1000 lbs capacity to help with leveling and bottoming out - my preference, easiest but pricey. The last option is whatever you folks might suggest differently. Thanks in advance!

how many miles are on the shocks? If they're oem (ie the 100k you state in your post) they're definitely in need of changing. If it were me, I'd change the shocks if they're over 25k with the stiffest suggested and see how it is. Springs do go bad or sag but shocks wear out sooner in my experience. I'd be doing shocks first and seeing how it rides if it were me.

This will help a ton. They are called Monroe Load adjusting shocks. They are an adjustable shock with a coil over. There are heavy load springs out there if you want even more control. http://catalog.monroe.com/catalogPart/monroePartSearchFromECatalog.do?partKey=786019&partNumber=58624&catalogKey=563&methodName=initialiseMonroe&catalogCode=monroe&locale=EN&loadStatus=ACTIVE

Without closer inspection, I assume they are original shocks, thus having 100k on them. I bought it at ~64k, so without asking the local dealer if they changed the shocks before that, I wouldn't know. One indicator of their age may be that the outer shell/covering has rusted through a little on both shocks, and they do get exposed to road brine in the winter, but we don't have near the snow of the North. I looked to buy a Windstar from a northern state and the frame where I wanted to attach a hitch was nearly gone!?! Wow!

I need to correct myself on the load I have on the van in light of it's rated cargo weight, which is around 1200 lbs. Turns out, if I have my numbers right, that's exactly the cargo weight with all of us, luggage, and trailer. The van has bottomed out without the trailer but the same load otherwise, ~1000 lbs. The front is solid. My point is only that I'm closer to the van's rated cargo weight than I originally stated, suggesting the problem is with the equipment rather than being overloaded. I wouldn't know if the suspension was already weak when we bought it because we had much lighter kids then! ;)

Mileage, how you drive, and what you carry all contribute to shock life. Most manufacturers state somewhere around 50,000 miles so if your shocks are original, they're done for sure. Even if they've been replaced, it sounds like you're using them fairly heavily. I'd bet you'll notice a big difference once they're replaced. FWIW, my van is a 2000 3.8, has 120k miles, it's never been used for towing but has 3-5 people in it along with gear for every drive, and several long trips with luggage +.. I've replace the shocks twice, so 3 pairs in total. Replace your shocks and enjoy the new ride!

Those load adjusting shocks are a great upgrade. I have installed them on many vans and trucks that needed a little extra for towing control. Affordable too. they come in a set.

I was wondering which is better of the following: the airbag coil assist that goes inside your coil springs that you manually adjust the air pressure, or an air adjustable shock absorber, or a self load adjusting spring over shock. I like the last one. I wouldn't know the functional pros and cons of them. My dad had something he added air to stiffen the ride and keep its trim when pulling a trailer. It seemed inconvenient to add and remove the air according to the load and ride. I like the Monroe® Sensa-Trac® load adjusting shock absorber that Rickisrad suggested so far, but was hoping why the others aren't so great. Right off, compared to the coil over shock, I'd guess for both the installation is more involved and require attention depending on the load/ride. Any other issues like performance, reliability, etc. issues with the others?

I have another Windstar that supposedly uses similar shocks to this one that I had replaced not long before I moth balled it, so to speak. I'm considering by using those shocks that I already have, I could attempt to verify that all I really need is shocks and the condition of the springs.