Aftermarket Truck Suspension question

[floatn turd]

Howdy,

I bought my F-250 used, the first owner slapped the lift on it.
The suspension setup he choose is stiff as hell. (He had a big ass 5th wheel toy hauler)

On some freeways the ride is almost unbearable.

When there is a ton of weight in the bed this thing rides like a Cadillac.
It's like a totally different truck and is actually enjoyable to be in.

Problem is, I almost never have that much weight in the bed.
I'm finally over it and want a softer ride.

Question:
Do I start with the springs? (I can't see any making or #'s on the springs)
Any suggestions on what to buy or things to consider?
Or
Should I just roll into a shop and let them figure it all out?

Please advise

FT


Front

REAR

 

[JD D05]

Do you want to keep it lifted? Have you checked tire pressure? Mine is terrible at high psi but great lower.

 

[Carlson-jet]

Do you want to keep it lifted? Have you checked tire pressure? Mine is terrible at high psi but great lower.

Replace those leaf springs with something a little lighter or possibly pull a leaf out.

 

[Willie B]

... Hmmm..:Make friends with the guy that drives the Skiploader at the rock quarry???...

 

[RVRKID]

How much air are you running in the tires and the bags?


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[pronstar]

^^^ This

And what tires are on the truck?


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[monkeyswrench]

What size rims and tires? The bigger rims have a lot less sidewall give, so a more stiff ride there as well. Are the rears running any air? I'd usually keep 3-5psi in mine when not loaded. Basically just enough to read the gauge and keep an eye on. Make sure the shocks aren't fully extended in the front at rest. The axle tugging on the shocks will make it rough. Also, put zipties around the shafts at the base of the can. Drive it for a day, and look at how far the ziptie has moved. That will give you an idea of how much travel you are using, and how heavy it's sprung.

 

[Carlson-jet]

Leaf springs date back to the 18 century, crude but effective under load. One should be able to run pretty much any tire pressure the manufacturer recommends and have a decent ride.
Leaf springs also crack from fatigue after many years of service. If National spring in El Cajon is still around they helped me out. They custom make them.

 

[chonchisyque]

What year f250? Size of rims,tires and lift type. I bought a 07 f250 lariat outlaw edition with a 6 inch fab tech lift with dual 2.0 fox upfront and 22 inch rims 37inch tires. And driving on the 5fwy at 55-60mph gets real bumpy. The first thing I did was changed the rims to 17inch and 37 inch tires. It improved a little. I also upgraded my rear leaf springs to 08 from Pmf. Did it get a little more better yes. Did I get rid of bumpyness no. What I did find out was once you start mix matching brand suspension parts equals no bueno and gets really expensive. Work with what you got 17 or 18 inch rims! Trail and error on the tires, bags psi. You got fox 2.0 shocks you can also send them to fox to get rebuilt and add manual valving to make stiffer or smoother. Rebuilding them should be 80 to 100 per shock and the Manuel external valving add on 40 to 60 what I was quoted two years ago

 

[floatn turd]

Ok,

Answers to the questions:

• Yes, I want to keep the lift
• Rims: 20" (just changed from 18", and it rides the same)
• Tires: 37s
• PSI: 34 front / 30 rear (Approx)
• Rear bags are usually empty or have 1 or 2 psi (I really don't use them)
• Year: 2006

I will try the zip tie deal.
Once I do this, how do I read the results?



Thank you

FT

 

[floatn turd]

What year f250? Size of rims,tires and lift type. I bought a 07 f250 lariat outlaw edition with a 6 inch fab tech lift with dual 2.0 fox upfront and 22 inch rims 37inch tires. And driving on the 5fwy at 55-60mph gets real bumpy. The first thing I did was changed the rims to 17inch and 37 inch tires. It improved a little. I also upgraded my rear leaf springs to 08 from Pmf. Did it get a little more better yes. Did I get rid of bumpyness no. What I did find out was once you start mix matching brand suspension parts equals no bueno and gets really expensive. Work with what you got 17 or 18 inch rims! Trail and error on the tires, bags psi. You got fox 2.0 shocks you can also send them to fox to get rebuilt and add manual valving to make stiffer or smoother. Rebuilding them should be 80 to 100 per shock and the Manuel external valving add on 40 to 60 what I was quoted two years ago

Well, crap! I was hoping there was an easy fix.
Like softer springs in the front and maybe do something with the leafs in the rear.

But if it's a lot of business and money to fix, then I'll probably just leave it be and live with it........kinda like my hair loss!!

 

[DoughBallin14]

You can go with a set of sulastic shackles.
Pops had a set of his 350 with lift and 37s and this changed the hop and bounce a ton for him. Also needed to revalve the fox shocks as mentioned above.

http://www.sulastic.com/truck-shackle-suspension-sa-06

 

[Your ad here]

Take the airbags off. It looks like they slipped in 2 more leafs on the leaf pack. Looks like 6 in there plus 1 on the top. It should be 4 plus 1. I would take out the add a leafs and remove the airbags completely. If you want a soft ride for the rear get Ford A code leaf springs. Get B codes for a little more stiffer ride but will handle some weight.

 

[chonchisyque]

 

[chonchisyque]

That’s my rear set up with the longer leaf springs

 

[floatn turd]

You can go with a set of sulastic shackles.
Pops had a set of his 350 with lift and 37s and this changed the hop and bounce a ton for him. Also needed to revalve the fox shocks as mentioned above.

http://www.sulastic.com/truck-shackle-suspension-sa-06

I watched the video.
Those things look promising.

 

[floatn turd]

That’s my rear set up with the longer leaf springs

How does yours ride with that set up?

 

[jetur]

I have had a few of these things, well several. Lol
Front-That front spring is grey/aftermarket and looks thicker than the stock spring. It also looks bound like the link from the frame to the axle is too short. To hold 37s you need at least a 6" lift. To do a 6" lift you need the longer links in the front. This looks more like an 8" lift to me.

Back- you are bagged so you don't need all of those leafs. I would buy the spring packs off a newer F-250 without the overload because you have the bag in place of the overload.

I have this exact set up on a "12" done properly. I will send you some pics. Mine rides really nice on 20s. I don't think sidewall is your issue, I think it's a geometry issue on the front and way too stiff on the back.

 

[jetur]

Alright just got home. Here's some pics of what I'm talking about. Sorry, it's so dirty. It's been raining here off and on for a week.

 

[chonchisyque]

It rides good if your in La Mirada area I give a ride so you can compare

 

[floatn turd]

It rides good if your in La Mirada area I give a ride so you can compare

Thank you Sir.
I appreciate the offer.

 

[chonchisyque]

 

[chonchisyque]

Here’s the front set up

 

[floatn turd]

I have had a few of these things, well several. Lol
Front-That front spring is grey/aftermarket and looks thicker than the stock spring. It also looks bound like the link from the frame to the axle is too short. To hold 37s you need at least a 6" lift. To do a 6" lift you need the longer links in the front. This looks more like an 8" lift to me.

Back- you are bagged so you don't need all of those leafs. I would buy the spring packs off a newer F-250 without the overload because you have the bag in place of the overload.

I have this exact set up on a "12" done properly. I will send you some pics. Mine rides really nice on 20s. I don't think sidewall is your issue, I think it's a geometry issue on the front and way too stiff on the back.

I don't crap about this stuff but I agree with what you said.
Here is a pic, of the offending tooth rattler, So you can the see lift size.

 

[jetur]

Nice truck. So they did the drop down bracket on the front to use the factory links. Had this set up on an 08 and it works and is less noisy off-road than the aftermarket links that I currently run in the 12. I would look into a softer spring in the front. It will probably need to be the same length as current spring to maintain lift, or stock spring with the spring rubber lift would soften up the front.

The height that you need to maintain is dependent on the width of your tires. I don't like going any higher than a 6" lift because I can still fit in the auto washes. So I run a 37 x 12.50 and trim the inner fenders at the bottom cab side. If you want to run wider than the 12.50 a 6" probably won't work.

 

[Icky]

I see the problem it's a Ford .

I think one of the members here owns a shop in the inland empire, might be worth it to have them look at it and see what your options are.

 

[Joe mama]

I have a Duramax that used to knock my teeth loose on some freeways, 249k never put new shocks on it and now rides like a caddy.

 

[Backlash]

If you arent going to carry a load, then you can pull those thick and stiff leaf packs out and install a set of Deaver Springs. They will build you a custom progressive leaf pack with more individual springs which are thinner. They will military wrap the eyes for you and tune the packs to suit your needs. Should be able to put a nice set together for less than a grand. Then install progressive coil springs up front. Doing those two things along with good shocks will change the ride but still allow you to have a lift.

 

[Your ad here]

You have brand new tires in the picture. The tire shop probably has those things to 80 psi. If the are load range E try 52psi in the front and 65psi for the rear. Remove the airbags as well.

 

[floatn turd]

Ok,

So, if I pick and choose from multiple suggestions that were posted, does anyone see any big problems with this Semi Budget plan?

Front: Softer springs, leave the shocks alone.
Rear: Take out a leaf or two, look into those Sulastic Shackles, keep the bags & leave the shocks alone.
OR
2nd option for Rear: Replace the existing leaf springs with an aftermarket set and keep the bags, leave the shocks alone.

Reasonable plan or am I all wrong?

Thank you

FT

 

[mjc]

springs just hold the vehicle up and shocks do all the ride control. so check the shocks.

 

[Icky]

springs just hold the vehicle up and shocks do all the ride control. so check the shocks.

They make progressive coils, that greatly change the ride. I'm on my third set of coils on my diesel, stock with a level lift spacer that sagged, the bds coils that sagged and we'll see how the thurens do since I'm currently installing them.

 

[sczagurs]

Carli springs ride like a dream!

 

[BUDMAN]

I have the same problem. Love my truck, but on some freeways it’s unbearable. I had a friend with the same issue. What he did was he mounted a 3/4 inch thick plate the entire size of his bed with the existing bed mounting plates. It seamed to add just enough weight to make it ride smoother. I just don’t know. I was going to start by changing my shocks first.

 

[chonchisyque]

I still have my 6 inch fab tech set up it came with duals fox 2.0 in the front that were rebuild by dc shocks in Azusa to the lowest k valving for comfort. I put bilstein shocks on the back and steering stabilizer one year old with 7k miles on the them before I re-did my entire set with pmf 7 in new lift with icon springs and king 2.5 shocks. I am going to put the what you see, suspension wise up for sale if anybody is interested. I am selling it all together. Also selling my 22 inch eagle alloys with 37 inch wild peaks

 

[pronstar]

Tire pressure in the high 30’s is good when empty.
But 20’s - even with a 37” tire - are gonna be more harsh than 17’s.

Deavers for the rear is a great suggestion. If you go that route, keep the bags, because they’ll squat a lot more under load.

Progressive coils are also a great solution, assuming they make them for your truck. But you need to make sure the spring rate isn’t too high, otherwise they’ll just be progressive springs that ride shitty.

I’m not a fan of driving with a load at all times. That’s cutting into your payload, and will affect mpg, braking and handling. It’s not treating the root problem...but it’s prolly the cheapest solution.

Edit:
Tire pressure reco corrected

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[Your ad here]

I don't crap about this stuff but I agree with what you said.
Here is a pic, of the offending tooth rattler, So you can the see lift size.

View attachment 819824

Your tires look fully inflated. What psi are the fronts and rears at? Let us know. For now I would remove the bags and see if that helps. In the long run I would remove the bags, remove add a leafs from the lift kit, and revalve the shocks.

 

[jetur]

Ok,

So, if I pick and choose from multiple suggestions that were posted, does anyone see any big problems with this Semi Budget plan?

Front: Softer springs, leave the shocks alone.
Rear: Take out a leaf or two, look into those Sulastic Shackles, keep the bags & leave the shocks alone.
OR
2nd option for Rear: Replace the existing leaf springs with an aftermarket set and keep the bags, leave the shocks alone.

Reasonable plan or am I all wrong?

Thank you

FT

Change springs in front and leafs in rear is a reasonable plan.
Anything under 20 psi on my bags and they can give a bounce affect on certain freeways. I play with the bags and adjust as needed. Its also good to leave at least 20 in them so you don't tear one.

 

[havasubum]

I would switch over to the Carli Suspension 2.5 or 4.5 kit. With their coil springs and shock it will ride like a caddy.

https://carlisuspension.com/product...ford-4-5-diesel-backcountry-2-0-system-05-16/

 

[Backlash]

I wouldn't suggest removing leaves from a pack to soften the ride. The leaf packs are designed to work together and by removing one or more leaf, you are changing the way the packs are designed to work.

I noticed a world of improvement switching from the factory Toyota packs to a custom set of tuned Deavers. The ride is softer and more fluid. Hard to explain but you will not be disappointed.

 

[Bigbore500r]

Tire pressure adjustments are free.....
Start there.

find a flat concrete surface and get some big sticks of chalk. Chalk a fat line across the tire tread, from edge to edge, and then drive the truck forward and then backward in a straight line, about 100-150 feet. Get out and check the chalk - if it’s worn in the middle only, lower the pressure. Re-chalk and try again, as repeat until you get the chalk to wear off evenly across the tread. That’s your optimum tire pressure, for best ride and even tire wear. It also benefits you as you have the entire tread contacting the road evenly for more traction.
Note - this is optimum unloaded pressure, if your testing empty.

Did it to my wife’s lifted JKU on 35’s and it made a huuuuuge difference. Tires ended up at 27lbs for best ride and even wear! At the factory pressure recommendation of 38lbs (stock tire size...) it will rattle your teeth out and skip all over the road

 

[Your ad here]

I wouldn't suggest removing leaves from a pack to soften the ride. The leaf packs are designed to work together and by removing one or more leaf, you are changing the way the packs are designed to work.

I noticed a world of improvement switching from the factory Toyota packs to a custom set of tuned Deavers. The ride is softer and more fluid. Hard to explain but you will not be disappointed.

As part of the lift kit 2 more leafs are installed into the leaf pack. On that truck there should be 5 leafs total. 4 mains and 1 overload on top. If he wants a softer ride he should get progressive rate coils, A code rear leafs, revalve shocks, remove airbags, and adjust tire air pressure.

 

[floatn turd]

Thank you guys, I read all the posts and know more than I did before.
I have a good starting points to fix the problem.

Thanks again.
FT