Soften up the rear end?

[Spiff]

What's the best way to get a softer ride without having to ride around with a concrete slab in the back? :)

are 4x4 leafs softer? 

can I remove the middle leaf? 

 

I rarely haul tons of stuff so not that fussed about losing some carrying capacity if that's what it takes

[Justin Berni]

4x4 springs are stiffer, almost 100 pounds stiffer according to Datsun Mike. Although a lot of people claim their suspension felt softer after swapping to 4x4 springs I totally disagree, I put some in my truck and it was stiffer..

Pulling a leaf does make it softer, I've done it to lower my truck, it's too soft and it's not the smartest thing to do.

[Spiff]

Okay, how about them lowering springs?

I read on belltech's webpage that some loading capacity might get lost due too the swap to lowering leaf's, which means they're softer, or?

[MikeRL411]

Or after lowering, the truck bottoms out with a full load?

[Spiff]

Or after lowering, the truck bottoms out with a full load?

Yeah, or that.

 

What about removing a leaf but adding a helper spring like those airbags you mount between the axle and the frame to adjust it incase it becomes to soft? Or HiJacker shocks.

[datzenmike]

Lowering on a leaf spring truck.

 

Simplest thing is to add drop blocks between the spring pack and the under side of your axle. A 2" block will space the axle 2" higher or space the body and the attached spring 2" lower depending on how you want to look at this. Shock absorber length remains unchanged as the relative position of the spring and body remain the same. The spring rate or firmness remains unchanged.

 

You can have the spring you have now 'de-arched'. This removes arch (flattens) the leaf spring to lower the ride height. The firmness of the spring remains the same.  Shock absorber length could be affected if the change is very extreme.

 

 

*You can switch to 720 4x4 springs. They are already slightly less arched that your 2wd springs so you will be lower BUT they are a stiffer spring rate.

 

*This is the better choice if going low or very low. Say your truck sits 6" off the ground and the suspension travels 4" on maximum bumps when driving and you have 2" to spare. You lower the ride height 2". Now on normal bumps the body has zero road clearance. All it takes is a raised manhole lid, railway track, rock or uneven surface to damage your exhaust or transmission mount on. Don't say that you'll just be more careful, you don't always get to be careful in these situations. What you need is a firmer spring that limits the suspension travel to reduce the chance of bottoming. Anyone that removes a spring to sag the body lower is increasing the suspension travel on a lowered vehicle and is a fool.[/size][/size]

[Spiff]

 Yes, this is all good. But I'm not talking about lowering it, I'm more interested in getting some more comfort, for example today I went over the mountain road and if I hadn't been wearing my seat belt I would have hit the ceiling on several occasions, driving the same road with my suzuki sv1000 on the back(220kg) it's no problem.

But it seems like there isn't any truly good solutions here

[datzenmike]

Got ya, most posts are about going lower. The Suzuki is likely a shorter wheelbase? You can remove a leaf but you will likely lower the ride height and increase suspension travel.... not good for off road.

[Rhino13]

Have you thought about getting new shocks? I'm sure yours are totally blown out at this point if they're stock. I had an old Subaru GL hatch a few years ago and it was the same way on shitty roads, replaced the shocks and it rode smooth. Shocks are filled with oil or gas, and has a shaft down the middle with a damper. The oil or gas absorbs the bumps while the dampers stop it from being bouncy. Check on rockauto.com you can find stock replacement shocks for really cheap.

 

And Mike I think he meant it gets better when he puts his Suzuki bike in the bed of his truck.

[Charlie69]

Slow down on said mountain road. LOL

[Spiff]

I am planning on replacing the shocks yes, but it's not bouncy(unless there is a big load in the bed) it's just very stiff. So when it hits a big bump in the road it kicks up the back end.

I guess most all pickups are like this but it just becomes very evident by the crappy and worn roads we have here, especially over mountain passes the big difference in temperatures over different seasons wreak havoc on the pavement...

 

Slowing down? Not sure what you mean ;-) :-D

[datzenmike]

Slowing down? Not sure what you mean ;-) :-D

 

 

:lol:

 

Tires are also part of the suspension too. You can run them close to the minimum pressure when not carrying a load. This will allow the side walls to flex more. It also generates heat so speed, load and pressure have to be watched. Side wall ply are also thicker or thinner and flex more or less.  Depends on the tire. 

 

If you almost hit the ceiling in your truck just imagine what would have happened with softer springs.

[thisismatt]

A softer spring would allow more suspension compliance instead of propelling the whole cab upwards.  The issue is that it's a 1/2 ton truck, which can probably handle more, with a short wheel base to boot.  Soften the springs and it won't carry as much.  Removing a leaf from the 720 4x4 leaf pack sounds like something worth trying perhaps, but it will lower your ride height and you would likely want a shock with less damping.