Lowering and ride quality

[mxer666]

Newbie, here.

So, I'm doing the s10 swap. Gone back and forth on bagging, decided on a static lowering. I guess I will use the belltech 4/5, although I would like to go lower.
I drove the s10 home before dismantleing, noticed how stiff it was in the back.

I know that the 3100 bed/fenders have to weigh 1/3 of the s10 bed. Concerned that the ride will be worse.

How have you guys dealt with this?

[joedoh]

fear not!

firstly, your 4/5 belltech drop is likely done with 2" spindles and 2" blocks, meaning only the position of the wheel relative to the suspension is changed by 2", which will have no effect on ride whatsoever (unless your axle starts banging the frame).

secondly, the extra 3" rear drop is done with new leaf springs, and these leaf springs do not have the big flat overload on them like the stock springs. this will make the rear load capacity less (like you would haul anything but girls and kegs anyway) and the springs are softer.

third, if its really a belltech kit, it came with great shocks and that is the key to a good ride. I put belltech 3" leafs on my 47 with stock shocks and 2" blocks and it was bouncy and soft in the back, I replaced the shocks with gas charged overload type shocks and it was too stiff. lastly I tried some twin tube monroes and, just like goldilocks third bowl of porridge, it was just right

[mxer666]

Thanks for the info, kit ordered

[mr48chev]

I'd have to go with Joedoh on that one. The stock S -10 (or any other truck) rear springs are set up to carry a full capacity load for what the truck's rated for and often ride a bunch stiffer than guys used to driving something with a plusher ride are used to.

We all have a different level of what we consider a good or smooth riding rig is too though and what is great to me may be rough as an old hay wagon to someone else.

[mxer666]

Thanks, again for the input. I am used to rough rides; one of my trucks is a '97 F350. It only rides well with the 2,000 lb. camper in the bed!

[Miller197]

I dont mean to hijack your thread mxer but i have a have a Q about lowering and ride quality..

My question is in relation to airbags..

Hows the ride with airbags? when driving at 'ride height'?
I know alot of it comes down to your setup with the right bag size and shocks but in general are they a fairly nice ride when put in a chevy? (mines a 55 s2)

A few people i have talked too in rod shops here in AUS dont rate them.

Cheers

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Miller197

I dont mean to hijack your thread mxer but i have a have a Q about lowering and ride quality..

My question is in relation to airbags..

Hows the ride with airbags? when driving at 'ride height'?
I know alot of it comes down to your setup with the right bag size and shocks but in general are they a fairly nice ride when put in a chevy? (mines a 55 s2)

A few people i have talked too in rod shops here in AUS dont rate them.

Cheers

this is too ambiguous to answer absolutely but I will speak from my experience.

spring rate is a key factor in ride quality, and is determined by pressure and volume. low pressure and high volume have a low spring rate, high pressure and low volume have a high spring rate, and so on. if you choose an airbag with a working pressure range of 30-110psi (some bags will state 150-200psi max but they will ride like square wheels at those pressures) and set up to ride at around 60-90psi you will have a good ride.

this may not happen for a number of reasons, such as the bag is not installed to completely deflate when aired out and it will take more pressure to lift to ride height. high pressure is a sure way to a high spring rate and stiff ride. or if it is set up in an advantaged system (bag on bar rear setups for example) you can achieve 10-12" of lift but at ride height only have 20-30psi in the bag. low pressure is a sure way to have a low spring rate and overwork your shocks and/or bounce down the road.

choosing the right bag for the application is key, advice is sometimes given for huge bags with lots of volume. lots of volume can handle lots of weight, so if you have a 454 big block or bars of gold for valve covers, it could make sense in the front. I prefer a larger bag for most applications but not the largest possible, so that I can hit that 60-90psi sweet spot without bottoming out. in the rear however, almost always a smaller bag is warranted, especially with advantaged systems. I prefer the firestone sleeve bags over axle in the rear, direct acting and plenty of lift and just an outstanding ride when installed correctly. that doesnt mean no other setup will ride well, its just what I prefer after 10s of trucks and cars with air ride.

shocks. shocks make the ride. short shocks, no matter how expensive, will ride stiffly because they might have the valving but they dont have the travel for air ride. they will ride great in a very narrow band of ride heights, but not all. use as long a shock as you can fit. on my 65 I used 18" gas charged shocks from a jeep wrangler front and rear. buying airride without shocks is foolish and buying cheap shocks doubly so. make sure they act directly as possible, not installed with big working angles.

[Miller197]

Cheers for the reply joedoh

This is going to be my first bagged project so I’m still in the researching/learning process at the moment..
It’s good to know that a nice ride is actually achievable with a good bag and shockie choices.. these blokes I was talking too had me concerned.

When you refer to tapered springs are you referring to tapered or rolling sleeve ?
I was going to go with a 4 link and and bag over axle in the back so I will have to look more into the sleeve style bags. Do these work well in the front? Or is the front more suited to a double convoluted airbag

Also, have you (or anyone else) had any experience with ‘shockwaves’? - for front ends. (I personally don’t think like the idea of having the shock inside the bag as shocks usually go first..) But I would love to hear what everyone thinks about these
I know they don’t give the same amount of lift.. but the installation process is a plus

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Miller197

Cheers for the reply joedoh

This is going to be my first bagged project so I’m still in the researching/learning process at the moment..
It’s good to know that a nice ride is actually achievable with a good bag and shockie choices.. these blokes I was talking too had me concerned.

When you refer to tapered springs are you referring to tapered or rolling sleeve ?
I was going to go with a 4 link and and bag over axle in the back so I will have to look more into the sleeve style bags. Do these work well in the front? Or is the front more suited to a double convoluted airbag

Also, have you (or anyone else) had any experience with ‘shockwaves’? - for front ends. (I personally don’t think like the idea of having a separate shock from the bag seeing as shocks usually go first..) But I would love to hear what everyone thinks about these
I know they don’t give the same amount of lift.. but the installation process is a plus

yes, rolling sleeve, firestone 9001. you cant use them in the front because they cant take any angle, they will pop off to the side. use double convolutes in the front.

if you have a sharp truck and like the ride height and only want it to be 2 inches lower, shockwaves are for that purpose and will work amazingly and really improve not only the ride but also the handling.

if you want to put the running boards on the ground then lift 4 inches to drive, shockwaves will make you sad. they only have a little more than 4 inches of travel, and you can interpret that as a working range of 2 inches because the last inch low will be too soft and the last inch lift will be too stiff (like I said above). I cant count how many broken shockwaves I have seen advertised for sale. the shock doesnt have a lot of travel and that is another point I made above.

[Miller197]

I was mean to say above: 'I personally don’t think like the idea of having the shock inside the bag as shocks usually go first..' instead of ‘I personally don’t think like the idea of having a separate shock from the bag seeing as shocks usually go first..’

But anyway…

Yeah good point,
Sound like shockwaves definitely wouldn’t be the right option for me then, just thought I would ask the question

Have you come across any good kits that you would recommend for the rear end with a 4 bar and the tapered bags?
I’ve done some searching and I have found a couple kits from different places for the 55 s2’s .. but I’m open to suggestions

[joedoh]

if you have an s10 frame, I like the air ride technologies airbar setup. its pricey, but bolts on.

if you have a stock frame, it is relatively easy to duplicate an airbar setup, it is a triangulated 4 link and simple bag mounts and a cross bar.

in the front there are a bunch of different types of suspension to use, so I cant possibly cover them all, but I like to use Slam Specialties RE7.

if I can soapbox for a bit, the super complicated air management systems cost a fair penny and are equally involved to install. I dont mind air lines running in the cab so I use manual valves like the Little Larrys or MIC old schools or others.