Question for y'all

[shawno72]

I just swapped out my CPP 5" rear drop springs for some ECE 6" rear drop springs and the stance don't look no different. What do y'all think? I have the actual measurements at home of the truck with the 5" springs still installed. I will measure tonight with the truck in the same spot and with the same tape to be sure the measurements are acurate. I am a little dissapointed with the results so far with the naked eye.
5" spring

6" spring

Before

After

[leddzepp]

Thanks for posting this Shawno. You have proven what I have suspected for a long time. No need to waste my money now. I've always wondered why only 1 vendor carried 6" springs...now I know, lol.
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[shawno72]

Stupid me wrote the original measurements on the garage wall so from what I can remember I think I am only netting about a 1/4" extra drop.

[chevjayfsd]

Do you already have blocks or just a spring drop in the back? You could just cut a little off.

[shawno72]

Originally Posted by chevjayfsd

Do you already have blocks or just a spring drop in the back? You could just cut a little off.

Yeah I have 1 7/8" worth of blocks. My frustration is that I wanted an additional 1" of drop so I bought a 6" drop spring to gain just that. The only problem is after installing the 6" drop spring the truck only looks about 1/4" lower. Either the CPP 5" drop springs actually drop your truck 6" or the ECE 6" drop springs only drop your truck 5".

[tubbedII]

Don't forget that most springs take a little time to settle as well. Don't know if they'll settle another 3/4" though but maybe a little bit more...

[shawno72]

Originally Posted by tubbedII

Don't forget that most springs take a little time to settle as well. Don't know if they'll settle another 3/4" though but maybe a little bit more...

They were used to begin with so they probably won't settle much.

[shawno72]

Ok he verdict is in and I am not happy. After installing ECEs 6" drop springs it raised my truck by 1/16". Boo on ECE for their misrepresentation of a 6" drop spring. Buyers beware.
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[fastcam1]

load up the bed with a bunch of weight and hope they settle more

[shawno72]

Well it just goes to show that unsprung heights don't mean a whole lot.
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[lolife99]

Originally Posted by shawno72

Well it just goes to show that unsprung heights don't mean a whole lot.
Posted via Mobile Device

Nope,... never did.
So which spring is wrong?
And compared to what?
Only a side by side comparison to a new stock height spring?
Maybe.

[lolife99]

For what its' worth,... my ECE 6" rear springs are lower now, than when I first installed them.
Right off the jack stands I didn't think it was low enough.

[jwalk]

Sorry to hear that the ECE springs didn't bring it down like you was hoping for. I just got through putting a ECE 4.5/6 on my long bed 68 and ended up adding a one inch block to bring it down a little more. This is with the block and right off the jack stands.

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[shawno72]

Well for one these springs were slightly used so I figured they would be pre sagged Bascially the height comparisons were between the CPP 5" and ECE 6" drop springs. I went from the 5" spring to the 6" spring and it raised my truck 1/16". Just using common math I figured I would of lowered the rear 1" by using a 1" shorter spring. Hopefully the rear will settle some more.
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[bk2life]

maybe someone had the wrong spring in the first place?

i can sell you a 7inch spring 'wink wink'

[leddzepp]

I have CPP 5" rear drop springs. After getting tired of my rear end slapping my frame (there was 1" of suspension travel between my axle and frame), I installed a c- notch. Ece claims that you do not need a notch with their 4/6 drop kit...I find that hard to believe in reality if it is indeed a 6" drop. I am not knocking them on basis of quality and customer service...they are a top notch outfit in every way, and have zero complaints whereas cpp cannot say the same in the least. This is something that has always puzzled me since I rebuilt my suspension.
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[shawno72]

One other note is that rear end is noticeably stiffer. Not to where the ride is uncomfortable but it definately has a more sporty feel to it. To me, and I wish I had measured, the coils seems a tad thicker on the ECE spring so maybe I'll have a little more load capacity? I did consider the fact that maybe I was sold a 5" spring but I trust the guy I bought them from knew what he had.
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[midniteblues]

not that its make a hole lotta differnce but, I curious how much weight differnce there is between a lwb to a swb and if it affects how much the springs drop.

[shawno72]

I'm sure any added weight will drop the rear that much more. I'm gonna ride it out for a few months and see if they settle a bit.
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[CC69Rat]

Originally Posted by shawno72

One other note is that rear end is noticeably stiffer.. Posted via Mobile Device

Difference in spring rate bubba.. It's just the manufacturer and how they are made and stuff ..

Btw -- Hotchkis sells a 6" spring. They maybe be shorter but if the rate is tighter one vs. the other then your net drop will be different. Example, I have those Jeep springs. 12.75" tall unsprung but they net about a 4" drop.. but they are very very soft. .. Wouldn't that mean the should be 1" taller than your 5" original springs, if unsprung height made a difference?

See what I mean? .. just tryin to help. Not callin you out.

[big_al_71]

here is a side by side picture of my old five inch springs and the ones from Ece 6 inch drop. The six inch were definetly shorter and they in fact lowered my truck more when i installed them.

[shawno72]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

here is a side by side picture of my old five inch springs and the ones from Ece 6 inch drop. The six inch were definetly shorter and they in fact lowered my truck more when i installed them.

Wonder why mine didn't? The springs were definately differant lengths.

[lolife99]

Originally Posted by shawno72

Wonder why mine didn't? The springs were definately differant lengths.

Different brand.
Different spring rate.

[shawno72]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Different brand.
Different spring rate.

Yeah for sure. Watch after a month of driving they will prob sag down to where the rear is lower than the front.

[lolife99]

I guess the worse part is the unknown.
You KNOW you had 5" CPP springs.
One of the smart things CPP does is put a part number on each spring.

The unknown is that you bought used springs.
Not really sure what you bought or no way to verify it.
No previous meaurement at stock height, that really means anything,... because your old original springs were probably sagging anyway.

The thing is,... you are probably at the lowest stactic drop you can achieve.
Really,... I wouldn't run more than a 1.5" lowering block, with 15" wheels.
(scrubline issues)

When I lowered my '69,... I did the opposite of what I tell people.
I never took any "before" measurements.
Why?
Because I knew I was adding spindles and 3" springs up front.
And 6" drop coils and 1.5" drop blocks in the rear.
I didn't care how much it actually dropped, because I knew this was the lowest I could go with a static drop.
If I go lower,... it will be with bags.