Best ride quality, Stock or Lifted?

[BigRed76]

Hi guys, I'm looking for some opinions on ride quality on 4x4's.

My '70 K2500 GMC has all stock suspension and some seriously worn out shocks. And I've tossed around the idea of lifting it, but also like the stock look too. My question is will I get the best ride quality by putting really good shocks on my stock suspension or by lifting it (2" or 4") with nice shocks and springs such as Tuff Country EZ rides? Thanks for any input

[Mike C]

Going to change tire size? My opinion, the only reason you would lift the truck is to put bigger tires on. If you have the tire you want, no need to lift.

Lift springs almost always have more rate than stock springs because they have to account for the higher center of gravity and need to resist body roll. With that in mind, the stock springs will ride better most likely. But in a K2500 and that may or may not be true because they come with a pretty high rate to begin with and most aftermarket springs are to replace half ton components.

If you like the tire size you are running, just buy Bilstein shocks for it and call it good.

[snj8198]

I'm running a Tuff Country EZ ride 2" lift on my '71 and it still rode rough until I put some weight on the truck. With the new bumpers and winch the truck weighs 6,200lbs with my fat as in it. It feels and rides better with another good 600-700 lbs in the back yet.

[BigRed76]

Well the truck has 285/75R16's on it now and I'm content with them. If I was to lift it I would do 4" and 35" tires.

[b454rat]

If your gonna lift it use 52s up front with the Bilsteins.

[BigRed76]

Originally Posted by b454rat

If your gonna lift it use 52s up front with the Bilsteins.

Haven't looked into 52" springs much but obviously makes a smoother ride right?

[turp mcspray]

With leafs, the longer and flatter the springs are, the better it will ride.

[Stocker]

Are the front leafs sagging enough that they bottom out on the rubber snubbers? That will make for a rough ride. Also check if the spring bushings are worn out. Or as you suggest, you might just need new shocks..... but worn shocks don't typically cause a harsh ride.

[Mike C]

How much air do you run in those tires? The 35 12.5 16.5 on my Jimmy I keep about 24 psi which is more than enough based on the load capacity of the tire and the weight of my truck.

So if you are running those tires based on the sidewall or the OEM inflation pressure you may be WAY over inflated which does make for a harsh ride.

[BigRed76]

I know the front springs are sagging a little, but I'm not sure if it's enough that they'll bottom out on the snubbers. I'll have to check. Been doing a little research on the 52" spring conversion, it looks pretty simple to do, and will require a sway bar but that's not a huge deal. And I've read multiple guys saying that the 52" conversion isn't very street friendly but there was no reasoning behind it.

[BigRed76]

The current tires are LT285/75R16 load range D, and I'm running them at 35 psi. I looked at the front springs and they are 2" from the rubber snubbers, and the bottoms of the snubbers look kind of roughed up like the springs have been hitting them.

[b454rat]

There are a lot of factors running 52s and how they ride. Some say they are squirrely on the road, but they don't run a sway bar. I'd think if you run a sway bar, then it won't be any different than any other spring. I plan on running 52s if I ever get my f'n truck back, but not looking for awesome street manners, mostly just a toy and playing in the mud and offroading. Just like with any other front spring, the more leaves there are, the less body roll it will have. But that defeats the purpose of going with softer spring to get a better ride and flex.....

[BigRed76]

Originally Posted by b454rat

There are a lot of factors running 52s and how they ride. Some say they are squirrely on the road, but they don't run a sway bar. I'd think if you run a sway bar, then it won't be any different than any other spring. I plan on running 52s if I ever get my f'n truck back, but not looking for awesome street manners, mostly just a toy and playing in the mud and offroading. Just like with any other front spring, the more leaves there are, the less body roll it will have. But that defeats the purpose of going with softer spring to get a better ride and flex.....

Yeah from what I've read about 52s so far is that most guys do it because they're softer and allow more flex, so they don't run away bars or care about actual ride quality. On this truck I'm more concerned about ride quality rather than off roading, since 90% of the time this will be a street truck.

[b454rat]

Shackle angle plays a role too. Most shackles factory are straight up and down, some even kicked forward a little bit. Move the mounts forward to get the angle going towards the back will allow the springs to move. But stock springs won't move too much, since most are already negative arched. Moving the front mounts and redrilling the shackle hole isn't too bad to do.....

[snj8198]

depending on the spring pack and weight of your vehicle, a swap to 52's have been giving these trucks about a 4 inch lift on the front using DIY4X brackets. To balance the rear reversed shackles could be used to help ride quality and they too give about a 4 inch lift. I'm unsure what length shackle is used to get that height.

I would like to run 52's on the front of mine also but i dont want that much lift. There's gota be a 52 out there that is a flatter spring or something for us guys who want the good ride quality but not that much lift.

[special-K]

These trucks ride just fine with the springs they came with. They will never ride like a newer truck. Lift springs gain height by positive arch. The more positive arch the more they resist compression. Factory springs are negative arch, so they are already to compress. that makes a smoother ride. Better shocks will make a world of difference. I have the same situation as you. EZ-rides are made thick and flat in the center, then become thinner where the greater arch begins. The center compresses from two points, not the whole spring as one. I hate body roll and one thing I always loved about these 4wds is the level ride. I accept the pounce you will have with any solid axle and enjoy cornering like a sports car. I set my trucks up to toss weight to the rear by dead level or slightly up in front. Let the front pounce over it while the tail end follows while front end weight is tossed back. Unless loaded, the front is the heavy end and the rear rides about rigid. If you soften up the rear you will help the front. Using a shackle flip will do that while leaving same spring capacity and adding no excess arch. Too bad there aren't 2" shackle-flips available.

[obijuan]

There are 2.5" shackle flips from ord. Also if you're looking for ride quality, you need a suspension redesign. 3 link and progressive coils or coilovers.

Or just enjoy the fact that your truck isn't a good riding 2015 half ton. Love it for what it is.

[BigRed76]

I'm not complaining about how the truck rides, I just know that it can be improved even if it's just putting a new set of shocks on it. And I'm having a tough time decided whether to lift it or leave it stock, so I figured if there's any room for ride improvement by lifting it then I'd like to get educated about it.

[BigRed76]

Originally Posted by snj8198

depending on the spring pack and weight of your vehicle, a swap to 52's have been giving these trucks about a 4 inch lift on the front using DIY4X brackets. To balance the rear reversed shackles could be used to help ride quality and they too give about a 4 inch lift. I'm unsure what length shackle is used to get that height.

I would like to run 52's on the front of mine also but i dont want that much lift. There's gota be a 52 out there that is a flatter spring or something for us guys who want the good ride quality but not that much lift.

Maybe take a pair of 52s and remove a leaf or 2? I saw an early 2000's F250 today which reminded me that super duty fords had front leafs up until like 04, so I wonder how long those springs are...

[60sIron]

I'm guessing from previous experience that the ride quality will be unnoticeable lifted or stock. If there's a noticeable differance it'll be harsher lifted. I know you say you're not complaining about the ride. A lift is about suspension travel and tire clearance and "looks". That should be what drives your decision......

[special-K]

Here's what I'd do if I wanted to lift a K/20 in the 2-3" range while improving over original ride. 52" front springs on front and 2.5" shackle flip in rear. These are stock springs, so if you have good used parts it's cheapest as well. No other mods needed except 2" longer shocks, and shocks should always be part of the plan. You can do a few looks with that. The 33/12.50 on 8-10" rim fat tire look, the 285/75 on 7-8" rim beefy look, the 255/85 on 6-7" rim strong stock look, the 235.........

[snj8198]

Originally Posted by BigRed76

Maybe take a pair of 52s and remove a leaf or 2? I saw an early 2000's F250 today which reminded me that super duty fords had front leafs up until like 04, so I wonder how long those springs are...

Ya im not sure on the length of Ford front leaf spring but i think i read they are 3" wide.

Over on Coloradok5 or maybe Pirate there's a chart by application that gives the progress rate of different pack combos to help a guy choose by application for your weight and usage. Most say a guy can remove the overload if there is one, but rather, it's better to find a pack with the proper amount of leafs and their progressive rate for what you need. Over this, the major suggestion leans towards having custom springs made by companies like Dover spring that are custom built for your truck build. Correction, This is the suggestion I find for those who want better riding springs for an on road, daily usage truck; otherwise the 52"s get the nod for offroad articulation at a cheaper price. This as we know gets pricey and thus the substitute is the aftermarket brackets and finding 52"s that work.

Here's what I'd do if I wanted to lift a K/20 in the 2-3" range while improving over original ride. 52" front springs on front and 2.5" shackle flip in rear.

Who's offering a shackle flip that short K? I dont think I see it on ORD or DIY. That would be great for the guys not wanting 4"s plus. I'd do a set of those with 63" and an airbag in the rear, and a lower spring rated 52" front with aftermarket brackets. Again, as long as I could keep the lift to 2-3"s over stock. By finding a lower spring rate 52" maybe the big block and 300lbs of front bumper/winch would set the height down to 2-3" and soften the ride. 63" in the rear would help rear ride quality when empty while having the airbags to pump up at will for load bearing.

[BigRed76]

Yeah ORD only shows the 2.5" shackle flip brackets for the 73-87, not 67-72. I also noticed that the 67-72 4" shackle flip brackets look much different than the 73-87 4" shackle flip brackets, I guess I never realized there was such a difference between the 67-72 & 73-87 4WD frames in the rear.

Update: I emailed ORD inquiring about a 2.5" shackle flip for the 67-72 trucks, so we'll see what they say.

[special-K]

I didn't think there was a 2.5" shackle flip till someone said ORD had them in this thread. I'm sure the 73-newer ones could work on a '72 frame. This is all light custom work with this method, so get out the tools and make it work. You could easily do 4" if that's what you want,too, using same method. Zero rates are handy to add another inch if desired.

[RedRoad]

to use the 73 up kit on the 72 down you have to change the spring pad width on the axle