Help my truck rides like a tank!!!

L

LiftedBlackHD

New member
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
68
Ok that is probably a little far-fetched, but it really does ride bad. I drive a GMC 6500 and an International 4300 for work that weigh around 30,000 lbs when fully loaded, and these trucks ride much better than my F250! I picked up my buddy for work this morning and he got so pissed that he kept spilling his "Starbucks" all over himself that he threw the cup out the window! That just isn't right... I tried posting this question on another site but didn't get much info. Here goes...

The truck in question is an 04 F250 4x4 supercab with what i believe to be a 6" suspension lift, with 11 leafs up front. I'm not sure of the type of springs that are used, the guy at the local shop thought that they were Deaver springs. The traction bar is Fab-tec and the shocks are Donahoe. (I have no idea how many miles are on the shocks) When I jump on the bed or rear bumper of the truck it barely moves.

With the goal of improving my ride quality, I have looked into a couple of different options. The first being the coil over conversion, which I feel is just too pricey. The second is a 4.5" shackle and hanger kit, (although I like the height of the truck now) using the stock springs. As I understand it, this will greatly improve the ride quality. The local shop said he could do it for about a Grand out the door, including a set of Bilstein's.

My questions are... Will the shackle and hanger system improve the ride quality considerably? Is there any way to use the shackle and hanger system and still maintain 6 inches of lift? Could the problem just be extremely worn and or bad shocks? And are there any other options or issues that I need to consider? Thanks in advance!
 
Dan should be able to help you better than I can, but here goes...
I have a DR 4.5 hanger kit and I feel that the ride is much better than stock. The ride is not softer, but firmer (in a good way) it handles way better than stock and absorbs bumps without bucking me into oncoming traffic.
I guess you need to start with a positive ID on what springs you have. If they are indeed Deavers, I don't think you will find a better, softer spring, if they are not Deavers then you have some options.
First you can swap out the springs for Deavers or I think DR has their own line of springs now, or take out the current lift, go with a 4.5 hanger kit with stock springs like you mentioned and add a mini spring kit to bump the 4.5 lift to about 6"
Since you already have DR shocks, I don't think you will find another shock that will improve the ride while keeping the same quality.
 
As Pete mentioned..... DR shocks are one of the best you can run on a lifted SD, so your good there. The SD specific Bilsteins don't have the valving as finely tuned as DR shocks.

Deaver leaf springs that DR uses have a good sized white Deaver Spring sticker on them with the part number, etc..
They use a 12 leaf pack in the front and a 10 leaf pack in the rear.
If the rear barely moves, as you state....I doubt they are the 5" rear Deavers (known for being very soft)

Donahoe will be releasing their own line of springs sometime in the near future. They have been working on improving upon the already great design used by Deaver.

You could try pulling the traction bars and see if the ride improves as well...


What color is the trac bar bracket?


What air pressure are you running in your tires?
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate the info. Upon further inspction I have determined that the springs are in fact Fab-Tec, Model #FTS275D.

The color of the traction bar bracket? You'll have to forgive me I'm not real familiar with lift kits. When I said the traction bar was made by Fab-tech I made a mistake. I meant to say the steering stabilizer.

I am running approximately 60 psi in the tires. I had about 35 in there before and I didnt notice much of a difference. I did notice however with the 60 psi it is much easier to steer at slow speeds, and I picked up about 1 mpg. I also tow a boat and didnt really want to have to worry about changing air pressure every weekend.

The lift was purchased used, just prior to me buying the truck. Therefore I have absolutely no clue as to how many miles are on the shocks. They might be a good brand, but they could have 100,000 miles on them for all I know.

Hopefully this info will be able to help you guys diagnose my issue...Thanks again!
 
Last edited:
Going down to te 4.5" DR will definately improve the ride over the Fabtech lift.

Even swapping out to Deaver leaf springs front and rear will be a better ride....if you go with Deaver 5" rears and dearch them they will ride very soft.

If you wanted to change from the DR shocks you could go to a custom valved King 2.5.
Or, just wait for the Donahoe Racing 2.5" reservoirs to be released....
 
I just took a look at Fab-Tech's web site and according to what I found these springs don't even belong on this truck! Fab-tech has them listed as Front springs for a 7.3 liter. The 6.0 liter is model "# FTS275" without the 'D' on the end. I'm not sure how much of a difference that would make...
 
Not sure....I think that the 7.3 is heavier than the 6.0. So, they are designed for more weight than what is on them....will result in a somewhat stiffer ride.
 
Thanks guys, your info helped a lot! I'm gonna have to go check out the shop this weekend...BTW Are there any good places to find these products online?
 
I wrote Fab-Tech here is their response:

"The leafs springs are supposed to be FTS275 the difference is the way the springs are set for the weight. Running the FTS275D on the front of your truck is going to ride very stiff in the front, there’s not a enough weight to settle those springs."

I think I'm gonna go with the 4.5" shackle and hanger kit...
 
if youre set at staying w/ 6" VSS makes a 6" hanger, tho the 4.5" DR is the way i would go.
tank to DC about that, he can hook ya up with a set :ylsuper:
 
i am running a 2 iinch leveling kit(add-a-leaf) from rough country and 4inch shackles and hangers(total of 6 inches). I fabed the hangers and shackles my-self but they are very simmilar to the DR hangars and shackles. As far as ride quality goes... it rides very similar to stock, it may be a little more firm due to the add-a-leaf but it's not too noticable. i've rode in trucks with huge spring packs and there is no comparison. that's just my 2 cents.
 
I run the 4" leafs by Pro Comp in the front and like them. I had the Super Lift 10 pack set up and it was stiff as hell. I just need to upgrade the shocks and it should be perfect. Tire pressure is a big player.
 
Hey thanks for the info guys! Funny thing happened today. I usually drive like an old man 60-65 on the highway. Well today for whatever reason I kicked it up to about 70-75 on a particularly rough stretch of highway and amazingly the truck "smoothed" out. It stopped hopping up and down like it does at slower speeds. Does anyone have an explaination for that phenomenon?
 
Hitting the bumps with more force due to the increase in speed. That increased force is forcing your leaf springs to move some absorbing the bumps..
 
DCSpecial said:
Hitting the bumps with more force due to the increase in speed. That increased force is forcing your leaf springs to move some absorbing the bumps..
Click to expand...

Ahh that makes sense.
 
I got mine from Marty at Truck Toyz, but I would talk to Dan (DCSpecial) first since he also works for Truck Toyz and is a member of the site.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top