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A "new" kind of front 52" spring question

fwdjunky

fwdjunky

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Ok, I think I've read all 432 threads on the board about the front 52" spring swap and have a very good idea about what it takes to install a set. I've seen alot of flex pictures showing ungodly droop from this set up. What I haven't come across anywhere is anyone reporting on how this works in the "real" world. I know the pinion angle can be pretty bad. Does this lead to an unbearable amount of vibration on the street? How do they perform off road, not on a ramp or poser rock, but on the trail? Too cushy or tippy? Any problem with breaking things like driveshaft ujoints? Just trying to decide if this is something I really want to do. :confused: Thanks! Rich
 
Yes, it's certainly not a magic solution, that does not come with potential drawbacks. Depending on leaf packs etc.

I asked Micah (of AK5) about his set up, and he told me he would not trust "his set up" on the road with family onboard. He said his would likely have unfavorable characteristics if you had to take a hard evasive move. But, I plan to get 52's that have a 2" arch in them, and they will more than likely be stiffer than the set up he runs. In fact, I'm sure they will be. So, I would imagine they will have some softness.. but not too much.

With my plans, I'm trying to get my K5 as off-road worthy as I can, while still maintaining somewhat good road manners. It's a give and take. I bought the K5 to wheel.. but want to keep it street legal too. I'm willing to loose some on each side of the equasion .. but not so much that one side suffers greatly. So, I too have thought long and hard about most of the plans I have made.
 
We're in the exact same boat. I don't see the duramax/cummins/powerstroke gods dropping a new tow rig and trailer in my driveway anytime soon, so my rig has to be streetable. My 12 y/o is my constant co-pilot, so streetable has to equate to safe, and in Colorado we have a few twisty roads to negotiate on the way to the trailhead :wink1:. I'm seriously considering getting my trail rig finished then weighing both axles and giving either Alcan or BDS a call and just settling for what I can get out of stock length springs.
 
I started wanting 52's when I saw that pic. That thing is amazing. I was just wondering what price all that flex came with.
 
I have found there is alot of "roll" in street I honestly wouldnt want to do the set up on my dd my rig is a trailer queennow but you can still get desent flex with lifted springs and be capable off road. just not as much. i ran a rig with 6 inch lift and 35 or 36 inch tires for ten years and got around good.
 
This is my junk with the 52's front, 63's rear-
63b.jpg

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Those are the best shots I have really. I wish I had some really good ones of the flex it's capable off... It's pretty amazing, similar to the picture above. It's a trail rig only, so I can comment only on trail ability. For trail only, they're frickin awesome. I can almost max out a 15" travel shock on the droop side and within 2-2.5" on the compression side. My stock drive shaft couldn't keep up with the droop... I've managed to get it to pull apart 3 or 4 times. Drive shafts are something you might have to consider. Shocks too. Loooong ones.
 
I'm curious about street manners also. jekbrown said that part 3 of his write-up is going to cover driving impressions. His truck is not trailered either.

I think it is like everything else we do to our trucks, you have to keep in mind we are not building road racers. That means driving at or below the little yellow recommended speeds on curves. Also maintaining greater separation between the vehicle ahead. Things like that.

I'm thinking that good quality shocks will really help. I don't have any idea yet what they are, but that is one of the things I plan to spend a lot of money on.

Another concern I have is towing our little pop-up camper. If I do 52s in the front, I would like to install 56s in the rear.
 
mine rides sooooooooo much nicer on the road now...soaks up the bumps with ease...body roll is not really a huge issue..it is there though and ive gotten used to it...it nose dives when braking hard...im still towing my 1800 pound tent trailer with my blazer....and due to the much softer springs up front it doesnt "unweight" when the trailer is on as bad as it did with the rancho springs...overall i liked the 52s up front better than the 56s i have now..its ALOT softer up front now with the 56s...body roll is more..steering feels vague and mushy...
 
I have 57's front and 63's rear and this is my daily driver. I love it. So smooth. It does dive a little under hard braking and serious turns you might want to slow down a little otherwise the truck has a nice lean but other that that it is wonderful. Shocks will make a difference to. All in all I love it. I will be making a 400 mile trip to Santa Rosa CA in a bout a month in a half to get stationed there I will let you guys know how that goes. And we put about 600 lbs in the back yesterday and it didnt really even sag and it rode nice as hell.
 
Leadfoot and seventy...thanks a million, that is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I really appreciate the responses. :D Rich
 
alright im convinced im doing this swap on my k10. everybody warned me agianst removing my sway bar, and i think its the best thing that ever happened to this truck.
 
seventyk5 said:
I have 57's front and 63's rear and this is my daily driver. I love it. So smooth. It does dive a little under hard braking and serious turns you might want to slow down a little otherwise the truck has a nice lean but other that that it is wonderful. Shocks will make a difference to. All in all I love it. I will be making a 400 mile trip to Santa Rosa CA in a bout a month in a half to get stationed there I will let you guys know how that goes. And we put about 600 lbs in the back yesterday and it didnt really even sag and it rode nice as hell.
Click to expand...
Were can i get springs this long are they custom made?
 
I'm also interested in 52" springs but am after different results. I want the springs purely for a better ride quality. I want to get my K5 to ride as close to a Caddi as I can get it. :D Are 52's the answer or is there another spring out there that provides a smoother ride?
 
Well, I have my trail rig that isn't finished and then I have my daily driver. The daily driver has 4" BDS springs in the front with swaybar disconnects and a shackle flip in the rear. I can take corners at blistering speeds. When I had open differentials I was limited to whatever speed the inside tire broke loose at. With the locker I can drive as hard as I want until I run out of horsepower. Worst case it understeers. It's pretty easy to drive it around corners with the rear tires as well. Skeered some housemates doing this before. The rear springs are a bit soft.

My trail rig has 56" springs in the front with 7 leaves. I have 2.5" of up travel before it hits the bumpstops. I have 64s in the rear. When cornering, if you follow the suggested speed, it drives normal. If I try to drive it hard it will roll until it hits the bumpstops. I can still powerslide it and burn donuts even though the frame is 25" off the ground with 40s. It rides like a Cadillac. The rear bounces a little but that's because there is like zero weight back there plus the tires are egg shaped. The front driveshaft is a serious problem even though it's 40" long.
 
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