MajMike
1/2 ton status
Who makes the best riding springs for the K5, with as little lift as possible?
CK5
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Best riding springs?
- Thread starter MajMike
- Start date
rampage
3/4 ton status
Tuff Country EZ-rides available at ORD with 2" lift is what most will vote for. Or you can get their custom springs made by Alcan for a lot more $$.
I'd check to see if they are actually your problem before tossing money at parts.
I'd check to see if they are actually your problem before tossing money at parts.
off the shelf easy to get = tuff country .
NOT ROUGH COUNTRY = dump truck.
NOT ROUGH COUNTRY = dump truck.
badmix
1/2 ton status
You should ride in my K5. Ive got rough country 2" lift with Bilstein 5150s and it rides better then modern trucks, no dump truck harshness at all, Infact its pretty soft ride.
Is that right? I was wondering to about the best riding springs, my truck rides pretty rough on stock springs. You think it's those nice shocks you have that are making it ride nice?
Custom springs will be the best riding springs. I have no doubt about that. A set of ORD springs or Deavers will net the best ride. But you are talking big bucks.
I know people that have ran tuff countries and switched to the ord springs and said it was a much better spring.
I know people that have ran tuff countries and switched to the ord springs and said it was a much better spring.
Yah I've heard that the high dollars springs are great, I'm poor. Lol I'm curious to see what badmix is talking about, rough country springs and bilstien shocks? How does that sound to you?
The best shocks you can afford are always the best bet IMO.
Bilstein 5100s should be a minimum in my book. A rancho or rough country shock are junk IMO. Ive ran them. Nothing compares to a quality shock.
Bilstein 5100s should be a minimum in my book. A rancho or rough country shock are junk IMO. Ive ran them. Nothing compares to a quality shock.
runamok151
1 ton status
I have 2.5" skyjacker soft rides on mine. After the rusty old stock springs it felt too soft and I went w/ the dual shocks up front. I've always been happy w/ the ride. I frequently wished I had gone w/ the 4" lift when I was wheeling. Now that my back has gotten bad and I'm not wheeling any more, I'm glad it's low enough that I don't have to climb into it and I can still go on some easy trail rides or surf fishing.
Another vote for the Tuff Country springs. In the 4 inch version the Rouch Country has almost double the spring rate of the Tuff Country. Quality shocks are of course a requirement.
badmix
1/2 ton status
My kit org. had the rough country 2" springs and their shocks. The ride was fine, not too harsh. But I blew out one of the rear shocks pretty easily. After that I switched to Bilsteins and havent had a problem. I also extended my bump stops. I have 2" lift, so made bump stops 1.5" longer.
So, yea, i wouldnt mess with the rough or tough country shocks, but their springs seem to work.
Anyone ever get to central florida, ill take ya for a ride and ya can judge for yourself. Dumptruck ride is the furthermost I get from my setup.
Im sure the 2" springs arent overly stiff like they might be for the 4" or higher.
I also didnt want to drop transfer case, mess with steering, etc etc, with going to a bigger lift. Plus wanted to keep my truck a DD.
Like I said, I can hit speed bumps for speed and it barely notices it.
So, yea, i wouldnt mess with the rough or tough country shocks, but their springs seem to work.
Anyone ever get to central florida, ill take ya for a ride and ya can judge for yourself. Dumptruck ride is the furthermost I get from my setup.
Im sure the 2" springs arent overly stiff like they might be for the 4" or higher.
I also didnt want to drop transfer case, mess with steering, etc etc, with going to a bigger lift. Plus wanted to keep my truck a DD.
Like I said, I can hit speed bumps for speed and it barely notices it.
Yes. Most "lift kit" shocks are all the same poor performing twin-tubes, whether they come with Rough Country, Tuff Country, Rancho stickers or whatever. The exception might be the monotube offered by Rough Country, although I've never seen them. The Bilstein design is practically an active suspension compared to lift kit twin tubes. The valve is like 10x bigger so it can actually move when you hit a bump. Then they actually make the vehicle corner flatter at the same time.
I went from Rough Country springs to Tuff Country springs and then to ORD customs. Honestly, the difference was greater in the 2nd swap than in the 1st. But I really can't remember what stock springs were like for comparison.
I ran the RC nitro 9000 monotubes before I put my Fox shocks on, they sucked. I was really upset when I first put the custom springs in because I didn't really feel they did much of anything. But then I swapped shocks and it was a massive difference.
A custom pack, as stated before, is unbeatable. I'm running the Alcans put together by ORD with Bilstein 5100 shocks in my '83 pickup. It's a 4" lift and an awesome ride on- and off-road - doesn't even compare to an off-the-shelf setup (I've run Tuff Country EZ Rides in the past).
In my experience, while the springs ride way better, I did end up having to deal with a bunch of stuff related to the articulation afforded by the soft springs. I can easily stuff my tires now, and the droop seems endless. I still haven't made it so stuff doesn't hit on droop (shocks bottoming out, driveshaft hitting, etc.). It's cool, but something to keep in mind if you think you can just bolt them on and go. There's another thread going on this topic, but I think the squishy springs can make bumpsteer worse too since the suspension is moving so much.
MajMike
1/2 ton status
Hmmm . . .
I just put Rancho 5K's on all four, with their stabilizer too, I always heard Rancho's were good shocks, anybody else here think otherwise?
I just put Rancho 5K's on all four, with their stabilizer too, I always heard Rancho's were good shocks, anybody else here think otherwise?
I always assumed Rancho shocks were for people that wanted to put seventeen shocks with shiny boots on every corner.
Martin
Martin
I assume the Rancho twin tubes come from the same factory in China as everyone else's. RS9000's don't seem all bad from what I've read. My last springs were Rancho and they were very harsh and stiff.
a year or so ago I did a 4" lift on a guys 2010 ford f-250 . used a zone kit with there prem shocks . he said he could feel every crack in the highway and it was bad .
so we tried 2 bilstien shocks on just the front and he said is was a world of difference and he ordered up 2 for the rear .
so yes shocks can play a huge difference .
I did the hydro cheepy shocks on stubby j.r. years ago as I was on a budget . then I got some ford 250/350 front take off monro shocks that fit our trucks for 4" lift and I got 2 new monro for the rear and wow what a difference. the hydro cheepy ones I removed were not blown out ether.
so we tried 2 bilstien shocks on just the front and he said is was a world of difference and he ordered up 2 for the rear .
so yes shocks can play a huge difference .
I did the hydro cheepy shocks on stubby j.r. years ago as I was on a budget . then I got some ford 250/350 front take off monro shocks that fit our trucks for 4" lift and I got 2 new monro for the rear and wow what a difference. the hydro cheepy ones I removed were not blown out ether.
