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EZ Ride vs HD Big Difference???

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blazed07

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Please help. I just installed a Tuff Country 2" lift on my '82 Blazer. I went with the HD because I knew I would be towing a small camper trailer and felt the extra beef would keep the Blazer from sagging too much.

It has also equipped with Gabriel ultra shocks and 31" tires. Everything else is stock.

I use my Blazer mostly on-road but also use it to get to some hunting/ fishing/ and camping areas.

The problem is that yesterday I took the truck out and travelled about 25 miles of county "washboarded" roads and it had to be one of the worst driving experiences ever.

My question is, would going to the EZ ride springs help the ride quality much? If not can anybody give me some ideas on bettering ride quality or am I just out of luck with the leaf sprung suspension.

Your inut will be greatly appreciated.
 
hyrolic or gas shocks. ?

hydro rides bad compared to gas.

and front springs only with blocks or all 4 springs?

how much air in tires?
 
It's equipped with the gas shocks. I originally ordered the TC lift with it's brand of shock. I replaced the shocks later with the Gabriel Ultras hoping to soften up the ride.

As for the springs, I went with new springs all the way around to avoid blocks in the rear.

You have a good point about air pressure. I usually keep pressure at 35 psig. I'm a little slow sometimes. I didn't think about that until my shimmy/ shake drive was over with.
 
all sounds god so far.

next is were dows it feel stiff? all over or front end or rear end?

i bet the rear is were you will fell the major stiffness from. if you did stock rear springs in the 4 to 5 leaf style and then the 2" block to level it out i bet it would ride better. and a 2" block is not going to kill you like the taller 5-6" blocks will for axle wrap.
 
If your springs are Tuff country HD's, you could remove the HD "POWER SPRING" as Tuff country calls it. Although tire pressure could be the problem
 
I really did feel it in the rear of the truck. Matter of fact, I thought I was going to lose the tailgate and tailgate window a few times.

Will the shackle flip hinder my ability to tow a 3000 lb camping trailer?

Also, I have heard about removing the "power"spring from the leaf pack to make them EZ rides. Is it that easy? There is a solid strap that holds each leaf pack in place. Can this be removed with no problems?

Thanks for the input guys.
 
If it helps, I'm running the 2" EZ rides and the thing still rides like a tank back there. It tends to feel softer (but just a little) when you have more weight in the back.
 
Assuming all else is in good shape, you can tow 3000lbs with a shackle flip NO PROBLEM. And yeah going back to the flatter stock spring with a flip will help the ride.

Tire pressure is huge. I air down the minute I turn off the highway, even though many of the trails I run have miles and miles of 2wd dirt road first.

If your "other ride" or a previous vehicle is a newer IFS truck, especially one with a longer wheelbase, you may just be in for a bit of disappointment with an old leaf-spring, relatively short wheelbase rig. I can FLY down washboard roads in my Daily Driver that would rattle my teeth out in the K5.
 
yes old solid axle trucks were 52" springs and 1ton & some 3/4 ton had 56"" springs.

88-up new body style trucks run 64" springs. much much better rideing.
 
blazed07 said:
I really did feel it in the rear of the truck. Matter of fact, I thought I was going to lose the tailgate and tailgate window a few times.

Will the shackle flip hinder my ability to tow a 3000 lb camping trailer?

Also, I have heard about removing the "power"spring from the leaf pack to make them EZ rides. Is it that easy? There is a solid strap that holds each leaf pack in place. Can this be removed with no problems?

Thanks for the input guys.
Click to expand...

I tow a 20FT open car trailer with a 3700LB car on my shackle flip without issue.
 
Thanks guys. That was the info I needed. I am now considering the shackle flip.

Anybody have experience removing the power spring from the TC HD Spring pack?
 
I'm not convinced that the cost and effort to go to a rear shackle flip and back to stock springs would be worth it in regards to ride quality. Won't argue it will likely be better, but will a very slight improvement be worthwhile?

One thing to double-check is how tight did you make the spring eye bolts? I've seen and heard people who tighten a lot and it basically binds up the spring and bushing.

Tire pressures are also important in ride quality. Going from street pressure to trail pressure (30 psi to 10 psi on my 39.5's) makes a huge difference, though not saying you should go down that low for this application.

Overall you are pretty limited in ride quality of a solid axle, leaf spring suspension, short wheelbase vehicle without going to custom or extensively modified springs and mounting locations. So I just hope you aren't expecting too much......some roads are just rough.
 
Next time you get a chance to drive on a washboard road, it would be a good experiment to drive for about 10 minutes then get out and feel the shocks out back....my guess is that they'd be HOT!!!

Low-end shocks will overheat and become completely ineffective on bumpy roads. If the truck was good for the first few minutes, then rode substantially worse that might be a clue.

There's a reason why the desert trucks use remote reservoir shocks...more fluid and better cooling.

Might be another area to consider as you do your diagnostics.


:usaflag:
 
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