Leaf Spring Pack Thickness

[YoungMoneyVII]

Im looking at two different brands for my 90 5.7 K5 and one says its 2 5/16" pack thickness and the other says its 7/16" pack thickness. Sounds like the 7/16" is thicker but ive never owned a car with leaf springs before im not too familiar with this area thought id ask you guys before I ordered anything. How would this effect the vehicle etc.. looking for some input. Thanks guys.

 

[greensideup78]

Well in general the thicker the pack as a whole the more load capacity it has but will ride rougher. On the same token, the thicker the individual leaf, the stiffer the spring and the higher the load capacity. Certain spring manufacturers advertise "soft ride" springs which have more springs per pack but are very thin leaves to have a soft ride while keeping the load capacity.
Pretty much it depends what you are doing with the truck. Towing would need a heavier duty pack while a flexy rig would want thin leaves and the lighter pack.

 

[YoungMoneyVII]

Well in general the thicker the pack as a whole the more load capacity it has but will ride rougher. On the same token, the thicker the individual leaf, the stiffer the spring and the higher the load capacity. Certain spring manufacturers advertise "soft ride" springs which have more springs per pack but are very thin leaves to have a soft ride while keeping the load capacity.
Pretty much it depends what you are doing with the truck. Towing would need a heavier duty pack while a flexy rig would want thin leaves and the lighter pack.

I daily drive the truck and I dont have plans to lift it at the moment or tow.. although I would like it to be capable of towing say 3500 ibs. Could you shed some light on the two measurements ive posted im utterly confused..

 

[K85 Octane]

Any link to the info you are getting? If you are looking at a catalog, it really should mention spring rates or something to that affect. What is the thickness on the truck now?

 

[YoungMoneyVII]

Any link to the info you are getting? If you are looking at a catalog, it really should mention spring rates or something to that affect. What is the thickness on the truck now?

idk what the ones on the truck are now I just wanted to do shock leaf springs tires and not have to worry about it

 

[496truck]

Out of curiosity... Why do you feel the need to replace the leaf springs? Are they rusty/cracked/broken? 9 out of 10 times you can just replace the bushings, maybe replace the center pins while they are out, clean and paint and reinstall.

I hope you are not replacing them cause the fronts are negative arched. That is normal. New stock replacements will look the same. You'd be surprised how many people don't know this and think they need new springs.

 

[YoungMoneyVII]

Out of curiosity... Why do you feel the need to replace the leaf springs? Are they rusty/cracked/broken? 9 out of 10 times you can just replace the bushings, maybe replace the center pins while they are out, clean and paint and reinstall.

I hope you are not replacing them cause the fronts are negative arched. That is normal. New stock replacements will look the same. You'd be surprised how many people don't know this and think they need new springs.

When I restore a car I just replace everything with the brand I like so I never have to worry about it again.

 

[496truck]

Fair enough.

 

[YoungMoneyVII]

Can someone PLEASE tell me which of those two measurements I post is better?

and MAYBE

elaborate on the differences in usage/ dimensions

 

[496truck]

As was said, can you post a link to what catalog you found the springs in so we can help answer your question better? And, are we talking front springs, rear springs or both?

IIRC, from the factory the fronts were available as a 2 leaf pack or the plow package had a 3 leaf pack. So, if you are planning on installing a plow go with the 3 leaf. And I have no idea on the thickness.

And the rear was available in different spring pack differences also (maybe 5 and 7 leaf but don't quote me on that) with the thicker being attached to a towing package.

Just going off of memory there. Aside from that I don't know if anyone here will be able to tell you that pack thickness without going out and measuring a set. And if you have your truck outside you could also measure what you have.

 

[K85 Octane]

Aside from that I don't know if anyone here will be able to tell you that pack thickness

especially when most of us don't run factory leaf springs anymore I'd have to find a stock truck and measure it without the owner seeing me But, having a little more information and what you plan to do with the truck, we can make an educated guess from past experiences.