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quad shocks = springboard?

xpndbl3

xpndbl3

1/2 ton status
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Jul 30, 2005
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Location
orland park, IL
I have an 88 suburban 3/4 ton with a 6" lift. It has the pro comp quad shocks up front and the ride from the front suspension is very springboard like. The nose bounces up and down like a diving board. Would removing the front shorter shock help in the ride department? I also still run the front sway bar, as the truck is used for towing my camaro to and from the track. I notice most people ditch the front sway bars, but make no mention if it'll make a difference while towing. Either way there is no flex at all right now out of the front suspension. So do I remove the front shocks to make the ride better? Remove the sway bar and it will not affect towing? help! :doah:
 
Sounds like the springs are pretty stiff. I have this problem with my rough country lift on my truck. I also have a 6 inch lift. The vehicle feels like it has no re-bound dampening so the front seems to pogo or act like a spring board. I am going to replace the shocks with some higher quality ones that have better re-bound dampening to see if that works. If not then I am going to buy the BDS suspension and call it quits. I hear those springs ride nice.

~Brian
 
Yes these front springs are very stiff, when taking the truck off road I bounce out of my seat up and down a lot while going over bumps, ruts, etc. Just looking to see if I have any options besides buying new springs, which I don't really want to pour more money into this truck.
 
I would go ahead and remove the sway bar. I have a 4" lift/quad shocks and tow my boat and trailer all the time with no swaybar on the front. It rides a lot better with no sway bar. doesn't really affect towing at all. The stiff springs make up for the sway bar. If you feel you really need the sway bar get some swaybar disconnects. You can use the sway bar or not, as needed.
Dont remove one shock. They are made and valved to work together. If you want to go with a single shock you have to remove all 4 shocks and go with a shock rated for single applications.
The Pro comp 9000 shocks work better with stiff suspentions. The gas filled 9000 shocks ride a lot better on my K5 than. the 3000 or 1000
 
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Removing the sway bar made mine bounce worse. If the springs are stiff and the shocks are crappy, its going to be a rough ride. Get some good shocks.
 
Where can i get new or used BDS front 4" lift springs for my 88 blazer

and for the rear I want softer springs just not super soft i now have rough contry 4" lift springs and i would like a softer ride.
 
I have a`91 3/4t diesel`Burb with 4" EZ-Rides,sway bar,and dual 9000RSXs.It rides real nice set on the softest shock setting.
 
I have a set of Rough Country's "EZ ride" 4" lift springs up front, when i first installed them, it rode like a dump truck, rode like this for a couple of weeks.

I tried removing one of the shocks, but it didn't help, the more i drove it though, the less harsh of a ride it was, guess everything was setting in, and whatnot.

I still run with my swaybar, as on a Suburban, you will probably need it, i know I DO, it is a crazy swaying monster without it....You CAN drive without it, you just have to be aware of the extra lean around corners and curves.

Something i did with my springs, and you may want to check out on yours, is i removed the second leaf from the bottom, not the main overload looking one, but the next one up that is not clamped in with the brackets on the ends.

This has helped take out the "harshness" of the bounce,,,the ride is still pretty firm, but manageable and typical for a lifted truck feel.
I would also try upgrading the shocks to a better quality unit, i personally was thinkin about checking out those self adjusting Edelbrocks...
 
Going to try to remove the sway bar this week as long as the weather permits, otherwise I guess I'll wait until I swap in my D60 front and 14bff rear off a 1 ton before messing with ford shock towers and longer single front shocks
 
The sway bar has absolutely nothing to do with how your vehicle feels with the rebound or compression stroke of the suspension. All the sway bar does on those cycles is hang along for the ride. The ONLY time the sway bar does anything is when lateral pressure is applied to the bar. Then it keeps the truck from swaying, hence the term sway bar. The reason your truck spring boards is because of its spring rate. The only way to solve that, is to find a shock that better matches the spring rate, take a leaf out, or replace the springs with something with a lower spring rate. Your going to be chasing your tail with removing shocks and removing the sway bar. On a burb with all that weight I would be scared to drive it lifted with no sway bar.

~Brian
 
I would try removing the second set of shocks first. Seriously. My '79 had one RS 9k per side up front with the Pre-Runner 4" springs. My '91 now has those shocks & springs + a second set of Gabriels (due to not enough time to make spacers for the non-stock lower mounts). The ride is considerably worse in the '91 than it was in the '79.

The worst that can happen is you'll need to put the second set of shocks back on. A free mod is worth the effort to me. I plan to make the spacers this weekend even though there's a set of Fox 2.0's waiting for mount fab sitting in the garage.

The sway bar does have a very minor effect on damping, but it does the same work in each direction and a leaf sprung truck isn't likely to notice that difference.
 
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