Which leaf or leaves to remove?

[Projp]

Finally got it running and it rides rougher than a cob.
I bought the roller from a PO and he installed new 11 pack rear springs. It has about 2.5" of rake which is a little much for me but the ride is brutal. It is always going to be a half cab with almost no weight in it.
I am going start removing leafs with the main goal of a better ride, but I am looking for suggestions on which ones to start with. It looks like the 5th and 8th from the top are riveted so I am not doing them.
Jeff

 

[gr8scott]

Try 3rd spring from the top. Might be enough to get rid of that slight rake too.

 

[Projp]

Try 3rd spring from the top. Might be enough to get rid of that slight rake too.

Thanks,
I will start there.....

 

[DirtDonk]

As said, third from the top of most modern spring packs will net you the largest drop and the most change in spring rate. If you need more drop, the lowermost two leaves (the two really short ones) likely will not change the ride, but will drop you the thickness of the leaves removed. Likely no more than half an inch.
Make sure the u-bolts are torqued tight too, because the packs will flatten slightly when torqued.

Tire load range and air pressure make a huge difference too. Make sure that you are not running the maximum PSI listed on the sidewall. For most of us the best inflation pressure is between 20 and 25 pounds on most tires. Not etched in stone of course (every rig has different needs) but it's pretty consistent so far.
You can look at your tread after a drive too, to see if you're only getting a wear spot in the center of the tire. Same concept as the chalk method of putting a stripe of chalk across the tread area and deflate the tire until it wears off almost to the edge.

And don't ignore the shocks. If they're not new, they may also be wearing out and getting stiff. They usually get looser/softer, but it's not unheard of for them to freeze up either, so that's another possibility.

And by the way, did you move your axle back some? Yours appears to be farther back into the opening than most. Or maybe the flares are installed slightly farther forward than most.
Sometimes that's to match the driver's side, which is dictated by the filler neck openings.

Good luck with the rake and ride.

Paul

 

[Projp]

As said, third from the top of most modern spring packs will net you the largest drop and the most change in spring rate. If you need more drop, the lowermost two leaves (the two really short ones) likely will not change the ride, but will drop you the thickness of the leaves removed. Likely no more than half an inch.
Make sure the u-bolts are torqued tight too, because the packs will flatten slightly when torqued.

Tire load range and air pressure make a huge difference too. Make sure that you are not running the maximum PSI listed on the sidewall. For most of us the best inflation pressure is between 20 and 25 pounds on most tires. Not etched in stone of course (every rig has different needs) but it's pretty consistent so far.
You can look at your tread after a drive too, to see if you're only getting a wear spot in the center of the tire. Same concept as the chalk method of putting a stripe of chalk across the tread area and deflate the tire until it wears off almost to the edge.

And don't ignore the shocks. If they're not new, they may also be wearing out and getting stiff. They usually get looser/softer, but it's not unheard of for them to freeze up either, so that's another possibility.

And by the way, did you move your axle back some? Yours appears to be farther back into the opening than most. Or maybe the flares are installed slightly farther forward than most.
Sometimes that's to match the driver's side, which is dictated by the filler neck openings.

Good luck with the rake and ride.

Paul

Thanks Paul,
As always, you are very helpful
Jeff

 

[Yooper74]

Curious how this works out, I’ve got 2.5” duff lift. New 11 piece springs. It rides brutal,

 

[DirtDonk]

Springs, shocks, tires. Of course overall vehicle weight comes into play as well, but those first three things are what you normally deal with when trying to smooth out the ride.
Watch your air pressures are not too high, especially in the rear.
Determine if shocks are having anything to do with it (they very often do in my experience).
And remove leaves if you are not planning to carry loads in the back.

I'm going to try it on mine someday too so I know more about what I've been talking about for the last twenty years or so, but I never seem to get 'round to it.

Paul

 

[MonsterBIlly]

I have the WH 3.5 inch 11 pacl rear springs. I removed the two bottom leafs. It lowered my rear about an inch and now it sits level. However, after about a year of driving the rear springs have become too soft. its fine and rides great when its just me, however an ice chest and a passenger changes it a lot. its not uncommon for me to hit the bump stops off road and once in a while it i launch it at a traffic light.

but, the ride is great.
also, i did move my rear end back 1 inch and that seems to make a big difference in appearance. the wheel is in the center of the housing

 

[bigmuddy]

Curious how this works out, I’ve got 2.5” duff lift. New 11 piece springs. It rides brutal,

Yooper, if you haven't done so yet, go get some offroad time on the springs. Mine road rough and set high after installation and I ended up running through a couple of ditches and flexing the rig. The springs road alot better afterwards.

 

[Projp]

Well, it's a year later and I finally worked on the springs. I was sidetracked by life and a rebuilt motor that ate the bearings after about 50 miles.
I removed the 3rd leaf from the top. It lowered the rear end at the bumper by about 1". I think it looks better but more importantly, it rides much better. It had new but older model shocks on it and I think the PO used the wrong ones. I have plenty of compression but only have 1" of extension from static. Some of the harshness might be coming from the shock topping out.
This week I am going to experiment with air pressure. and will update.

 

[Broncobowsher]

The shock topping out will hurt ride. Try a lap around the block without any shocks. If it is soft and really floaty the ride issue is the shocks and not the springs.

As for tire pressure, lower will give a softer ride. But it can also blow the handling. When I was running 33s it was 26-28 PSI for good driving. Below 26 it would start loosing stability. It would wallow and wander all over the road. I could pull out of the subdivision and by the time I was to the main road I knew if I needed to go home and put air in the tires.

 

[Projp]

Final verdict:
1 Removing the leaf definitely helped.
2 Put the correct size Bilstein's on. Big difference.
3 The PO had installed the upper shackle bolts in backwards so they were touching the frame and limiting movement.
4 Installed new steering stabilizer.

It is now a pleasure to drive.. The harsh ride was combo of shock size, to much spring and shackle bolts.
It also darted and didn't have good road feel. All of the above helped but the biggest help was a new steering stabilizer.
I am now a happy boy / old man.

 

[mrdrnac]

Good job of problem solving! It is usually not just one issue at a time with our rigs.

 

[Projp]

One other note,
My tires seem to be pretty stout.
Dropping to 20 PSI made a big difference

 

[DirtDonk]

A lot of us have dropped our air pressures. A lot of these modern truck tires are very heavy duty and can carry far more weight than the bronco.
However you still have to watch out how it handles. It might ride soft, but gets Squirrley under some conditions.
So just keep an open mind about it and readjust if necessary.