Ok, as shown in my signature I have a regular bed 3500 4x4. I was wondering if I could remove the overload springs to help improve the ride quality. I do not tow anything heavier than 7000lbs. right now, but plan to keep the springs for in the future whenever I finally get a bigger trailer. (i.e. horse)

Until then, would removing the overload springs help the ride at all?

Has anyone done this or have an opinion?

Also, and other ideas besides shocks to help the ride?

 

Get some better shocks, or air bags, but the shocks will help more than the bags will, air bags will only help the ride quality when loaded...

Ill take the overloads though if you take them off

 

YOU DON'T TAKE THEN OFF.

 

Why, there is no reason he can't, unbolt them and go down the road.

 

Taking them off is simple and it will improve ride quality ....... But the best thing to do would be better shocks...... And possibly a mini leaf pack from deaver to replace the bottom leaf the thick one.............

 

Well yes you can remove the springs, but it's not going to do much for the ride because they are only used when the truck is loaded heavy, otherwise they aren't in contact with anything and aren't being used. Shocks may help some but likely not a significant amount.

What tire pressure are you running? You might try decreasing the rear tire pressures to improve the ride some. I've run mine at 45 psi when not loaded with any significant weight. They rode better and wear was even.

With a short bed truck there is only so much improvement your going to get... one of the drawbacks to a short bed, they just don't ride as well as a long bed.

 

Well I allready have lowered my tire pressure to 55psi in the front and 50psi in the back. Unfortunately, there was little to no improvement in the ride. My truck will serisouly knock some teeth out when your going over a speed bump and I'm sick of it!

 

Short wheel base and speed bumps are still going to be hard on the riders no matter what you do.

 

Well I guess I'll have to try new shocks then. I think I'll go with Rancho RS9000's so I can adjust them to the softest setting. Any opinions on shocks?

 

It's a one ton truck. It's not designed to ride like butter when empty, but once you put some weight in the back, it will smooth out. Removing the overloads won't help. They are not part of the suspension until the bed is loaded or a trailer is hooked. Put 500lbs in the bed and that will smooth it out.

 

OK, I'm sitting here grinding my teeth on this one. First, removing the overloads may help when going over speed bumps because you can get the suspension to compress enough to smack the springs. But just go slower and that shouldn't happen. Remember, it's a 1 ton 4x4!
Better shocks would probably help by slowing down the travel and maybe not hit as hard, but the suspension will feel tighter and you may not like that either. Better sell the truck and by a Buick.

 

I FIGURED IT OUT!!! Ok, here was my problem...

I had 265-75-R17 BFG Rough Terrain tires which I assume are what came with it from the factory. I finally replaced them last night with 285-70-R17 BFG All-Terrains. GOOD LORD, just switching tires made the truck ride like a Caddy! I guess the BFG Rough Terrains were just the worst tires of all time. Oh well. Thanks for all the help on this though!

 

also, I know a 3500 4x4 rides rougher than a car such as a Buick, but it was really really really rough. Much more so than any other heavy duty truck that I had ever ridden in. That is why I was so concerned with fixing the ride quality, but again, it was all in the tires!

 

Replacing the factory shocks was one of the first mods I did on my 2002 - the stock shocks were way too soft in jounce (compression) in the front and much too hard in jounce in the rear when running empty.

Since my truck is either running empty or pulling a heavy 5th wheel RV, I went with the Rancho 9000s because of their adjustability. With the old 5-position Ranchos set on 3 front, 2 rear, the truck will mush along like a Cadillac. With the shocks set on 4 front, 5 rear, everything is tightened up nicely for towing.

At least on my 2nd generation truck, the shocks were the problem insofar as the ride while empty was concerned - not the overload springs.

Rusty

 

were the 265's e load rated, the 285's are only D rated correct?