Rear Leaf Springs expected life

[Wilbur]

I just bought my raptor at the end of last year. After 3 months I was tired of my OE leafs. 2019 with 22k miles. I got +2HD Deavers as well and it was well worth the money. Rides so much better, no more wheel hop, and with 600lbs in the bed it went down maybe an inch. Yes the HDs will ride a little stiff at first, but put 200lbs in the bed for the first week or two and it now rides great with even an empty bed.

I recommend going through Rick@FMS here on the forum. Gave me a discount and was very helpful.

 

[Red_Eye_Jedi]

That's pretty normal, that stock leaf pack is like took picks lol. Deaver's for the win

 

[DFS]

If you've literally never off-road the truck, just get some traction bars and move on. Springs aren't shot unless previous owner did some hard core stuff or consistently had a heavy static load in the bed. And if the truck is sitting almost flat, what difference does that make if you don't drive off-road ever?

 

[Jakenbake]

If you've literally never off-road the truck, just get some traction bars and move on. Springs aren't shot unless previous owner did some hard core stuff or consistently had a heavy static load in the bed. And if the truck is sitting almost flat, what difference does that make if you don't drive off-road ever?

I would say 450 horsepower and 510 torque can be plenty hard on leaf springs.

I agree though, shouldn’t really hurt the ride on the street.

 

[thatJeepguy]

I would Not agree with any of the above in replacing the stock leafs with a “HD” set set to a much higher spring rate. The raptor setup is meant to be squishy and articulate a lot. I currently get bouncy in the rear with anything above 38 tire pressure in the rear. I could only imagine unless there is some kind of trickery, what that the aftermarket springs are super stiff if you are combining both lift and higher spring rate.

 

[DFS]

I would say 450 horsepower and 510 torque can be plenty hard on leaf springs.

I agree though, shouldn’t really hurt the ride on the street.

I don't disagree, I do believe that amount of axle wrap to stress leaf springs to point of failure or extreme fatigue is not realistic at that mileage unless this was as drag truck. Traction bars alone would eliminate the axle wrap and relieve some stress from the leaf springs, while making the rear end more responsive for him. In a perfect world I'm sure he'd do Deaver's + traction bars.

 

[DAVfoto]

The truck will see some off road duty in the future. I used to have an 01 4runner that saw nearly 100k miles of strictly Offroad mileage when I was doing overloading a decade ago. I want to get back in to traveling but I am not looking to mod this truck with mid travel, glass and long travel rear shocks w/cage. Ultimate goal is to eventually go Fox factory suspension, Upper UCAs, bed rack for RTT or teardrop trailer, maybe keep stock 35s as 37s can be tricky with no glass and keep front and rear bumpers the same. Just a nice fresh upgrade to what was solid from factory.

I would also like to know why Icon springs are a no go, I like the fact that you can actually change the spring rate with their Add a Leaf configuration. Otherwise I would probably go +3HD with what I may do as 300-500 pounds of bed weight consistent in the back during road trips.

^^^ in regards to deavers/icons plus traction bars, absolutely! I had issues with the 01 runner with regard to pinion angle and vibrations causing the transferase to bind a bit.

 

[sixshooter_45]

If I remember correctly, the +2HD Deavers basically replace the two inch factory block which is removed when installing Deavers.

And you may want to install an aftermarket drop shackle in the rear to maintain the current wheel drop should you install the +3 HD Deavers.

 

[Frank N]

I think I have only seen one person here out of hundreds who didn’t like their Deaver replacement….best $1400 I could have spent on the suspension

 

[DAVfoto]

If I remember correctly, the +2HD Deavers basically replace the two inch factory block which is removed when installing Deavers.

And you may want to install an aftermarket drop shackle in the rear to maintain the current wheel drop should you install the +3 HD Deavers.

What do you mean? I thought you would have the same amount of down travel regardless of +2 or +3?

I have Icon collars I plan to install to at least get me to the height I want to be up front, once I save up the Fox factory will replace everything. Having some clunks going on over pot holes or crappy NJ roads from the front I need to address also.