Spring differences 801 vs 802

[ranger22]

I just picked up a 2024 802a in Avalanche. Parked it next to my 2018 Gen 2, this thing is easily 2” maybe closer to 2.5” taller than my old truck. I understand that suspensions will settle, but I was surprised by this big of a delta. It got me thinking, are there any differences between the springs on the 801 vs 802 of the same model year? I was under the impression that they would be the same.

 

[taquitos]

I just picked up a 2024 802a in Avalanche. Parked it next to my 2018 Gen 2, this thing is easily 2” maybe closer to 2.5” taller than my old truck. I understand that suspensions will settle, but I was surprised by this big of a delta. It got me thinking, are there any differences between the springs on the 801 vs 802 of the same model year? I was under the impression that they would be the same.

No difference in springs. The 37 trucks have about 0.25” more preload on the springs than 35 trucks. The R is the only one with a different spring set up. It has stiffer springs up front.

 

[ranger22]

Ok, that was easy. Thank for you the prompt answer. I did search a bit before posting, perhaps my searching skills suck.

 

[Donmatteo]

801 has 35in tires.
802 has 37in tires.

There is your difference.

 

[taquitos]

801 has 35in tires.
802 has 37in tires.

There is your difference.

I used to think the only difference between the two was the tire size before I started looking at part compatibility. If you put a 37 and 35 shock side by side you can see that the spring perch on the 37 shock is preloading the spring a little more. Then in the rear the part that connects the spring to the axle is different between the two. Doesn’t account for a whole lot of height on its own, but it’s not 100% tires that make it different. Ford could have kept the same amount of preload on both trucks and reduced unique SKUs at the expense of the 37 truck having a weird ratio of up to down travel, but they didn’t do that. I think it’s commendable that they did something to not have that ratio messed up for 37 trucks because realistically not many would have noticed.

 

[Donmatteo]

I used to think the only difference between the two was the tire size before I started looking at part compatibility. If you put a 37 and 35 shock side by side you can see that the spring perch on the 37 shock is preloading the spring a little more. Then in the rear the part that connects the spring to the axle is different between the two. Doesn’t account for a whole lot of height on its own, but it’s not 100% tires that make it different. Ford could have kept the same amount of preload on both trucks and reduced unique SKUs at the expense of the 37 truck having a weird ratio of up to down travel, but they didn’t do that. I think it’s commendable that they did something to not have that ratio messed up for 37 trucks because realistically not many would have noticed.

OP was pointing out a 2in height difference. That’s what I was referring to. 35in tires vs 37in tires is the height difference.

 

[GordoJay]

OP was pointing out a 2in height difference. That’s what I was referring to. 35in tires vs 37in tires is the height difference.

That's one inch of it. Bottom of the tire to the middle is 18.5" vs 17.5". I parked my gen 2 next to the gen 3 I'm picking up tomorrow and it looked like an inch difference, as expected. Some folks have reported gen 2 ride heights that are less than mine, and I have noticed that mine has settled in the rear due to the cheapskate leaf springs, so I'm not surprised that a low gen 2 would be 2" shorter than a new gen 3 with 37s.