Recommended rear springs upgrade for my built cruiser

[Jonathan Case]

Hi team — I have a built rig (Dissent bumpers, tire swing-out, heavier tires, sliders, drawer and fridge, etc.) and purchased the truck with a 2 inch OME lift and light/medium springs. That’s working fine up front, but not so much in the back, where I’m 2” lower than I should be without camping gear, passengers, and food. The front is 21.5” hub to fender, and rear is 20.5”. No bueno.

I have big variability in my loads on the rear. Compared to stock, I’m either 300 lbs over (winter mode, empty rear seats, no fridge or drawer, etc.. — just the rear bumper and tire swingout 50% sliders weight) or 1000 lbs over stock (all the gear plus middle seat passengers, food, etc..).

Ironman heavy springs start working at 440, which would mean I’d be pretty stiff during winter driving and with a big rake.

What other springs do people like for that variability range, 300lbs to 1000lbs? Thanks!

 

[GTV]

I have big variability in my loads on the rear.

Sounds like airbags might be right for you.

 

[Jonathan Case]

Sounds like airbags might be right for you.

Maybe so. Turns out my rear springs are 866s, which I believe are supposed to handle 250-400lbs constant load with a 2 inch lift. The fact that they’re sagging to stock height in the rear at just above that at my current rear weight (about 490) is odd. I wonder if they’re tired out.

 

[Hulsty]

2866 Arent a lift spring, they are a light dual rate. With your weight, probably taken up the soft rate and sitting all in the firm rate. A taller spring and/or airbags for the weight variation. I had a similar rear setup and run 2863J springs which I was very happy with.

 

[Jonathan Case]

2866 Arent a lift spring, they are a light dual rate. With your weight, probably taken up the soft rate and sitting all in the firm rate. A taller spring and/or airbags for the weight variation. I had a similar rear setup and run 2863J springs which I was very happy with.

You’re right — I just talked to a guy in my area who could look all this up. Apparently, whoever put on the 866s was thinking they would achieve a lift, which they would have slightly on a cruiser from 1998-2000, but for 2002, it actually DROPS the rear end by 10mm. So I think I’m going to try an 863 and see how that goes. Should boost up the rear at least 1.5 inches from where it sits now, and if it goes up an additional inch when I take out the fridge and drawer, I’ll still be close enough to proper rake — in theory!

 

[Kofoed]

OME 863 with airbags?

 

[TahoeZ]

OME 2863 with airbags is my suggestion as well.

 

[Jonathan Case]

OME 2863 with airbags is my suggestion as well.

Thanks! Sounds like the way to go. Big plus is a guy near me has a pair of 863s for $50!

 

[NearJetties]

Thanks! Sounds like the way to go. Big plus is a guy near me has a pair of 863s for $50!

Well, that makes the decision easy!

For people that stumble across this thread in the future I have a similar setup and run the Dobinsons constant 440lbs load springs and airbags.

Coils: C59-185
Other rear suspension details: IMS shocks, Firestone airbags with 5psi for daily duty, Trail Tailor extended links, Delta panhard bar correction, perry parts bump stops
Hub to Fender: 23"
Added weight (representative of what’s in the pics):Deleted 3rd Row, custom drawers (3/4” furniture grade. Camp kitchen/stove, tools, misc gear), ICECO 55L fridge/freezer, Quick Pitch drop down fridge slide, tailgate storage (recovery gear is the heaviest thing in there). TCC rear bumper (offset by cutting out rear cross member and removing receiver hitch).

 

[saucebox]

Well, that makes the decision easy!

For people that stumble across this thread in the future I have a similar setup and run the Dobinsons constant 440lbs load springs and airbags.

Coils: C59-185
Other rear suspension details: IMS shocks, Firestone airbags with 5psi for daily duty, Trail Tailor extended links, Delta panhard bar correction, perry parts bump stops
Hub to Fender: 23"
Added weight (representative of what’s in the pics):Deleted 3rd Row, custom drawers (3/4” furniture grade. Camp kitchen/stove, tools, misc gear), ICECO 55L fridge/freezer, Quick Pitch drop down fridge slide, tailgate storage (recovery gear is the heaviest thing in there). TCC rear bumper (offset by cutting out rear cross member and removing receiver hitch).

View attachment 4152161View attachment 4152162View attachment 4152163

Pretty similar load out here, also quite happy with a Dobinsons setup.

 

[2yotanerd]

Well, that makes the decision easy!

For people that stumble across this thread in the future I have a similar setup and run the Dobinsons constant 440lbs load springs and airbags.

Coils: C59-185
Other rear suspension details: IMS shocks, Firestone airbags with 5psi for daily duty, Trail Tailor extended links, Delta panhard bar correction, perry parts bump stops
Hub to Fender: 23"
Added weight (representative of what’s in the pics):Deleted 3rd Row, custom drawers (3/4” furniture grade. Camp kitchen/stove, tools, misc gear), ICECO 55L fridge/freezer, Quick Pitch drop down fridge slide, tailgate storage (recovery gear is the heaviest thing in there). TCC rear bumper (offset by cutting out rear cross member and removing receiver hitch).

Can I ask how it handles pot holes or bumps on highway pavement? It's legit scary when I hit a pot hole going more than 50 mph on my rig. Feels like my ride is going to explode for a half second

 

[NearJetties]

Can I ask how it handles pot holes or bumps on highway pavement? It's legit scary when I hit a pot hole going more than 50 mph on my rig. Feels like my ride is going to explode for a half second

Mine drives like a dream. No issues driving 75-80 mph with a few fingers on the wheel even on rough or uneven pavement, dips, slightly off-camber roads, bumps, potholes or even transitioning from a chewed up section to freshly paved lane with a huge lip. Same whether it’s unloaded or loaded.

How high are you in the front and rear?

Proper rake helps a lot (1” higher in the rear) and the panhard correction bracket makes a huge difference if you are >2” lifted in the rear. I also have Dobinsons UCAs in the front.

Although, even if you don’t have the panhard bar bracket it sounds like you have other issues if it’s happening as low as 50 mph.

When parked the panhard bar should be roughly parallel with the rear axle. If not it affects highway manners especially on bumps.

Things to check:
-all suspension bushings and ball joints
-bad tie rods and steering rack bushings
-uneven tire wear or bad balance
-large play in wheel bearings
-not enough droop in the front suspension from lifting too high. Droop isn’t just needed for wheeling.
-alignment - uneven tire wear would indicate this as well

Your truck shouldn’t feel the way it does. Something is wrong.

Wait…I forgot to ask the most important question….you didn’t take this off, right?!??

…just kidding on the last part. Couldn’t resist.

 

[Jonathan Case]

Well, I got the 2863 springs installed today, along with some airbags the seller had on hand — and I am surprised.

My rear hub to fender height shot up 2.5 inches, even with my 400+ continuous rear load in the back, a new winch up front, etc. Rear is sitting at 23” hub to fender. Front would need to come up a bit to get the right rake, as it’s about 21” right now. I really didn’t expect these springs to give a 2.5 inch lift above the 2866s (I was at 20.5 inches in the rear on those) especially given the weight I’m carrying.

I’m a little concerned about the geometry of running at 23” in the rear without other modifications (which I really don’t wanna do).

Tomorrow I’m going to double check that my sway bar and shocks aren’t bound up. It’s also possible these used 2863s weren’t used very long, and they may settle with some more time.

What’s the consensus? Is 23” still within the safety zone for the rear suspension? I can probably crank the torsion bars to raise my front another half inch or so. That would put me at 21.5” front, 23” rear. I really want to avoid damage / messing with more geometry mods.

 

[2000UZJ]

I have a very similar setup, previously running 863's. The rear sat way to high for me, and always felt very jarring. I replaced them with the SOF2RH Slee Rear Coil Springs and it 100% fixed my ride height and ride quality. It was night and day different. I would 100% recommend them, and if you need a to recover a little height you can still utilize airbags.

The Slee Springs, also allowed me to bring the front end down even further, which still clears 35.5" Toyo AT3's with no issues.

Before:

After:

 

[Jonathan Case]

I have a very similar setup, previously running 863's. The rear sat way to high for me, and always felt very jarring. I replaced them with the SOF2RH Slee Rear Coil Springs and it 100% fixed my ride height and ride quality. It was night and day different. I would 100% recommend them, and if you need a to recover a little height you can still utilize airbags.

The Slee Springs, also allowed me to bring the front end down even further, which still clears 35.5" Toyo AT3's with no issues.

Before:
View attachment 4157667

After?

That’s excellent! Probably a dumb question, but I’m wondering if there’s any issue mixing and matching Slee springs with OME shocks — which are what I currently have.

 

[TahoeZ]

I always aim for 1-1.5” higher in the rear. That way if you add more weight the rear doesn’t sit lower than the front, which you absolutely want to avoid. Personal preference with ride feel. You will be fine at that height with extended sway bar links and track bar correction. OME shocks are very firm. You will likely want a softer shock if you stick with a firmer spring but no issue with running that combo if you like it.

 

[Jonathan Case]

I always aim for 1-1.5” higher in the rear. That way if you add more weight the rear doesn’t sit lower than the front, which you absolutely want to avoid. Personal preference with ride feel. You will be fine at that height with extended sway bar links and track bar correction. OME shocks are very firm. You will likely want a softer shock if you stick with a firmer spring but no issue with running that combo if you like it.

I’m just wondering if rather than putting another $400 into those mods, if I just get the Slee springs mentioned above and drop the rear an inch, which would still put me at an inch higher in the rear vs the front.

 

[2000UZJ]

That’s excellent! Probably a dumb question, but I’m wondering if there’s any issue mixing and matching Slee springs with OME shocks — which are what I currently have.

Not an issue at all. I have them paired with the Bilstein B8 5160's and love them.

I can take some measurements when I get home, and post them on Thursday, of the ride height so you can get an idea of the height change for yours.

 

[Jonathan Case]

Not an issue at all. I have them paired with the Bilstein B8 5160's and love them.

I can take some measurements when I get home, and post them on Thursday, of the ride height so you can get an idea of the height change for yours.

That would be amazing, thanks!

I just adjusted my front torsion bolts by 360 degrees, so the front’s now at 21.5, and the rear is at 23. I’ll see how that rides and keep a lookout for your next post.