Kind of at a crossroads right now with my suspension. Currently I'm lowered with 2" Belltech Spindles and 3" drop leafs, and am on stock SS shocks. To say the least, I'm not happy. The rear shocks, at least, are completely done for - which is to be expected on a stock stroke with a 3" drop. The other issue is that since I've installed the 22s, I'm rubbing up front at full lock. This continues even after I raised the front 1/2" - 3/4" a couple months ago, and it's getting old. In addition to that, the front is noticably higher than the rear as a result, if only by 1/4" - 1/2".

So.. what to do.. Here's what I've come up with, all options include keeping the spindles:

1 - Keep the leafs. Add Belltech Street Performance shocks for 0 - 2" front and 3 - 4" rear drop. Get an alignment and hope the rub goes away. If rub is still present than add a 1" lift shackle to the rear, and raise the front more (via t-bar adjust) to level it. That should give me an additional 3/4" or so lift in the front, and SHOULD elliminate the rubbing.

2 - Sell the leafs, reinstall OEM pair. Add Bilstein HD shocks made for factory ride height, Belltech 2" drop shackles, and Belltech shock extenders in the rear to offset the 2" drop. This is obviously the best choice for a much smoother ride. Downside is that I hate to raise it a full 2" in the back because I'm so happy with the stance right now. Also, I've heard about issues with OEM leafs swaying during hard cornering when used with 2" drop shackels.

3 - Leave it as is, deal with the rub for now. Add Belltech Street performance shocks made for my drop. Buy smaller tires in 6 - 8 months to eliminate rub. This would be best for style but definately not the best option. I'd lose contact patch going with a smaller tire and besides that, these are brand new 22s - replacing tires in 6 - 8 months would be silly. I could do the lift shackle and 3/4" front lift adjustment until the tires are ready for replacement but.. I'd really rather keep the 305s anyway..


I'm really looking at this as a performance issue now, not just comfort and style. I'm concerned that the Belltech leafs are too stiff to allow a decent front to rear weight transfer off the line. On the flip side, the stiffer leafs and solid rear (as opposed to drop shackle) are better for handling. Maybe OEM leafs with shackles, Bilsteins, and Hotchkis sway bars would be a good comprimise. Make up for the less stiff leafs with swaybar power.

It's also worth noting that I will be adding CalTracs within the next 6 - 8 months.

My biggest question, for those who know, is regarding the leaf spring stiffness. In terms of off the line performance, would a factory leaf with shackles and good shocks launch better than stiff Belltech leafs and good shocks? I know the less-stiff spring will compress faster allowing for better weight transfer, but which is better for controlling wheel hop and such?

 

Your rubbing issues comes from such a tall tire. That wouldn't have been my first choice. Also, I would ditch drop leafs in the rear for shackle/hanger combo if you're looking to stay the same height. I personally prefer to stick with the OEM leafs due to the spring rates/load capacity, etc. I can't say much about the performance aspect of it, although i would think the softer springs too would allow for greater weight transfer, thus allowing more traction.

 

i believe he has a crew cab, therefore he can't put on drop hangers.

 

His is an ex cab with the 5.5ft bed, so I dunno if tis setup like the crew cabs or not.

 

Indeed, the '06 Ext Cab has a Short, Short Bed (SSB)

As such, hangers are out of the question. I'm pretty sure Caltracs don't work with drop shackles also so I may be stuck with the leafs. Not a big deal.

I'm going to try and make clearance in the inner fender for the tire. There is only one some-what minorly small section that needs to be clearanced. Going to start with a 5lb sledge, knock that area back an 1/8" - 1/4" and see what it does. Worst case I can put a cutting wheel on the angle grinder and cut a 'window' into the inner fender to allow tire clearance. Just cover the sharp edges with some hard, split rubber seal.