Hey ya'll, i have a few questions pertaining to the leaf springs in my 95 f150 XLT 4x4 ext. cab 351w auto. I recently have decided to put the lift kit, and a few other goodies aside for awhile because my mother was diagnosed with skin cancer so i have to keep some money on the side to help pay for her medication. Now onto the question i am replacing the coil springs with Moog 844s (which will lift the front about a inch), and i need to replace the leaf springs (one has a cracked leaf spring in it) and there just worn out after 215k miles. They have the 4 leaf spring pack in it now. I have been told f250 4x4 rear leaf springs will swap in and give me a stiffer rider which is fine and will stop my rear from squatting with a load and also lift it a inch or so are these statements accurate? is there another option i can go with to give me a better load rating and lift it a inch or so? I want to raise the rear atleast a inch (so the rear sits a bit higher then the front) and would rather keep the stock 2" block and the rest be leaf spring instead of replacing them with just another set of f150 leaf springs and having to add a 3" block. I will be running 33x12.5r15 Bf goodrich all terrains or mud terrains. Thanks in advance for the advice, any input is greatly appreciated!

 

They will bolt straight on. The measurement from eye to eye is with 3/8 on an inch and both are 3 inches wide. F150 2wd springs won't work just fyi but you probably knew that. F250 2wd rears will, however there are several variations of the rear spring which will determine actual lift. F250s have anywhere from 4-6 leaves and can be anywhere from 2 to 3.5 inches thick. F150s can have 3-5 leaves and are just under 2 inches to 2.5 inches thick.

The measure of the curvature of the springs are relatively the same but the heavier springs would squat less obviously, giving you a small "lift".

I would experiment with flopping the rear hangers unless you need the load carrying capacity of the heavier springs. Be aware though that while the springs would handle it, your axle, wheel bearings and tires may not.

Check out this link for spring measurements: 1980 - 1996 Ford F150 rear leaf springs

 

I have a 6 leaf packs on my 92 F150 and I love them. The ride on mine is actually better now. And yeah, the only reason they give you lift is from the extra leafs in there, that is why add-a-leaf kits will lift you as well. And in addition to the looks, your truck will have to be overloaded to ever squat down like it used to.

Let us know how the Moog 844 swap works. I have seen a lot of guys on here that have done it, but I'm still not totally sold, mainly on how it will ride afterwards.

 

I agree with you. Someone swapping in heavier springs need to keep in mind the load ratting of the rest of the "150" parts. A heavier load on a set of "250" springs would decrease the braking power of the f150 brakes still on the truck.

Wish you luck on your modification and repair

 

Thanks everyone for the quick responses! The main reason for the heavy duty suspension is mainly to "ease" the stress off the weaker half ton parts. And what i mean by that is if i put 500 pounds in the bed obviously with the heavy duty leaf springs it wont cause the leafs to "flex" as much causing more stress. I dont mind the stiffer ride which i am guessing it is going to be a bit stiffer. It is probably overkill for what i use it for which is mainly delivering humidors for cigars but can get pretty heavy depending on how many and the size of them i have to carry but can vary from 50 pounds per humidor for smaller ones of up to 600+ pounds for full size ones. I try to never put anymore then 800+ pounds in the bed i would rather make 2 trips and spend more on gas then having the replace something and like the old saying gos "time is money" so the down time plus what it would cost for parts would end up being way more then just making two trips. Also i am replacing the brakes all the way around sense those are shot so i wont have to worry about the brakes for awhile I plan to have the rear 2 inchs or so higher because to me when a truck sits exactly level it looks weird... So with the more "heavy duty" suspension ill gain more space for the 33s and obtain my goals for functionability Now i just need to know which leaf pack to get from the f250 i am guessing the 6 leaf pack would be perfect?

 

I added the following to my 93 F150, 4x4 351W running 31x10.5x15
Procomp Leafs Pro Comp Suspension Systems 23411 - Pro Comp Lifted Leaf Springs - Overview - SummitRacing.com
removed the blocks to make it 4" instead of the stated 6"
different link to them with a little more info
Pro Comp Rear Leaf Springs - Pro Comp 23411 - Truck Customizers

I bought these, was going to use if Needed but did not install them yet, Alighment was dead on

Skyjacker Coils Skyjacker Suspensions 182 - Skyjacker Softride Lift Coil Springs - Overview - SummitRacing.com

Gives me a bigger load rating 1 1/2 yards of Black Mulch for yard only dropped back down 1/2" or so

over all only a 4" difference from front to rear, i like the way it sits now




Old Leafs



New Leafs

 

That is almost exactly how i want mine to sit! just a tad bit higher in the front and it would be spot on! I think the setup i will have will allow to go anywhere/haul anything that any normal person would ever have to go through or haul. I dont think i will even lift the truck after this because of the overall functionability. If anyone wanted to know i currently am running 31x10.5r15 BFG AT's and have now made decided to go with 33x12.5r15 BFG MT's mostly due to the fact i go back up to michigan and the roads and exspecially where my relatives live is all dirt/gravel roads and as soon as you add water/snow to them you better have some good tires or you will not being going anywhere not to mention the countless times i have got calls from buddys saying "I got stuck out in the trail and i need someone to pull me out" or "I got stuck in the mud pit, and so did my buddy that tried pulling me out" Also i have always loved the more stuffed look and 31x10.5s look really akward on my truck because of how skinny and small they are on a fairly large/long truck

 

I will defiantly post up as soon as everything gets put on, i am guessing it will defiantly be a stiffer ride because right now it rides like a old Cadillac because of how worn out the coil/leaf springs are lol. But i think with running some more rubber (33x12.5r15) it will ride a bit better going over smaller bumps even with the stiffer suspension i guess ill have to wait and see how it is but for some odd reason i like the ride of the stiffer suspension on a truck...

 

Why run such big tires sure you'll beable to spin em fast enough to keep them clean

 

Well there will be 8 more inchs of rubber touching the surface then my 31x10.5s i have now which is a huge plus when you have to drive on any type of surface that is slippery or loose. From a looks stand point the 33x12.5 will give it a much "meaner" look sense there a good amount wider and with the 31s even with worn out coil springs theres still a large amount of wheel well to fill. I was joking around with my mother that is wanting to get a newer jeep wrangler 4 door that comes factory with 33s and was teasing me on how she will have bigger tires then i will and i defiantly cant let that happen

 

Once again, Let us know how you like the Moog cc844 swap. I am trying to get as many opinions as I can before I do one

 

I have family up there and I know exactly what kind of roads your talking about. All of the roads around my family's farm look like giant grids and if your not from there, you will soon be lost as hell because every corner looks the same.

The state seems to maintain the roads fairly well, or at least did. I don't know exactly where you live but I'm talking about the Dryden/Metamora/Seven Ponds area.

My Dad lives in Lake Orion and has never owned a 4wd. My Grandfather owned the above mentioned farm and never owned a 4wd. But, he did have about 15 tractors In that area, good tires and a good driver will get a lot further than any ol' schmuck in a crappy tired 4wd.

Of course, pullin buddies from the goo will require a 4wd. But I'd send them a bill

 

Well because the economy has gone way down up there so there has been cuts from what i heard to just about everything. My mother is originally from the Upper Peninsula so when you get off the mackinaw bridge and drive about 4 hours northwest you'll hit where most of here family is so its basically all back country dirt/gravel roads as soon as you get off the major highways. I usually end up charging them a good steak dinner and of course they get to pick me up and drive me for driving out there and pulling em out so in the end it works out pretty well for the both of us I actually called the tire shop that i will be getting the new tires installed at and this lady anwsered the phone and i told her what tires i will be ordering and as soon as i said the size she was like "no no no no those are WAY to big they belong on a f350" So i very nicely tried to explain that alot of guys that have stock/leveled f150s run 32s/33s but she continued to say i need to purchase smaller tires. After her 5 minute lecture on how i need to buy smaller tires i finally had to ask for her manager and he had to explain to her that they will fit and to finally order them. Is it me or are they hiring people that dont know much about anything automotive at alot of these tire/ auto part places? Obviously if someone asks to purchase over sized tires on a vehicle most of the time they wouldnt ask to purchase them if they didnt know they would fit....



I almost forgot to ask i have down to get the 6 leaf pack for 92-96 f250s is that what i need to be getting?

 

I used these on my 96 f150 work truck
I chose the heavy duty version and they still work well on that truck today

www.stengelbros.com/HeavyDutyLeafSprings.htm

 

The cool thing about leaf springs is that you can always put in another leaf or take one out to suit your needs. So when you get that toy hauler you can put in an extra leaf, or when you finish your house and stop going to the lumber yard you can take one out