Hellwig 1902 Helper Springs
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Tuned
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 307
Likes: 9
From: Gainesville, FL
Hellwig 1902 Helper Springs
I sent an email to Hellwig to see if their model 1902 Helper Springs will fit onto the front of my 05 Ex 4x4. They said that they don't as they are only for the rear.
As I know many of our users on this forum have tried things a little outside the box, has anyone tried these on the Front of their Ex?
Also has anyone tried them on the Rear and what are your opinions?
As I know many of our users on this forum have tried things a little outside the box, has anyone tried these on the Front of their Ex?
Also has anyone tried them on the Rear and what are your opinions?
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 205
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From: northeast PA
I don't know about the hellwig's but I used procomp's add-a-leaf on the rear of my Ex. With the stock Ex block, the truck got almost 3" of lift. The ride is stiffer but not obnoxious. I know procomp also makes add-a-leaf kits for the front of our trucks too.
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 205
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From: northeast PA
SD and Ex kits have the same part numbers. There's two kinds, long and short. I used "long".
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Joined: Jul 2010
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From: Media PA
All of the springs on my truck have been modded including all new thicker spacers and additional leaves all around. The factory spring alignment clamps were not disturbed doing this, they remain in place and funtion as they always have. Where they are located on the spring doesn't get in the way of the spring mods I have done (+1 leaf front & + 2 leaves in rear).
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Tuned
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 307
Likes: 9
From: Gainesville, FL
So I ordered the Hellwig 1902 Helper spring and found several things.
1. It doesn't look like the photos I saw when I was doing the research.
2. The kit only really adds 1 extra leaf towards the rear of the vehicle.
3. The supplied u-bolts are about an 1 to 1.5 inches longer than is necessary to do the install. In fact the 2 longer u-bolts actually make it harder to do the install due to the length. Due to this extra length the ends became stripped by the socket and I can't tighten the locking nut to the first nut. I will be replacing with a shorter u-bolt.
4. The kit cannot be modified to work on the front leaf springs.
5. When installing the rubber block with the tall section up, you might pick up a 1/4" - 1/2" of vehicle height in the rear (i did not try to install the rubber block with the short side)
6. The rubber block will be squished pretty good by the time you get to 60 ft/lbs as recommended.
7. I hope that Hellwig comes out with a helper kit for the front leaf springs. If not, I guess I will have to replace both front springs with V's.
1. It doesn't look like the photos I saw when I was doing the research.
2. The kit only really adds 1 extra leaf towards the rear of the vehicle.
3. The supplied u-bolts are about an 1 to 1.5 inches longer than is necessary to do the install. In fact the 2 longer u-bolts actually make it harder to do the install due to the length. Due to this extra length the ends became stripped by the socket and I can't tighten the locking nut to the first nut. I will be replacing with a shorter u-bolt.
4. The kit cannot be modified to work on the front leaf springs.
5. When installing the rubber block with the tall section up, you might pick up a 1/4" - 1/2" of vehicle height in the rear (i did not try to install the rubber block with the short side)
6. The rubber block will be squished pretty good by the time you get to 60 ft/lbs as recommended.
7. I hope that Hellwig comes out with a helper kit for the front leaf springs. If not, I guess I will have to replace both front springs with V's.
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Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 307
Likes: 9
From: Gainesville, FL
Hellwig sent me the replacement u-bolts and I have installed the helper springs. The ride is stiffer than it was before, which makes sense.
For the cost, they are good for what they do.
However, after several other upgrades in the future, I will most likely go to the Air Lift 5000 air bags at all four corners with the wireless controller. That way I will be able to adjust the pressure on the fly, instead of having constant pressure only on the rear, all the time.
For the cost, they are good for what they do.
However, after several other upgrades in the future, I will most likely go to the Air Lift 5000 air bags at all four corners with the wireless controller. That way I will be able to adjust the pressure on the fly, instead of having constant pressure only on the rear, all the time.
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