Hello,

I loaded 26 cases of 16" x 16" tiles in the van. I tried to distribute the load evenly. Yet, it swayed a little when I drove on the expressway and the rear end sagged to the point that it was lower than the front. Shocks looked pretty new, barely had any dirt on them. So I suspect the springs are going bad.

My question is:

Did I overload the van?
What kind of upgrade to the suspension system should I get?
Will the E250 or E350 leaf springs bolt in or they are not interchangeable with E150?

Thanks.


Kin

 

250 and 350 springs are wider than E150's prior to 2007. In 2007 the 150 became a 250.

GVW of the 150 was around 7000 lbs. Empty weight of a cargo van is ~4800 lbs. and Club Wagon is ~5400 lbs. This leaves you about 2200 lbs or 1600 lbs for tiles, drivers, passengers, and cargo. Maybe subtract a bit if you carry tools and stuff.

How much do the tiles weigh per case? "Case of tiles" is not a standard unit of measurement If they are 100 lbs each, you are definitely overloaded with 26 cases. If they are 50 lbs each, you should be within the payload and if you are sagging within the payload, your springs may be tired. I would not think springs would be going bad unless the van has been frequently overloaded. How does the van sit when empty?

Do you have enough air in your tires? I believe 41-42 lbs is the factory spec. Do you have OEM spec 235/75x15" XL tires with the 108 load rating? Tires would not affect sag but might affect handling. Some 235's are 105 load rating and would reduce the capacity of the van.

George

 

Tires are Firestone Destination P235/75/15; Max load is 2130 (per tire??) Cargo van sit level at best when empty (with tools only)

Cold tire pressure 42 psi. My wife and I combined weight is less than 300 lbs, tools should be about 500 lbs. Per Home Depot, each case tile is about 60 lbs = 1560 lbs. That brings total up to 2360 lbs ----- slightly overweight?

Do I need new springs? What options do I have? Can I try my luck at junk yard?

Thanks.

 

And what is the payload of your van? Look on the door sticker. Cargo or Club Wagon? If it's a Club Wagon, you were probably right at max capacity or over depending on what else you carry. If a cargo van, you were probably safe.

Tile=1560 lbs, add your own weight, any passengers, and any other stuff.

George

 

Get new spring. There are some HD springs for our vans. You can get the from SDTtruckSprings or similar. This should help with the squatting, but never forget that you have a 1/2 ton van. E250 and E350 look the same but frame and axles are different.

 

Will you be carrying that much tile or something equally heavy often?

You can certainly get new springs, or helper springs, or air bags if you will be carrying heavy but overloading the van beyond its rated GVW is not a good thing in terms of axles, bearings, etc. (People have overloaded vans and trucks for as long as there have been vans or trucks but if you cause an accident with an overloaded truck, you can theoretically get sued.) There should be a payload number on your door jamb sticker, probably around 2000 lbs...which includes people, tools, and load.

Sounds like your tires are 105 load rating--which is less weight than the correct XL tires. Regular P235's have a load rating of 105; the 235 XL's that Ford used have a rating of 108 and are rated to carry 2200 or 2300 lbs (don't have the time to look it up right now). Tire dealers will often sell you what they have in stock instead of what is right for your van. The 105 rated tires should be OK for lighter loads, but the 108's would give a little more safety margin and stiffness. If you always carry heavy, 235 LT tires might be advisable and have a stiffer sidewall construction. (Note that LT tires are rated at 90% of the passenger tire equivalent to give a safety margin, so an LT tire rated at 103 will probably have more capacity than a 108 P rated tire.) LT's will give a harder ride.

My '02 E150 sits relatively level without added load (it's conversion that weighs probably the same as a Club Wagon) so it doesn't seem to me that your springs are sagging *that* badly. But again, if you will be carrying heavy often, you might want to refresh the springs. I would not go ultra heavy with springs because the suspension will not be balanced well with a light load or no load. One thing you don't want to do is jack the rear of the van up a few inches when empty.

Another reason the handling may get weird with a sagging rear is because the suspension angles on the front suspension change with the van's attitude. Whether or not you change springs or go to supplemental suspension like air bags, you might want to have an alignment shop check out your alignment.

Good luck,
George

 

At 16 yr's old I would say your springs are way done. From what I have seen springs go 8-10 years (normal use) or 90 k then they are done. I just did all four of mine @ 176K 350 and it is like driving a brand new truck, just stunned by how well it handles and would have done it 5 years ago had I known how much of an improvement it made.

Then check your sway bar bushings and shocks after the spring replacement.

I asked my spring guy about air bags first, (he sells both), and was adamant about not doing airbags on weak springs. As it makes the rear real sloppy in handling.

Do the wiggle test to, take van up to 50 on nice straight road, then wiggle the steering wheel 2 inches in each direction. If that feels unsafe, you need new springs.

New springs are a night + day improvement to your current ride, you will only regret not doing it sooner.

You want a spring shop that does nothing but this to get them specced perfect, you could call my guy at ATS 215-799 0900 and he could spec that out of his head in a minute. Then cross reference the specs locally. O, and NO!! Chinese steel! Canada U.S. or Mexico source.

 

GVWR: 6700 lbs
Front GVWR:3400 lbs, Rear GVWR:3800 lbs.
It is an occasional load. If it is more often, I will have them delivered from now on.

I plan to keep this van for as long as I can because its engine and transmission are smooth and quiet like new. Even with the dog house removed, the noise level is not too loud. No oil leak (knock on wood).

I am new to truck and cargo van. Any suggestion on making it safer and perform better will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Kin

 

Here is how the van looked after all the tiles are unloaded with no passenger and only tools on board.

Does it normally sits like this?
\
Thanks

Kin

 

You definitely need some spring work done on that van.

 

Yes, you need new springs. Very likely if the springs are this bad, the shock absorvers are shot too.

This is what I did with my rear springs https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...50-review.html Keep in mind that my van is also a 2000 E150 and on the before pictures I had a 1" lift block.

As your van rides today, your caster is probably close to 0. On a straight line, as soon as you let the steering go it may want to go all over the place.

 

Well heck yes you need new springs. I did not understand that the van sat with the rear end sagging that badly when relatively empty. Assume you have 500 lbs of tools in the back and not much else?

Absolutely you need new springs; yours are dead...which would take away the caster as the prior poster said and make the van unstable. I also agree with him that you should get new shocks also unless you know they have *just* been replaced.
George

 

What type of springs and shock should I get if I plan to use this van for occasional towing of 4000lbs (trailer + compost ---wife like to plant)?

Thanks.


Kin

 

Have you looked under the van yet? On my van I had a rear spring bracket rust away and collapse, leaving the shackle/leaf resting on a box section of the under body. My van was squatting exactly like yours.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dorman-722-0...lWoJ26&vxp=mtr

 

See my post above for the springs. For shock absorvers, Bilstein or if you do not want to spend that much KYB seems to be a good alternative. I was unimpressed with Monroe