'02 2WD diesel with 430k miles.

The rear feels over sprung when running unloaded and I'd like to lower it a bit to make it more level. I'm thinking about taking out a couple leaves, assuming that's not a detrimental thing to do, just not sure which to remove. Then I plan to add air bags for when I'm towing/hauling. AFAIK the springs are stock, they have 6 leaves and no overload like the pickup springs have.

The front is sagged about 3/4" from spec. I like the lower stance, plus when I put my boat on (1500lbs tongue weight) the front rises so I'm thinking air bags in the coils so I can regulate the height as needed.

Lasty, it's in need of shocks. KYB mono max seem good, but no rear listing so I would have to go with gas-a-just, not sure if those would be enough. I put a pair of KYB Excel-G on the front and they're worthless, it bounces as if the shocks had a million miles. Some swear by Rancho 9000s which would give me the option to tweak them for towing/hauling, but some say the Ranchos ride like crap. Bilstein I assume is another good option, tho probably spendier, but I wouldn't be totally opposed to spending a bit if they're worth it.

 

I like your plan and yes that is odd kyb doesnt make a rear for the RWD but i agree on the other KYB offerings, if not monomax then i would get the Bilstein 4600, skip the ranchos.

 

I'm pleasantly shocked to get your approval, that makes me feel better about my seemingly unconventional plan. I'll do a little searching on the monomax for the RWD, I'm assuming the only difference between mine and a 4x4 would be the length, but I'll see what I can find.

Do you have any input as far as which leaf/leaves to remove? There's 6 total, the top two are full length so can't be removed. From top down I'm thinking #3 & 5. Or #4 & 6. Or maybe #5 & 6. Or maybe just one leaf....might have to experiment. I also considered just cutting the rear half off rather than fully remove so it'll act kinda like a traction/lift bar. I assume I'll be the guinea pig experimenter because I couldn't find anything online about pulling leaves on an Ex.

 

it is only unconventional because most people who add an air spring bo not really understand what they are doing, the way you are going about it is the way most experts would advise you to do it.

lower the spring rates provided from steel springs, then adjust the air spring to match the actual GVW. exactly how it is supposed to be done but most people either dont know this or are to lazy to remove the leafs.

fwiw, I would remove the bottom 2 leafs, maybe 3 but if you do the 3rd you will likely have to adjust air pressure every time the payload changes even a little bit.
if you want to really get caried away add height sensors and have it done automatically

 

if it were me I would run the 4600 Bilsteins in the rear, if no monomax is available.

 

Your explanation makes really good sense, and was my thought. Since 'nobody' does it I wasn't sure if I was making a sound decision.

Height sensors, hadn't thunk of that. Big rigs use them so obviously it's reliable technology. Do you know of something off-hand I should use or should I just do some googling? I don't need a vehicle specific kit, I can fab stuff up. If I can find a local big truck wrecking yard I might go see what I can scavenge.

And since I'm asking, do you have air bag kits you specifically like/dislike? I'd rather not spend more $ than I have to, but I know that sometimes a couple bucks make a big difference, and often a cheaper product is as good or better. I think I want a vehicle specific kit for the rear, but if there's components that are substantially better than what's available in a bolt-on kit I might be up for fabbing brackets & stuff. I don't need high tech, just something reliable, and ideally capable of adding around 2,000lbs load so I can soften the springs and still be covered for my heavy boat. The front will be in-spring bags so no fabbing needed, just a reliable set of the right size bags.

And thanks for your help, you're the main guy I was hoping to hear from since you know a lot about this stuff.

 

there are numerous kits snd or parts available, kelderman has one, air lift offers a RWD excursion system and other all the way up to high performance porsche and BMW type junk

i have always wanted to build one and would likely scrounge it off ford expedition, there are plentiful in junk yards and it uses a stand alone module to control it ( you would need to splice in the power and ground wires )

company wise, for vehicle specific i would go with airlift, aorbagit.com or firestone

none are exactly what i need because of my mid-travel suspension setup and i will be working with a compsny this fall to produce a kit for the procomp 22210/22415 combo i often mention. but you dhould have no issues with what airlift or firestone offer.

 

Looks like I'll be waiting a bit to get my rear airbags... need a beta tester?

 

Ive put it off long enough, been wanting to fo it since i ripped my last ones 10 years ago

 

Funny, I was considering pointing Ice toward that proposed kit for the 4x4.

 

pointing ice ? i am slow, explain

 

Me.

In all seriousness, I AM interested.

 

I have the Firestone bags with the Daystar cradles. Although the cradles were forgotten about when I finished the front leaf install Saturday. Will grab some pictures when I get those installed. Hoping to get it wrapped up this week. First real camping trip for us is next weekend.

I have to say, the combination of the 22210 and 22415 pro-comp springs ride amazingly well and gave the ride height I wanted. I'm super happy I followed Pirate's advice on this setup.

 

its a good setup, glad you like it.
what shocks did you use ?

start a new threaf with lots of pics, i would love to see it done or in progress

fyiw... the PMF top plate , daystar craddle and firestone bags looks like the cleanest setup currently available, only reason i am building a custom one is i want to incorporate a air bump into the system which most people do not need or want.

 

One of the bag manufacturers has a built-in bump stop, something that would be a huge advantage in my opinion.