Ok so my dad has a 2016 F250 with the 6.2L. The front end is noticeably higher than the back and be also complains about how stiff and rough the ride is. Based on the sticker around the front springs it appears the part # correlates to the snow plow springs. He wanted to replace the springs to soften the ride up in the front so I recommended he get the Dayton 3501208HD since they are designed for a 1-2” raise in the front to level it out. My logic was that if the snow plow springs raised it over level, these should bring it about right but provide a better ride.

Well he got them put on today and said that they ride just as stiff and they raise the front even more. So I’m curious about 2 things:
1) obviously we gotta correct the height so I’m guessing a regular stock height spring is gonna be the best thing for him? And…
2) to fix the super stiff and bouncy ride, would that be more of a shock issue than a spring issue, or are the springs causing that as well?

If he just needs better shocks to fix the ride of the springs that were originally on it, is there something to add to the back to provide just a slight lift to the rear and level it out? Everything I found before would drastically raise the rear…he just needs about an inch in the rear to raise it up.

 

Show us some pix so we get some eyes on the issue....

 

Top picture is a picture I took when he first got the truck. You can see with the snow plow springs (I believe they are the 5,600lb springs) it sits a little off level, with the front about an inch or so high.

Bottom picture is with the Dayton springs that were supposed to raise the front 1-2” from a stock setup to level it out, but provide as close to stock ride as possible. You can see it now sits WAY uneven with the front even higher up.

 

What shocks are on the truck? They look like stock Ranchos 5000 but I could be wrong.

 

Aftermarket springs usually get their height from extra coils and thicker spring diameter. If yo7 have a factory snow prep package the truck is gonna sit higher from the factory. My 99 has the plow package and it sits 2 inches higher than my 01 F350. Both have stock springs.

You describe a stiff ride. How is the ride stiff.

when you’re driving and go over a ..say a dip in the road.
does the front end float or jar you?
if the front end floats what’s the back end doing ? Does it feel,floaty or do you get a stiff kick in the back?

what shocks are you running? Stock shocks? Some aftermarket grain bin specials? Are they the correct length for full compression and extension? If the shocks are meant for a lifted application the piston is bottoming out before the suspension.

take off the front shocks. Are they super hard to collapse? Do they collapse but stiff or do they just flop in and out? Any dents in the body of the shock?

go for a drive down the street without the front shocks. Is the ride still stiff or did it loosen and soften out? You dont need to go 80 mph. Just down the street hit a dip or bump at 10-15 mph should give you a idea of stiffness

 

Springs provide ride height, and ride softness/firmness based off a spring rate that should be matched to the trucks axle weight. Shocks should be paired to that spring rate to control the suspension movement. Making sure the shock/spring package is paired correctly is the difference between a harsh ride and a comfortable one. Overly dampened shocks won't allow the suspension to move freely and add stiffness, under dampened will allow the suspension to bounce around roughly. Generally, stiff springs like softer shocks and softer springs likes stiffer shocks, the stiffer the springs, the less shock dampening you need because the spring isn't going to be moving as much as a softer one, but you need enough shock dampening to stop the stiff spring from oscillating when it hits a big bump. That's the problem with the stiff stock plow springs, they're designed to have an extra 800+ lbs of a plow on them. Progressive rate front springs generally give the best ride because they're designed with a "softer" coil in the first 2-3" of travel, but IDK if anyone makes a progressive stock height replacement. A low GVW F250 spring would probably be much softer and sit more level, if not a slightly nose down rake. Pair them with an adjustable shock and you should be able to dial in a ride you like. Hardest part will be getting the correct height and rate front springs. An F350 rear block is somewhere around 1" taller than an F250 rear block, so you could use that to level/rake it if you wanted.

^Like he said, pull the shocks and go for a slow ride around the neighborhood to see how it feels. If it feels softer, then the shocks were probably over dampened, if it's still really stiff, you'll need softer springs. I've know people who've swapped in springs from f450/550/etc just to get the lift and they didn't need to run shocks the springs were so stiff.

 

Progressive stock height springs