Rear leaf spring replacement
 

I recently replaced my worn out front springs with new V Codes. Now it's time to decide what to do with the rear. I don't tow much at all but I do have airbags for when I take the boat out of the water and the occasional trip with the travel trailer. I want the best ride I can get so would it be best to replace the existing worn out rear springs with factory springs and larger blocks or would new modded B Codes give me a smoother ride?

The B code all the way. They are a 2 stage spring designed for an unloaded light ass PU but give you what you need once loaded. The best of both worlds & what should have been on the truck in the 1st place....

Thanks for the reply. That makes a lot of sense as the rear of the Excursion has to be a marginally heavier than the rear of a pickup.

Are you planning on doing a B mod or just installing the B code and calling it a day? If you just install the B code and nothing else there is a good chance you will squat a little in the rear when the vehicle is unloaded.

Thanks Junior, Never thought about just the Bs W/O the MOD :-hair

Whatever option gives me the best ride. Whether it be B codes and a larger block or modded B codes.

The mod to a set of B codes doesn't really affect the ride. The two short leaves used from the old EX spring pack are not long enough to change the new B code's rating enough to notice a difference. Their sole purpose ( along with the slightly thicker EX between leaf spacers/ isolators) is to increase the ride height enough to match the higher riding front V codes without the addition cost of the taller tapered F-350 blocks.

I'm assuming I will need longer spring centering bolts for the B mod correct?

I did the V fronts/Modded B rears. The B's without the mod would have left me just under level unloaded (not enough to really notice without a tape measure), but would have really sagged when towing.

I did the Modded B to sit me just a touch higher in the rear (again, barely noticeable without a tape) and helped with the sag when towing.

I still added air bags to get me 100% level when towing heavy...so you've already got that covered.

In all my searching for spring replacements, I have never heard it explained this way! Thank-you! It finally makes sense WHY I would change to a B. Did not understand any benefit before reading your post.:-X22

Yes, and I think that the exact measurement might be somewhere in Robert L Ross's thread from when he did his. I just went to the hardware store and bought a grade 8 bolt of the correct diameter that was too long and cut off the extra once finished with the mod.

That would be the non technical explanation for sure. If you want the spring rates & the tec skinny you will need to ask Tom, or Rob Ross . :-X22
You can sent the REPs at any time :-X03

Or take a gander at the tech folder.

Part of the reason the tech folder got revamped was because after years of answering all the spring related questions, I honestly got burned out on suspension threads, so I started compiling everything so I could just refer people to it. In fact, a few years back I started giving Tom a heads up with links to threads via PM because I knew he was still "fresh and eager" to respond, whereas I was old and tired.

That's why you rarely will see me post in one of those threads, and usually when I do, it's a quick addition instead of the long posts I eventually became allergic to. :(

Looking back, I really am burnt out on all the suspension stuff and have been so damn appreciative of all the guys who post up help, freeing me to attend to other topics.

Stewart

I don't mind being called fresh as long as its not accompanied by a slap! :-X03

I do most of my posting from work, so I usually have the time to give for the longer replies. And yes, I'm still eager to help as I am still trying to pay back all of the help and info I've pulled from the membership here. :-X22

And I think that I'm a whisker older than you are boss man.;)

Yeah, I know my friend. I wasn't referring to our chronological age, I meant age as in how many years we've been sharing our suspension knowledge.

Years before I was a moderator, Tor used to send me PM's, alerting me to a suspension thread, asking me to post help, so you can blame him for the times I've PM'd you. ;) }>

IIRC, I did my V code/B code mod a couple months after Cary did the same upgrades to his Ex, back when this mod was still in its infancy (2005, I think) and just starting out. Thanks to Cary's business acumen, with him creating CT Performance and specializing in this modification, I feel it probably helped promote it, helping it to become what it is now.

Stewart