Smoother suspension suggestions (without lifting)

[COblue]

Seriously?! Even you should know this one. Assuming you don't have one of the OffRoad Flex Ramps that sometimes go to car shows, you simply start jacking up a front tire until the rear tire on the same side starts to come off the ground. It's that easy. At that point you get the measurements front the top of each tire to the top of the fender well.

In pictures below you can see an example if you were to simply drive up a good rock and get the same results. This was with 32's and the Old Man EMU Nitrocharger Sport lift(yes that includes the leafs).

What I'm talking about is how do they flex, stiff or flexible?

So this doesn't measure the rate of flex, which I'm talking about, it measures articulation. Sure, call it "flex".

So you'd be correct in saying OME has more flex than Deavers, as the former has less space available before hitting the bump stops. Fine, add a longer shackle to make up for less room to flex and you're sitting even as both leaves are equal length.

But the thinner leaves will be more flexible than thicker leaves. A more flexible leaf pack will give a softer ride (what OP is looking for.) Thinner leaves have a lower spring rate than thicker ones. Overall same spring rate, but different routes to get there.

OP is in Minnesota, don't think he cares about rock crawling and when a tire leaves the ground.

Cheers

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[Frenchy]

What I'm talking about is how do they flex, stiff or flexible?

So this doesn't measure the rate of flex, which I'm talking about, it measures articulation. Sure, call it "flex".

So you'd be correct in saying OME has more flex than Deavers, as the former has less space available before hitting the bump stops. Fine, add a longer shackle to make up for less room to flex and you're sitting even as both leaves are equal length.

But the thinner leaves will be more flexible than thicker leaves. A more flexible leaf pack will give a softer ride (what OP is looking for.) Thinner leaves have a lower spring rate than thicker ones. Overall same spring rate, but different routes to get there.

OP is in Minnesota, don't think he cares about rock crawling and when a tire leaves the ground.

Cheers

So what you're about refers to relative spring rate. The same argument people like to bring up when they say a heavy spring rate will never flex as well or fully flex. The funny thing is the same people seem to think people will put a heavy spring on and then not have the accommodating weight that spring is designed for. That is why it is very important when selecting difference springs You have correct spring for the corresponding weight on the vehicle. Keep that in mind next time you try to mention flex

 

[COblue]

So what you're about refers to relative spring rate. The same argument people like to bring up when they say a heavy spring rate will never flex as well or fully flex. The funny thing is the same people seem to think people will put a heavy spring on and then not have the accommodating weight that spring is designed for. That is why it is very important when selecting difference springs You have correct spring for the corresponding weight on the vehicle. Keep that in mind next time you try to mention flex

Fantastic. Since you mentioned spring rate you'll understand that thinner leaves offer more flexibility as they have lower spring rates.

Therefore....

Deavers flex better.

Unless you have a spring dyno at home, you haven't measured how they flex, you've measured wheel articulation.

Deavers are stock height which OP was looking for, while OME has 1.7" lift minimum. FWIW I have OMEs, they're fine.

Anything else?

 

[Frenchy]

Fantastic. Since you mentioned spring rate you'll understand that thinner leaves offer more flexibility as they have lower spring rates.

Therefore....

Deavers flex better.

Unless you have a spring dyno at home, you haven't measured how they flex, you've measured wheel articulation.

Anything else?

Wheel articulation is still flex related. Also keep in mind that Old Man EMU offers 3 different leaf springs for the Ranger. There is the Standard Leaf(what I had), the Medium Leaf(designed for 660 constant load) and the Heavy Leaf(designed for 1320 constant load).

Take the Ranger I had for example. Since I had no weight in the rear added(with the exception of the tailgate storage at one point) I chose the standard Leafs. There were designed for no load at lift height. Those leafs had no problems with flexing.

Now if I kept the same load in the Ranger and went to the Medium or Heavy Leafs, the. I would have problems with flexing until I had the constant weight that the leafs were designed for in the bed of the truck. The same still applies to the Deavers.

The Deavers have 2 different options for the Ranger. You have the standard and the heavy. How many leafs in each? Honestly I don't know right off, but I'm sure someone might have that answer. Regardless it is certainly more than your standard leaf pack. Now I can say that even if you do have a ton of relatively thin leafs(if you could get a measurement of each one that would be cool), having that many is still going to be tough to compress. The only real advantage is not having as much of an arch like the rest.

That said it isn't just about the spring. It also comes down to the Shock and Strut as well as having the correct shock and struts makes a huge difference for each spring and corresponding load.

Thanks to all that, I can simply recommend to the OP that a simple change of the Shocks and Struts to a different brand like the Bilstein 4600 that is designed as an OEM replacement will certainly get them close to what they want without breaking the bank. I say this because the factory parabolic Leafs will do just fine with the right shocks and struts.

 

[OGMix376]

I think op would like the eibach pro truck set up with a smidge of leveling.. compared to the fox 2.0 they are much more stable for on road handling.. shock surplus has done a video on this and a couple other creators have done some videos on that subject as well..
just about anything is better than the stock 4x4 and FX4..
If I didn’t go off road at all I’d go Eibach pro truck 2r….
but I want the off road squishiness so I’ll be going from Fox 2.0’s to the Fox 2.5 DSC.
(Currently have the Fox 2.0 coil overs up front and fox 2.0 piggyback reservoirs in the rear.)(they’ve been great but most likely not what you’re looking for.)

Idk just my guess… lots of folks on here swear by the bills and I think those would be the lowest financial investment and good ride quality.

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