4" superlift with 3/4 ton rear leaf springs?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

neosoul

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Posts
71
Reaction score
1
Location
Las Vegas
hey guys I'm looking to purchase the 4" superlift kit because my 33" tires rub like crazy on my 98 2dr tahoe.
What I was wondering was can I swap the springs in my truck to 3/4 ton springs to bring my truck level with the front. I do not want to use blocks at all in the rear to bring the truck level if at all possible. If you guys have any other ideas please post. Also I may be towing a small travel trailer in the future. One last thing if i can use the 3/4 springs what model trucks should I look at to get them from.
 
OP
OP
N

neosoul

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Posts
71
Reaction score
1
Location
Las Vegas
hey guys I'm looking to purchase the 4" superlift kit because my 33" tires rub like crazy on my 98 2dr tahoe.
What I was wondering was can I swap the springs in my truck to 3/4 ton springs to bring my truck level with the front. I do not want to use blocks at all in the rear to bring the truck level if at all possible. If you guys have any other ideas please post. Also I maybe towing a small travel trailer in the future. One last thing if i can use the 3/4 springs what model trucks should I look at to get them from.
well after further reading it looks like the 3/4 rear springs will fit but looks like I will only get about a couple of inches of lift in the rear. I've read that maybe I will also need a shackle flip to bring it level. Is this correct?
 

lukc22

Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2016
Posts
39
Reaction score
4
So is your rubbing only in the rear??? Do you offroad much and rub at full flex??? If it rubs when flexed out, maybe look into getting longer bumpstops... Your bumpstops may be gone now.... That would keep you tires from eating the fender wells and you wouldnt have to lift....
 

lukc22

Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2016
Posts
39
Reaction score
4
Also, do you have a lift now??? If stock, the rear leafs could be sagging alot and your shocks could be shot....
 
OP
OP
N

neosoul

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Posts
71
Reaction score
1
Location
Las Vegas
Also, do you have a lift now??? If stock, the rear leafs could be sagging alot and your shocks could be shot....

I think both of you may be correct, I rub both in front & rear when I turn the wheel 3/4 & drive over those parking lot speed bumps. The shocks are definitely shot both front & rear. The truck is not currently lifted and I don't do any off roading. The truck is being built to do some occasional towing of a 17' to 20' travel trailer. Both of you guys have given me great food for thought and I will pursue replacing the shocks, rear spring, and longer bump stops?. The rear springs & shocks were going to be replaced anyways so I figured just go ahead and get a modest lift kit which is really what I didn't want to do. I still want to go with 3/4 ton springs in the rear, and in doing so won't this make the back of my truck sit higher than the front? I don't want to crank the torsion keys to make it level at all if possible. Suggestions?
 
OP
OP
N

neosoul

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Posts
71
Reaction score
1
Location
Las Vegas
I think both of you may be correct, I rub both in front & rear when I turn the wheel 3/4 & drive over those parking lot speed bumps. The shocks are definitely shot both front & rear. The truck is not currently lifted and I don't do any off roading. The truck is being built to do some occasional towing of a 17' to 20' travel trailer. Both of you guys have given me great food for thought and I will pursue replacing the shocks, rear spring, and longer bump stops?. The rear springs & shocks were going to be replaced anyways so I figured just go ahead and get a modest lift kit which is really what I didn't want to do. I still want to go with 3/4 ton springs in the rear, and in doing so won't this make the back of my truck sit higher than the front? I don't want to crank the torsion keys to make it level at all if possible. Suggestions?

one last question, would it hurt to add a steering stabilizer since I've gone from the stock 265/75/16s to 285/75/16
 

lukc22

Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2016
Posts
39
Reaction score
4
Same guy, lol.... You shouldnt need any type of stabilizer... several ways you can go after your problems...

Front: Rubbing when turning can be solved by getting new rims with less backspacing, thus sticking the tires further out away from the body.... Can also just get wheel spacers for the front if you dont want to buy new wheels... Obviously lifting it will help... Can do body or suspension lift... Or a combo of both... can do a 3"body lift, get ford torsion keys, and crank em...
I would figure out exactly where your front rubs, because if you are rubbing on the suspension then a body lift wont help.... in that case you need wheels with less backspacing or add a spacer to current wheels...

Rear: you could buy lift springs... you could buy stock replacement to get the truck back up to normal height, and add an overload leaf for towing... Keep in mind that 3/4 ton springs will lift the back and give a harsher ride... So i guess it depends on your end goal... If it was me, I would probably add an overload spring to your current pack (helping with load and still keeping an OK ride) and add extended bumpstops to keep your tires out of the fenders and new shocks.... the new shocks will work wonders in stopping the uptravel.... 285's shouldnt be eating fenders in the rear unless the suspension is real tired and no shocks....
 

BigDaddy13440

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Posts
942
Reaction score
558
Location
Rome, NY
I used to have a 96 Tahoe, and lifted the rear end by disassembling the rear pack, and adding a leaf in between each of the original leaves, i.e. went from a 4 leaf pack to 7 leaves. After initially using 3/8" diameter bolts through the packs, I later drilled the holes out to 1/2", and used a Grade 8 bolt, grinding the hex head till rounded so that it would fit in the locating hole. Gave me about 2 1/2" of height, added at least an additional 800 lbs of capacity (carried 20+ sheets of plywood, 7 rolls of torch-down roofing, and 30 2x6x12's without bottoming out) , AND stiffened the ride up. It didn't wallow through corners, felt much more stable.

And to fit those 285's, most likely all you'll have to do is turn the factory torsions up, but do not max them out, leave a little bit of space between the bumpstops and the A-arms. I had 285's on mine, on positive offset wheels, and only had to trim the bumper and valance, not the rear of the fender.
 
OP
OP
N

neosoul

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Posts
71
Reaction score
1
Location
Las Vegas
I used to have a 96 Tahoe, and lifted the rear end by disassembling the rear pack, and adding a leaf in between each of the original leaves, i.e. went from a 4 leaf pack to 7 leaves. After initially using 3/8" diameter bolts through the packs, I later drilled the holes out to 1/2", and used a Grade 8 bolt, grinding the hex head till rounded so that it would fit in the locating hole. Gave me about 2 1/2" of height, added at least an additional 800 lbs of capacity (carried 20+ sheets of plywood, 7 rolls of torch-down roofing, and 30 2x6x12's without bottoming out) , AND stiffened the ride up. It didn't wallow through corners, felt much more stable.

And to fit those 285's, most likely all you'll have to do is turn the factory torsions up, but do not max them out, leave a little bit of space between the bumpstops and the A-arms. I had 285's on mine, on positive offset wheels, and only had to trim the bumper and valance, not the rear of the fender.
well I’ve decided not to lift the truck after all even tho the idead has grown on me after seeing some tahoes with a 4’” lift. my plans are to completely rebuild the suspension including shocks along with a energy suspension master kit. I am going to replace the rear leaf springs, I like the idea of adding the helper spring to the spring pack. This vehicle has been hammered hard in the past which is why I want to replace everything. Below is a picture of how the vehicle currently sits. The rims on there now is what came with the truck.

20170120_131328.jpg
 

Forum statistics

Threads
128,788
Posts
1,805,461
Members
91,770
Latest member
Harry26
Top