i was noticing that on 2001 and newer sports that they sag in the back. i.e. the wheel well gaps are different from the front to the back. are they supposed to be like this? and if so. how can can i get the rearend to lift like 3 inches. i just dont like the look of the front being higher than the back, it looks kinda dumb.

If you want 3", shackles (2") and an add-a-leaf (about 1") will total about 3"

The sports sag in the rear beacuse they only have a wimpy monoleaf rear leaf spring. You could do like others here have done to lift a sagging rear, and that is to swap out the rear leaf springs on your sport for some leafs out of a 4-door explorer which have heavier duty leafs.

Add-A-Leaf will give you more than 1" of lift... I replaced mono leaf on my 98 Sport with a leafpack out of a 4 door and added AAL... then I cranked the front torsion bars all the way up... about 1.5" of lift and rear is still higher... think I might just ditch the AAL...

that's the way to go.

Replace the mono with full pack from a bone yard. Better ride... no more bouncy, bouncy.

Welcome to the board!!!

what year of 4 door explorer will i need to find in order to swap them out with mine? are they just a direct replacement or do i have to modify something for them to fit? also where can i get shackles and add a leaf kits from?

direct fit off all years explorers... better though to search for the newer ones... 4 door. 1991-2001

what is better and more cost efficient, doing the 1" aal or finding parts from a 4 door at a junk yard

mono leaf AAL??? I don't know. You can go with regular 4 door leaf spring and AAL and crank front Torsion Bars an inch... not only you get a stiffer (better) ride you also gain some ground clearance.

anyone have an approximate price on the 4 dr leaf's

try bone yards in your area first... then start looking on this board... I gave mine away for free about six months ago...
;)

about $150.00 plus shipping aprox.

I just went to a shop and told them that I wanted new springs to lift up the rear. They asked me how much and they arced them to what I wanted. I went 34" to the wheel wells all the way around. I had to crank my t-bars about 1" or so. New leafs cost about $250 Cdn.

I picked my 4dr leafs up at a local junkyard for 90 total. Try www.car-parts.com

Arnie or anyone else-
which ones fit a 97 Sport? I went to car-part.com and there are 4 different codes, theres 3 leafs, 4 leafs etc, would any of these fit? I want the ones that will raise the rear the most and fit without any modifications.

Thanks

There's 4 different codes....I don't remember what they all are for though. I know three of them are the packs and one of them stands for the monoleaf that come on the sports....do a search on Leaf codes and you'll probably find the info you need. I'm running the ones with the code F now...I think those are the stiffest of them all, but don't quote me on that one. Hope that helps.

thanks, thats weird, there was a thread around where someone said the stiffer ones are towards Z which would make F the least stiff? ill try to find the answer


PS. does stiffer refer to ride height and ride quality?

Originally posted by NYX
PS. does stiffer refer to ride height and ride quality?

Yes, the stiffer the shock/spring the harder and less cushy the ride will feel.

this may be a stupid question but if sagging rear is a problem (which i believe it is) why can 't we petition ford to fix it for everyone?

It's not a major problem and happens with age. It cost me $70 a set of springs and 2 hours to fix myself. Plus it doesn't help all the people out who've already had it fixed and is not a real safety hazard.

my truck is only like 6 months old, i have 5000 miles and it sags

If it's under warranty bring it in and see what they say. I don't know what they'll do.

i did. they said that's the "attitude" of the vehicle. they are all like that.

Mine rearend was 1-2 inches lower than my front and my springs were flattening out. When I swapped, I got all four corners around 34" (bottom of the wheel well). If you don't like the mono leaf and want to stiffen up your rear end, then go for it. Do the '03 sports have leaf springs in the rear?