Lift kit lean on driver side... some hints?

[SwaintaN]

Rough Country 4" Lift kit with WS151 in the rear. The rear driver side has started to umm sag... a lot.. there is a 2-3" difference from top of tire to wheel well on the that side, paired to the other side...

What causes this?

What can I do to fix it?

You can see the lean from standing back behind the ex and looking at it.. looks like it has 4 VERY big ppl sitting on driver side only..

 

[Suicide77]

Well, depending on where the sag is, being the front or back, maybe it could be as simple as a new coil or leaf spring?

 

[SwaintaN]

rear driver side, front coils are ok, just the driver side in back where the leafs are... figured with lifted spring packs it wouldnt sag like that (at least this quick)

 

[Anime]

The driver's side is always lower on most Explorers since the gas tank is fully on the drivers side. About all you can do is either run on 1/4-1/2 tank all the time, or carry more weight in the cargo compartment on the passenger side to compensate. Lifted Explorers usually put their rear-mounted spare over to the passenger side and the weight of a huge spare usually balances it out.

Lifted leaf springs can sometimes be a lot softer than stock leaf packs, so they might sag more. But a few inches sounds like a lot. I'd say it might be something else, but you could just have a soft leaf pack.

Your best bet might be to first check the U-bolts to be sure they aren't loose or stretched or broken, and also inspect each individual leaf as best you can. Look for cracks or any damage. It's not uncommon for one leaf in the middle of the pack to break, especially right in the middle since they have a hole where a bolt goes to pin them all together. Also check the shackles, and all the frame mounting points front and rear.

If nothing looks suspicious you could try swapping the leaf packs side to side. If you still have the same exact lean it might not be the kit, and could be you have a twisted frame or some other suspension/body issues.

 

[SwaintaN]

we are in the middle of moving is why i noticed it... ill check it out... when we move. i know it just happened.. it was fine when i parked it over a month ago, started it parked it flat so it would be able to be loaded and noticed the lean, bad lean.. the leaf kit is from Rough Country, it had bad bushing a while back, which they replaced in a very quick fashion with poly bushings. ill have to check the rest once we get move this week.

i didnt know that lifted springs can be softer..

is there a way to compensate for this so it dont happen again?

if i switch sides will that throw off the alignment?

 

[Flip4ford]

You could switch to newer 4door springs- Somone will probably recomend the helper add a leafs-- but I don't think they help much or for very long. but that's my .02

 

[SwaintaN]

You could switch to newer 4door springs- Somone will probably recomend the helper add a leafs-- but I don't think they help much or for very long. but that's my .02

local friend of mine said the similar... do that with an soa and ws and it would put me back at the height without slant.. but i think that would put me higher then 4"

 

[Four0Sport]

SOA is roughly 5"

dude my truck has ghetto driver lean too. like everyones said.. the weight of the gas tank and the softer lift spring takes its toll. I swapped sides and it was better for a little while, then went right back to how it was before.

how is that beast doing otherwise?

 

[Anime]

All springs sag over time depending on the load they see. Obviously a spring that sees more load (drivers side) will sag quicker than one that see less load (passenger side).

This isn't a problem or defect with springs, it's an issue with weight distribution, specifically the fuel tank (and driver) that always loads the drivers side up way more than the passenger side, constantly.

If there are no other causes/issues (be sure to check your body mounts and that EVERYthing related to the leaf springs is TIGHT- as in torqued to spec), then all you can do is compensate for that eventual sag by swapping the leaf packs left to right. Eventually the springs will both reach a static height where they won't sag anymore.

If this is too low and you want a bit more lift in the rear to match the front, you can get shackles that are slightly longer (Warrior makes them as WAR123s), which doesn't sound like much, but they are perfect for lifting the rear about an inch. If you want still more James Duff makes shackles that are longer and should lift the rear 1-1.5 inches. WAR153's are 3 inches longer and of course lift about 1.5-2 inches. You can also just get cheap universal shackles at the parts store or make your own from flat steel.

I wouldn't use an add-a-leaf, especially not just on one side, which is a common suggestion for a fix. Swap them side to side, compensate for sag with slightly longer shackles if needed. Goes for worn down stock springs or aftermarket.

SOA will lift the rear 5.5-6" with new springs, but might be more like 4.5-5" with sagging ones. WAR153's would add another 1.5-2". If you swap them a few times and the rear end sags way too much, a SOA might be just the thing. You probably wouldn't need the Warriors unless you go more than 4" in the front with spacers or the 5.5"-6" springs.

 

[SwaintaN]

i did a visual over on the bushings, none look shot at all, so hasta be the springs right?

 

[Anime]

It probably is the springs.

What's the condition of the eyelet bushings in the springs, and the plastic wear pads on the ends of the middle leafs?

If the bushings are coming apart that might explain some height difference, and if the pads are missing or the ends are gone, that case cause a slight height drop as well.

Don't forget to check the frame and leaf spring hangers, if they are rusted, bent,or something else, that of couse affects ride height too.

If everything else is fine on both sides, usually it's just springs and weight.

 

[SwaintaN]

i dont know proper names, so ill try the best i can to describe..

I checked the bushing where the top of the WS151 at the frame, drive and pass.

checked the front and rear bushings of the leafs, pass and driver..

total of 6, were all good.. the leafs did have bushing problems a while back but Rough Country sent poly replacements and fixed that

once i get my electrical problem fixed ill switch sides to get a more even lean

i dont need to replace them right?

 

[Burns]

My rig to this day still has the drivers sag (stock real leafs).

During the time I had my 5.5 superlift on it still had this problem. We put that lift on a 4.0 single cab ranger and it never leaned a bit.

 

[Anime]

One way to check is to unload the entire vehicle, and check the lean amount with the gas tank close to empty. If that reduces the lean amount quite a bit, you know it's caused by load. Whatever amount it does lean like that is just from the springs themselves.

You could also swap the front coils side to side if there is a big difference in height on the front as well.

You don't NEED to replace them. In a perfect world with cheap springs it'd be great to replace them at the first sign of sag, but they aren't a safety risk or anything, especially if you aren't towing extreme loads. Just be extra extra sure to torque the U-bolt nuts to spec when reinstalling- what does leaf springs in is when they aren't torqued to the axle, then they crack right in the middle.