Higher Rear Spring Rate 2020 With KDSS
- Thread starter Jrrrrr
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honda250xtitan
New member
i like the wheelers 1.5" lift spring. it has 12% stiffer spring rate.
honestly you should change to fox 2.0 rear shocks. it'll handle better instead of changing springs.
honestly you should change to fox 2.0 rear shocks. it'll handle better instead of changing springs.
mrblah
Senior Member
Yup, I highly recommend dobinsons
mrblah
Senior Member
Robinson c59-328 is what i run, its rated for 600-800 over for a 2 inch lift, no weight it was over 3 inches.
I wouldn't go with this if you aren't running a drawer setup and bumper.
They also make one in the 400lb over rating, i think its c59-327. I'm sure someone will correct me if im wrong.
I ran toytec rear springs before and it wasn't very good.
Jetboy
New member
I think what you'll need to know to make a spring selection is: what you're going to carry (weight), if you're going to haul a lot of different weights, and what lift height you're looking for.
OEM rear springs are around 180lb/in rate and linear - that means every 180lbs of weight you add compresses the spring by 1 inch. There are two springs, so it takes 360lbs of weight over the rear axle to lower the rear end by 1 inch. Most (but not all) aftermarket rear springs are linear rate. The common spring rates range from roughly 220 - 400lb/in. And they come in various lift heights which are effectively longer or shorter free or unloaded lengths.
So for example if the OEM spring was 11" long and you put a 12" long 180lb/in spring on, it would result in a 1" lift with no weight compared to no weight on stock springs. That would also be the same as having a 1" spacer with the OEM spring. Same performance, same outcome. Stock 2500lb rear weight will compress the spring from the free length by 7" roughly. If you replace the OEM spring with a 220lb/in spring that is 11" free length, it will only compress 5.7" leaving you with a 1.3" lift, but also a firmer spring rate. So if you took the longer 180lb spring and the shorter 220lb spring that netted the same lift height, but added an extra 500lbs to the rear, the softer spring would compress more and sit lower. That's why everyone ends up with different lift heights from the same springs. It depends on the rate and the free length.
The softest spring that you can run that also gets you the height you want and carries the load you have is what you want in most cases. But that is something you'll need to figure out based on what your setup is.
KDSS is mostly agnostic to springs or spring rate so long as your lift is 1-2" in height. Beyond that if you want halfway decent road manners you'll also want a rear track bar bracket to re-level the track bar and KDSS spacers. For me, I've run Dobinson coils that were KDSS specific and had a slightly longer passenger side and netted about 2" unloaded lift. I've since gone back to using OEM springs with a coil spacer for a 1.5" lift because I'm mostly empty and prefer the softer spring rate. I still have the dobinson coils and would swap them for an extended offroad trip where I'd be loaded heavily. Swapping rear coils is a quick easy change out if you have the right spring compressors. Maybe 20-30 minutes.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
OEM rear springs are around 180lb/in rate and linear - that means every 180lbs of weight you add compresses the spring by 1 inch. There are two springs, so it takes 360lbs of weight over the rear axle to lower the rear end by 1 inch. Most (but not all) aftermarket rear springs are linear rate. The common spring rates range from roughly 220 - 400lb/in. And they come in various lift heights which are effectively longer or shorter free or unloaded lengths.
So for example if the OEM spring was 11" long and you put a 12" long 180lb/in spring on, it would result in a 1" lift with no weight compared to no weight on stock springs. That would also be the same as having a 1" spacer with the OEM spring. Same performance, same outcome. Stock 2500lb rear weight will compress the spring from the free length by 7" roughly. If you replace the OEM spring with a 220lb/in spring that is 11" free length, it will only compress 5.7" leaving you with a 1.3" lift, but also a firmer spring rate. So if you took the longer 180lb spring and the shorter 220lb spring that netted the same lift height, but added an extra 500lbs to the rear, the softer spring would compress more and sit lower. That's why everyone ends up with different lift heights from the same springs. It depends on the rate and the free length.
The softest spring that you can run that also gets you the height you want and carries the load you have is what you want in most cases. But that is something you'll need to figure out based on what your setup is.
KDSS is mostly agnostic to springs or spring rate so long as your lift is 1-2" in height. Beyond that if you want halfway decent road manners you'll also want a rear track bar bracket to re-level the track bar and KDSS spacers. For me, I've run Dobinson coils that were KDSS specific and had a slightly longer passenger side and netted about 2" unloaded lift. I've since gone back to using OEM springs with a coil spacer for a 1.5" lift because I'm mostly empty and prefer the softer spring rate. I still have the dobinson coils and would swap them for an extended offroad trip where I'd be loaded heavily. Swapping rear coils is a quick easy change out if you have the right spring compressors. Maybe 20-30 minutes.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
a lift under 1" lift will be fine with KDSS. anything more than that and you'll have to add sway bar drop spacers in order to avoid contacting your track bar at full droop.
if you're looking for better ride quality though, your solution will be in upgrading the shocks, not springs
I have KDSS in mine. I have bilstein 5100's in the rear with 2" Icon lift springs (Model# 52700) I believe they provide a 10-15% increase over stock weight.
Personally, I've found them to be insufficient. Empty, the truck looks level, but as soon as I put my off-road gear in the back, it sags a little bit, and once I load it up with camping gear PLUS the off-road gear, it sags a lot.
I spent a lot of time looking at various springs and have decided to swap out my Icon springs for OME 889 springs. They provide a 40% increase over stock weight and provide a 2.5-3" lift.
I prefer the slightly closer to stock rake rather than level look. With the added weight from my gear, it will either level out or still have a little rake with the new springs, which is what I'm after.
The KDSS sway bar hitting the panhard bar while a full suspension droop is something I have to take into consideration with the longer springs though.
So my plan is to replace the springs and see if they come in contact with each other, if they do, I'll just order some KDSS sway bar spacers from one of the many makers/vendors. The spacers are inexpensive and easy to install.
Hope this helps
Personally, I've found them to be insufficient. Empty, the truck looks level, but as soon as I put my off-road gear in the back, it sags a little bit, and once I load it up with camping gear PLUS the off-road gear, it sags a lot.
I spent a lot of time looking at various springs and have decided to swap out my Icon springs for OME 889 springs. They provide a 40% increase over stock weight and provide a 2.5-3" lift.
I prefer the slightly closer to stock rake rather than level look. With the added weight from my gear, it will either level out or still have a little rake with the new springs, which is what I'm after.
The KDSS sway bar hitting the panhard bar while a full suspension droop is something I have to take into consideration with the longer springs though.
So my plan is to replace the springs and see if they come in contact with each other, if they do, I'll just order some KDSS sway bar spacers from one of the many makers/vendors. The spacers are inexpensive and easy to install.
Hope this helps
Jakeepoo3
New member
Variable rate coils. This will let you haul heavy loads without sagging and still have a comfortable ride unloaded. They have a load range and a comfort range. Becoming progressively stiffer as the load increases.
