Hey there, recently i bought a new(to me) truck, my second f150. She's a '96 with a I-6 4x4 with a 5 standard. Was wondering if anyone had any opinions on the suspension for these rigs? I want to replace the suspension on all 4 corners with some performance parts, not just OEM replacement. Any and all info will be appreciated! I'ma try and upload some pics of 'lil blue here soon, also. Thanks

 

Not much to pick from unless you r getting a lift . Other than that you can get F250 or F350 coils for lift in front and F250 leaf in back . It for hauling more than any thing
These probably do need replaced and just get some good offraod shocks for it .
good luck

 

I've got F250 leaf springs in the back with an add-a-leaf kit as well. It was put on by the original owner because he had a camper in the bed with a huge boat or 4 wheelers on a trailer behind it. Without load it sits roughly 4 to 5 inches above stock and gives my truck a lot of rake. I'm looking to put 250 coils in the front to level it out some. My 250 leafs don't affect ride much at all and give me a big boost on hauling capacity over stock. Other then those upgrades there isn't much aftermarket replacement suspension systems other than lifts for our trucks (especially not performance enhancing stuff.) I'm not quite sure if the Lightning's have different suspension parts, but that could be another option if they do. If you are looking for "performance" the Lightning's would be the trucks to have them. And there should be no reason why the Lightning parts wouldn't just bolt right into your truck just fine.

 

Hey it sounds like you might be able to help me. I've got an 88 f-150 with a rancho lift and I have recently bought a camper ( prob too old ) for it and now I am in the process of figuring out how to " beef up" the rear without causing any problems. I think I'd like to put F-250 springs under it since I use it for truck stuff anyway...hauling,wrenching,camping,work ... Etc. I'm wondering if springs from a junkyard will work or if I should consider new?... And how much is too much for this truck.... I want it to carry as much as possible.. But I don't want to break anything ... I don't have a lot of $$$ ...

 

Don't forget that just because the springs can handle the load doesn't mean the axle, 5 bolt rims, and tires will. Just be careful thinking just because the rear isn't sagging, its fine. The leafs will keep your truck level looking with the weight but not increase your payload by much, if any.

 

The original owner of my truck installed the rear springs right away when he bought the truck. He used new, but there should be no problem in getting a junk yard set as long as they are in good condition. I have a rear add-a-leaf system with the 250 leaf springs as well. Also at some point in my trucks history there were rubber stoppers placed between the frame and the axle so under load the axles would rest on the stoppers before breaking a leaf. I recently took apart a concrete slab in my back yard and hauled the concrete to a recycling place. After weigh in I had 4200 lbs (at most) in the bed of my F150. I have the I6, M5OD-R2, and 3.55ls and I had no problem hauling all that weight. My axles were resting on the rubber stoppers the entire trip, but nothing broke all six times that I made that trip. I have the 5 lug axles and they held up fine. I probably wouldn't keep that load in for a long time or do it over and over again, but that gives you some ideas for what you can do and weight limit.

 

Payload on a reg cab short box is about 2500lbs. Regular cab long bed is 5100 though.

I can't really say why 2' of extra box and frame gives you well over twice the payload capacity. Unless maybe its stability.

 

You guys have lifts in your trucks? I've just been looking on the interweb, and wanna make sure if i do choose a suspension kit, it's a quality product.