ckbradley24

I've been scouring and lurking on the forum for a good minute now, and have yet to find a clear solution, so here it goes:

I am picking up a new '15 next week, and will be looking to upgrade the suspension with King 2.5's or a similar coilover system.

This truck will be my one and only vehicle, so of course I want it to do everything: haul firewood, pull boats and trailers, be my daily driver, get me to hunting spots down two tracks and logging roads, and just be fun to drive overall.

My concern with the performance coilovers is that I will lose my stock payload and towing capacity. I want to be able to use my truck as a truck without bottoming out the shocks or having my rear end sagging to the ground.

So my question is this: how do I retain my towing/payload capacity, while also getting the most out of a coilover suspension?

Is it as simple as rear blocks? Do I need to change my rear leaf springs to retain the factory rake (I am not concerned that my truck is "level")? Should I invest in compression adjusters on the coilovers and crank them up when towing? Or maybe I install airbags for the times that I am hauling, and deflate when I'm offroad and commuting?

Am I completely barking up the wrong tree here?

There's probably two answers to this: Cheapest solution and best solution. Your opinions and advice on both are greatly appreciated!

94slowbra

iTrader: (1)

What ever set up you put up front won't affect your paypoad and hauling. Yes if you raise the front and put a ton of weight in the rear its going to feel unstable. Also your shocks won't affect payload or towing. Put whatever coil overs up front and maybe add a slightly taller block to the rear for a slight rake. Then look into a set of long travel air bags to help absorb some weight when towing or hauling. I only tow maybe a few times a year so I bought a set of timbrens to install when I do. To install or remove takes maybe 15 mins. If I towed more I would have done bags.
King 2.5s will ride very nice

m.i.k.e.

I have the icon 2.5 coilovers with the CDC and the upper controls with the sway bar removed. I have air bags in the rear and tow an 18' enclosed trailer with four quads and it tows just fine. I didn't feel any different while Towing.

ckbradley24

Thanks for the responses guys. I also emailed the folks at Filthy Motorsports asking the same questions; here is their response:

Thanks for the email.

Luckily, the way you use your truck is exactly the way the typical King customer uses their truck and that is exactly what King has valved those shocks for (including towing).

I would skip the compression adjusters as they don’t do a lot for trucks that size.

The only other thing I would look into for a better ride would be a set of Deaver rear leaf springs, although, they do limit your load capacity a bit, but it might still be worth giving them a call.

Hope that helps!

Sounds like I am overthinking this too much. Should be fine after I pucker up, pull the wallet, and pull the trigger.

hoekma

CKBradley -- What did you ultimately do? I just got the same truck in a '16 and am in the research stage -- want something to get the nose up for Colorado nat'l forest roads but don't want to lose out on the towing abilities.