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Rear suspension sag/bottom out solution


Kazza
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Hi guys, I replaced the rear springs on my 02 QX4 after bottoming out a couple of times on a speed bump near my house with a couple of people in the back. I know these trucks are prone to sagging at the back over time so I replaced with Moog (stock) springs. While replacing the springs, I also removed the bump stops as they were completely worn down to the metal retainer cup and I'm pretty sure the cups were just slamming off the axle.

 

Now with the new springs and bump stops removed.. when I go over the same bump it seems my rear tire is hitting the wheel arch now :/

 

What should i be looking at doing next? My shocks are old and pretty rusted but seems to function ok..

Perhaps I need new bump stops? Oem are expensive.. any cheap alternatives or retrofits out there?

 

Thnx

 

K

 

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16 hours ago, PathyDude17 said:

Junkyard bump stops, or consider Old Man Emu rear springs, which will handle load well while only lifting the vehicle a little (0.5-1”) 

 

Looked into those OME springs and they are very pricey here in Canada. Also looked at LR springs and potentially cutting them to give a 1.5" (ish) lift.. but postage to Canada from LR direct is really high too. I'm a bit disappointed that new OEM spec springs cant handle two rear passengers with nothing in the trunk

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My solution to the tired rear springs in my Sorrento was to spend about $85 and a couple hours and install a set of Airlift 1000 helper air springs. A couple years later and still working fine. I keep a lot of stuff in my trucks and the nice thing is that I can adjust the springs for the current load in a couple of minutes by simply adjusting the air pressure. 

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10 hours ago, Kazza said:

 

Looked into those OME springs and they are very pricey here in Canada. Also looked at LR springs and potentially cutting them to give a 1.5" (ish) lift.. but postage to Canada from LR direct is really high too. I'm a bit disappointed that new OEM spec springs cant handle two rear passengers with nothing in the trunk

Might just be the cheap butt moogs. I installed new moog springs on all corners and mine sags as bad as it did before I installed them..

Edited by onespiritbrain
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When empty, I just lower the air pressure a bit and the ride goes back to near stock. Upside is I can air up a bit and get the load handling of a heavier spring when I need it, but better ride when I don't. It is a bit like airing down for the trail then pumping back up for the highway when done with the trail, but much faster and with one air valve rather than 4. 

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Think I'm going to go with LR 9447 springs in the back and cut them down to 1.5" and run spacers in the front as a cost effective lift and solution to my rear end bottoming out. Any objections to this?

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Your truck friend, lots of ways to go. Go on and do what works for you. There are several "right" ways to do it. 

I have in the back of my 93 a pair of 4" lift coils for the front of a mid 90's Jeep Grand Cherokee with a coil cut off. Working fine for me. Before that was a pair of 85 F150 front coils with the pigtails cut off. Mostly worked and was nice when my truck was hauling heavy loads. There was also some time with WD21 lift coils and spacers somewhere in there. 

If I ever do my solid front axle swap I want to do, might change again, but think the current rear springs are what I am going to stay with. 

 

My 04 Sorento is going to remain stock, so the air helper springs was the best option for me. 

 

As I tell people that ask me for advice on tires and a few other things with their cars, I tell them to look honestly at what they do and need then choose what works for them. 

Edited by Mr_Reverse
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On 7/9/2020 at 8:14 AM, Kazza said:

Think I'm going to go with LR 9447 springs in the back and cut them down to 1.5" and run spacers in the front as a cost effective lift and solution to my rear end bottoming out. Any objections to this?

If you’re gonna run the spacers in front why cut the Lr coils down by an inch and a half? 2 inch front spacers and nrc9447 coils is a great combo 

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Might sound strange but.. I've picked up some 265/65r17 tires and the 2+ inch lift already makes them look a bit small I feel. So was aiming for a happy medium lift. I don't offroad too hard, washed out British Columbia logging roads are as bad as it gets.

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