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Thread: Drop springs ride quality?

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    Default Drop springs ride quality?

    Hey all 👋. Well It’s time for some low. After all my s10 drop combos I know you can love and hate driving your truck so on my dak id like to get it rite the first time. I’m looking and the 3-5 djm drop that has arms and leaf brackets. OR there’s drop coils and leafs. Factory ride isn’t bad but maybe a drop spring and shock could be similar? 🤔 throw all your opinions at me here. I know I can’t have your cake and eat it too but is there’s a good combo for these trucks.

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    9t9-5.2's Avatar
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    IMO, the DJM arms are junk. I've never owned any, but common sense says the extremely crazy suspension angles only result in a poor handling truck.
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    Last edited by 9t9-5.2; 05-21-2019 at 07:37 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 9t9-5.2 View Post
    IMO, the DJM arms are junk. I've never owned any, but common sense says the extremely crazy suspension angles only result in a pour handling truck.
    ��wow! That’s a bit extreme. I’ve had djm arms before and they was always perfect but that seems worrying. Wish someone made spindles for these trucks

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    Drop arms and rear hangers/ shackles will keep the same ride quality. I have the djm 3/5 kit. Yes the control arm angle is not ideal and have some bump steer but it not that bad. It does bottom out tho the front and rear but I have og coils and leafs still.

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    Yep. I’m leaning coils and leafs. I just want it to cruise straight without issues

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mattp232 View Post
    Yep. I’m leaning coils and leafs. I just want it to cruise straight without issues
    The ride will be harder with springs.

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    Quote Originally Posted by niebs View Post
    The ride will be harder with springs.
    Damn!�� is there no happy medium lol. I mean I’ve had Belltech coils before and ride wasnt bad at all but I was also on bilsteins in a truck that weighed 1k less. I know a shock can make or break the ride quality. I may call QA1 tomorrow about their economy coil overs, maybe there’s a shock and spring rate that will work. . I’ve been in g-bodies with them and ride is perfect. What combos are people running on here?

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    Everything we do on these trucks is a compromise. There's not enough aftermarket support to get everything we want.
    If you're not in a rush.
    check out a supporting vendor HiPoTek. He;s working tubular control arms right now. Im sure they will be a nice piece.
    http://www.dakotart.com/forum/showth...s-Dakota-97-03

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    Quote Originally Posted by niebs View Post
    Everything we do on these trucks is a compromise. There's not enough aftermarket support to get everything we want.
    If you're not in a rush.
    check out a supporting vendor HiPoTek. He;s working tubular control arms right now. Im sure they will be a nice piece.
    http://www.dakotart.com/forum/showth...s-Dakota-97-03
    Thats awesome and looks like they’re coming along nicely. I’m not in a rush per say. Just replacing all wearables in front end and try to make a plan for lowering. Has anyone removed a leaf from the pack? the load leaf (lowest one) ive done that before with success

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    9t9-5.2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mattp232 View Post
    Thats awesome and looks like they’re coming along nicely. I’m not in a rush per say. Just replacing all wearables in front end and try to make a plan for lowering. Has anyone removed a leaf from the pack? the load leaf (lowest one) ive done that before with success
    I've removed the spring you mention. It didn't make an appreciable difference though. The "load" spring is there for support when the others are fully loaded, it doesn't make the spring stiffer, most of the time. It doesn't hurt either though, gets a bit of weight off of the rear axle.

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    Well qa1 doesn’t offer anything. Figured that was gunna be the case. I’m too spoiled from my s10s, u can just about buy springs in Walmart. Maybe a good air ride setup. I’m only looking for 3/4 drop amount

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    I've been considering the 2" front springs and 3" leafs from Belltech. Isn't that basically what the Hotchkis kit was minus the sway bars and hardware?

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    Any update, OP? What route did you take?

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    I’ve had djm lowers since I bought my truck, yes they hang pretty low cause of the angle and I get a little bump steer, but never had any issues with them, these trucks are tricky to get the ride right, for the reason that you can’t pull the top A arms out for my adjustability, and then to find the right shocks that won’t bottom out , I run 90/10 completion engineering in the front and 50/50 rear shocks, but then you get it to float a little from the softness of the shocks, basically meant just for the track

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    Also looking at this route has anyone done it ?

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    I have been running 2" drop front springs from Eibach. These were bought back when my truck was new and have been on the truck since. The front is not excessively stiff, in fact I've never considered it too stiff at all. For the rear I had a pair of leafs made about three years ago, same arch but 1000# rating each vs the 2000# my truck originally came with. The rear has drop front and rear hangers. Both ends have the Hotchkis valved Bilsteins.
    I've never been happier with the ride, it's not as low as I would like but there isn't any way to get the rear lower without a c-notch and the front is limited by the poor OE design.

    I don't know what is different geometry wise, but my truck has never driven down the road better since I installed the Durango steering knuckle/brake package.

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    My truck was a little too low I was rubbing in the front only had two inches of clearance for wheel travel. So I replaced all four shocks with belltech street performer. Purchased OEM Springs and cut 1/2 of a coil off.After driving it for a couple of weeks the truck has now settled down and I have 2 and 5/8 clearance in the front no more rubbing issues . It also has two inch steel lowering blocks in the back and the truck rides nicely.

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