How much drop will I get?

[dannyboy3141]

Hey all, I was thinking about doing some stuff to my Ranger. I would like to both flip the rear axle and flip the leaf spring shackles. Now I am new to a lot of this, so treat me like a dumbo that you have to spell everything out for. I know flipping the rear axle will lower it, but by approximately how much? And I know flipping the shackle is primarily for wheel travel, but will there be any additional drop with that I should take into consideration? I am not looking to do anything drastic, as I will be moving to an area with hills all over the place (anti-minitruck mounds if you ask me). I just want to know what kind of drop I will get by doing those things.

 

[stmitch]

An axle flip results in 4-5 inches of drop. The shackle flip results in 2 inches of drop.

Doing both will be 6-7 inches of drop, and will require the frame to be notched for the axle. If the truck is extended cab, you may run into other issues with going that low too.

 

[dannyboy3141]

Okay, about how many inches could I go without the notch

 

[stmitch]

5 inches. You'll need to trim your factory bump stops, or replace them with shorter ones.

 

[dannyboy3141]

Somebody advised me recently to flip both the axle and the shackle and then swap the spring for a deaver leaf spring. Apparently the deaver springs for the ranger give it 2.5 inches of lift and are light weight and quite stiff (from what I was told. What would you think about both flipping the axle and shackle and installing a deaver leaf to balance it out? I would definitely have some decent performance from the rear end, but what do you think?

 

[stmitch]

There's no reason to replace the leaf spring. I think adding a stiffer leaf would just make the ride unbearable. Lots of folks already complain about ride harshness after a drop. Why would you want stiffer springs?

 

[dannyboy3141]

I don't really care about a harsh ride. But I have noticed the stiffer my suspension is the better it handles.

 

[stmitch]

You're welcome to try it. It's your truck and your money. The biggest function of leaf springs is to control vertical movement, and that's not something that has a huge effect on handling. It will make the already light rear end even bouncier, which can disrupt decent handling, especially over bumps. You don't have any traction or handling if the tires aren't touching the ground.

Stiffer leaf springs might help reduce axle wrap if you've got a powerful engine, and you drag race, but there are better ways of doing that if that's a problem you have. They might also increase axle hop in that scenario too, which is bad.

Personally, I'd suggest if you want to improve handling:
1. Lower the truck (results in lower Center of Gravity)
2. Add sway bars (limits body roll, and can effect the amount of over/understeer based on sizing)

3. Add grip. Trucks have giant wheel wells. Fill them with as much high-quality performance tire as you can.

4. Improve balance. Trucks have the vast majority of their weight over the front end. This is bad for traction and handling. Remove weight where you can from the front, and relocate weight to the rear if possible.

If you really want to go down the handling rabbit hole, then a link style suspension, or fully independent suspension are the real ticket.