left rear leaf spring bent, upgrade?

[racsan]

noticed that i have a negative arch on my left rear leaf spring at the front hanger, doesnt seem a good idea to just do one side, not sure a used spring pack would be a good idea. would explorer springs be just as good (load rating wise) as the stock ranger? thinking about ordering new explorer-spec springs & ditching the lift blocks. my spring hangers are only a couple of years old so im good there, any specifc year explorer to consider? id assume id want a "4 door 4wd" for maximum load rated springs.

 

[Andy D]

I used to go through front leafs on the Grand Wags. I dont have a torch , so getting springs off was no fun . I just replaced the broken pack or even just the bad leafs with used parts. It didnt affect the handling at all.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

IIRC, explorer packs are a lil stiffer and a lil more arch. Get ones from a 4-door. All you have to do is flip the centering pin over and you're good to go (I usually break down the packs, put new pads on the ends of the leafs and add an extra long leaf to the pack, but that's just me). Other than that they are a straight up swap.

 

[kunar]

IIRC, explorer packs are a lil stiffer and a lil more arch.

the arch is actually a little less, but they are definitely stiffer

 

[doorgunner]

IIRC, explorer packs are a lil stiffer and a lil more arch.

the arch is actually a little less, but they are definitely stiffer

ya gotta love it!!!!!

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Well, I've never been able to compare an explorer pack to a good Ranger pack yet, lol.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

the arch is actually a little less, but they are definitely stiffer

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Explorer-Ranger_leaf_comparison.htm

I compared a year old set of Ranger springs (4cyl 2wd) vs my '96 Ex springs and there was less than an inch of difference with the Ex's being shorter, but the Ex's were shorter.

For that matter my brand new Explorer front springs were about 1/4" shorter than my 30yo Ranger springs too... but I gained an inch of lift out of them.

The Ex's rears are borderline too stiff for me, for the two weeks I drove it before I tore the engine apart I was having tinges of regret over not putting in the like new Ranger springs.

 

[brinker88]

Im a DaytonParts distributor. They give me all the specs on leaf springs including arch. Highest arch available in a stock ranger leaf spring AND the most common is 6 inches with 1,250 lb spring cap with a 1.5" thick spring pack. Highest and most common on an Explorer is 6.5 inches of arch with 1,100 lb spring cap with a 1.75" spring pack..