Hello Everyone! My rear has sagged dramatically, and the front lowered to match. I love the current ride height, but it really needs new, stronger leaf springs. First question: what is the stock ride height of a 2 door maverick in the rear, mine currently sits at 26.25" from the ground to the middle of the outer wheel well lip. Second question, I was looking into getting lowering springs from Espo, Would I be better off with 2" lowering springs? 3 or 4 leaf? I want a firm ride, but I don't want my teeth rattle out of my head. Thank you all in advance! -Phil
Anything will probably be better, the rear bottoms out on big bumps with a passenger or any heavy cargo.. my biggest question is does anyone have access to stock ride height information? If I get a 2" drop, i need a reference as to what I am dropping from
Mine measures 27 1/2" sitting on 215/70/15 tires with eight month old, 4-leaf springs from Laurel Mountain Mustang. When I changed the 44 year old springs it picked it up 1". Have no idea if it's back to stock height but I think it's close.... Rides great.
I installed some new "stock" 3-leaf springs from ESPO this year, and I ended up having to install some 1-1/2" lowering blocks. Prior to that, I had some 4-leaf springs that I got from a friend. They were from J.C. Whitney. They rode far too stiff which is why I replaced them with the ESPO springs. I have been told that polyurethane bushings make the ride even more harsh, and that low profile tires add yet more to the harshness.
With a 26-inch rear tire diameter, the height from the ground to the center of the wheel arch is 25-5/8". Why do you think your springs need to be stronger? Have they lost their arch? Do they ride extremely harsh? If anything, it sounds to me like it sits a little high in the back, but I don't know what size your tires are. A set of heavy duty KYB shocks would probably cure the bottoming out problem.
haha yeah they lost their arch, I have brand new KYB GR-2 shocks. It will bottom out with multiple passengers over medium size bumps, and I can feel how weak the springs are. My rear tire size is 225/60-15, or 25.6" diameter. 25 5/8 is a bit lower than I want, based on what Rasit and Crazy Larry have told me here It looks like I could get away with 1" lowered springs. If I get the 4 leaf and it's to harsh, I can always remove the 4th leaf safely can't I? Although I'd rather not. I enjoy a firm ride, just not harsh
My car used to sit quite high many years ago. I guess my tastes have changed since I've gotten older. There are guys who are running 4-leaf and claim they ride just fine. I think 3-leaf should be plenty if they are new and have the arch that provides the desirable ride height. Keep in mind that these cars are light in the rear. The only practical use of 4-leaf in my opinion is either a track car or a tow vehicle. In hindsight, I wish I had known that lowering springs were available and what I needed to give me the stance that I want. I'd rather not be using lowering blocks. I had to remove my aftermarket rear sway-bar because if will not fit with the lowering blocks (hits the passenger-side shock). If I had it to do over, I'd try to get 1-inch lowering springs. Like maybe a mid-eye spring.
I've been reading a lot of previous spring related threads, and they are very confusing. Some people who installed 4 leaf springs had their back end jacked up way to high in the rear, others had it lower than me using stock ride height springs. What in the world is causing this kind of variation, I know there are different spring rates for different years, but most of these people have earlier models (70-73) with smaller lighter bumpers. I hope when I give ESPO a call they will be knowledgable to answer some of these questions.
I think it's different manufacturers that causes the variation. It's the arch that gives the ride height, not the number of leafs. With more leafs, there's going to be less "give" when weight is added, but the ride is also stiffer. Getting the ride-height you want is a trial & error thing, and can be frustrating, but once you finally nail it, is very satisfying.
