I have been reading for hours on a couple of sites regarding removing the leafs...Now it seems if you remove 2 leafs that it would effect your 60ft time.Has anyone gone to the track before and after removing 2 leafs? I am trying to get my 60ft time down lower.I was planning on removing 2 leafs in the morning but if it has a negative effect on the track I wont do it..My 03 sits real high now since I removed the hitch and tire.I have 2inch shackles on now. Then I was reading for hours regarding the pinion angle.......Needing shims,flipping shims,removing the shims. ....Thanks,Bruce

 

The bottom line is: Don't do it. I am one of those who have removed a leaf and don't plan to replace it. I have an 03 and did not like the tail high look. First I took out a leaf, which helped the height (some) and noticably improved the ride. Then I did 2" shackles which brought it down some more without changing the ride. The I got a set of 2000 Lightning springs, took out a leaf and popped 'em in. The truck is dead level and even rides slightly better. So, since I'm happy with both the ride and the height and I am willing to pay the price that taking a leaf out has on acceleration.

Taking a leaf out increases wheel hop during tire spin. Taking two leaves out will make the spring pack too limber and the rear end is going to hop around under there like the Energizer bunny gone mad. Here's the long winded explanation: One of the problems with a leaf spring rear end is that on hard acceleration the nose of the pinon rises. Think of it as the tires not turning and the rear end rotating instead. As the nose of the pinion twists upward, the springs go into an "S" shape and really preload the suspension. When the tires do slip, the suspension unloads rapidly and the pinion nose snaps downward. only to rise again when the tires get grip. What all this means is that you wind up with wheel hop, where tires, axle and everything is bouncing around under there like crazy. Lots of tire smoke, lots of abuse on the u-joints and the truck hardly moves because of lack of traction. Wanna double your 60 foot time? Take out two leaves. Spring packs have to be a blend of stiff enough to support the vehicle and resist windup while being soft enough to allow a decent ride. Traction bars have been used for years to counter the spring windup problem. And they do a pretty good job of it. But they can really stiffen the ride and can be noisy. My idea of the best solution? The air supension Ford put under the Lincoln Blackwoods. There's a similar system sold as "Air Bar" suspension. Basically, you toss the leaves, mount a solid bar on the rear end that attaches to the frame with what was the front spring bolt and mounting point. Now the rear end pivots in an arc around the original mounting point but can no longer wind up. The solid bar extends back beyond the rear axle and has an air bag (think of it as an air spring) to hold the vehicle up and now you have adjustable height, good ride and no wheel hop! But if I was trying to get my 60 foot times down, I'd be checking out what everybody is using for traction bars. Or, I might be sneaky and think about a set of fiberglass leaves......

 

very well put.I am running with 58inch torque bars.I might just take 1 leaf out then.Because on the flip side when the rear is too high the weight leans towards the front and on hard accelaration you wont get as much transfer as you would if the truck was level..

 

As long as some type of traction bar is used I don't see how removing a leaf or two can be an issue? I've removed two leafs from my 04 and have traction bars. Although I haven't been to the track I haven't noticed any problems.

 

I completely disagree with this and my results were opposite to what was described. Nice theory though.

 

Did you get better 60 ft times? I think my other problem is the 58in torque bars and my Bassani.I have maybe 1-2inch's between them...

 

A Pinion Snubber will help to prevent the rotating upward movement of the rear end and help to prevent wheel hop. I have one of these on the L and works great.

 

A couple comments and clarifications here. The first post only asked about removing two leaves, but said nothing about traction bars. But Bruce was quick to point out that he was using traction bars, which makes a really big change in the equation. And from his response, it was clear that he a good understanding of weight transfer and tire loading. So, a lot of what I said was not really beneficial to him, but might have been to others who read the post. But, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. So, since I'd like the improved ride quality of another leaf coming out of the pack, I'd really like to know what the improvement in traction will be if I do. So, please don't keep it a secret, scv8: What springs are you using and which leaves did you remove? I'm sure willing to learn a new trick here. Can you confirm that taking out two leaves actually improved traction and diminished wheel hop? What mods are you running and what's your torque? What was your 60 foot time before and after? You did not mention traction bars, so I assume you are not running them.

 

OK,I did it.....What a pain in the @ss....The front bolt holding the leaf was a l]B@tch....It seemed like it was welded on.Any way I cut off the 2 c-clamps and unscrewed the center bolt using a 15mm socket and vise grips...YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THAT BOLT unless you can thread it.When you remove the 2 leafs there is not enough thread 2 tightned....I went to the hardware store and bought 2 grade8 bolts.Now after putting the bolt on take a dremel and round off the bolt.The hex bolt will not fit in the hole on the axel...... Another tip,get alot of pieces of wood to stack on the floor jack so you can raise the rear high.I dont have the hitch on so I had to use alot......
I want to thank you all that helped me.... Now its time to lower the front a little............

Here is the before pic.I had the hitch and spare on in that pic.When I took them off it raised the back another inch.....


AFTER>>>>>>>>>>

 

Looks great!!!!! Which leafs did u pull?
Jason

 

Any tips on lowering the front? I was thinking about cutting a coil off.Would I need new shocks and camber bolts if I did that?Also is anyone using rear shock extenders when they removed 2 leafs?Thanks

 

Thanks,I removed the 2 bottom ones...

 

Thanx , im looking to do mine real soon. Gettin tired of looking at that huge wheel gap. Are you thinking of cutting the front springs? So how does it feel from a holeshot?

 

I just took it for a short drive,and from a stop it squats real nice.No wheel hop.I hope it does that at the track....Taking to Moroso Jan 4....

 

Cool,very nice. Let us know the results at the track. By the way those are by far my favorite rims. They look awsome on your truck. If my wallet ever gets fat ill be ordering a set.