Hey guys, I have a 05 FX4, i bought it about 6 months ago, b4 this truck i had a 05 XLT... My fx4 rides sooo damn stiff in the rear end ive had it.. tryed diff shocks that didnt help, so now im talking out a spring tomm, im taking the 2nd one from the bottom not the overload spring but the next one up, hoping to improve the ride.. i dont haul anything so it doesnt matter to me i just want the ride better.. and im not dumping 500 bucks in suspension.. so ill try this if it doesnt get better im gunna dump the truck because imm soooooo sick of the ride.. any 1 ever take out a spring b4?? i know the FX4 has 4 spring xlt has 3 so i should be ok.. let me know thanks!!

 

To me it seems like a farely good idea but I would check witha mechanic prior doing it, hopefuly it's gonna do the job!

 

my friend did this in his chevy to drop the rear a little bit and make the ride a little softer like you are wanting to do. his truck road well and he still could haul a dirtbike in the rear. so i don't see why you would have a problem, just expect your rear end to drop a little bit. probly become level would be my guess

 

it will cost you more in the long run to dump the truck then soften the ride correctly. personally, i would not take out a leaf, but would purchase a new leaf pack from alcan, deaver, or atlas purposefully built to give a softer ride.

 

ive heard of guys taking out a leaf to lower there trucks and having problems with the leafs going extremely flat and/or eventually cracking..

just my .02

 

that's exactly what i was referring to. it would be best to get a set of custom springs to meet your needs.

 

Can't really argue with that!!!

 

i would find out if the spring rate on the xlt is lighter than the fx4. if it is go to the junk yard and get the xlt springs.

 

the fx4 has the same spring set up the xlt has i would think. just the xlt springs where worn my be? but you should look in to air bags for the cost of all you do to make you truck ride smoth you find air is just as cheep as all the mods you would have to do to get the ride you want

 

I think I only have 2 leaf spring in each pack on my truck. I wouldnt want just one!

 

I took one out of my old ladys Mazda B2200, had more body roll and would hope the back tires like crazy, axle wrap. Road like a car, and would corner good

 

i took one out of a '07tundra and added air bags. didn't fix the bed bounce or crappy ride. sold it and bought a new ford van

 

I have an 08 XL std cab with the heavy duty payload package. I think the ride in my truck is GREAT!! It rides better than my 94 ever did. I have some pretty rough roads where I live and it does excellent on them.

 

Hey jeffdiedrich, i am in the middle of figuring this out myself also. I own a 06 F-150 FX4 Supercab. And i am almost done lowering it. I took out the rear blocks and added a 2" drop shackle, and i found out that the previous owner added one heavier leaf in the middle of the pack. So i now am figuring out why the dam rear was sat so high and road so rough! I to was going to take out that added leaf, to bring it down one more inch, but i don't know if the ride will be any smoother also. Does anyone know if there is a difference between a FX4 model spring and a regular 4X4 spring? Or will any 2WD model spring lower it one more inch, and ride smoother. I am guessing they have same dimensions and should bolt right in. Need help soon, my backside is killing me from bouncing over potholes. I have photos in my albums below, you will see the heavier added leaf.

Cheers to all that can help us!

https://www.f150online.com/forums/me...ring-rear.html

 

The springs are the same size, width wise. The Fx4 package comes with a stiffer spring rating though that is tuned for off road use and gets the Rancho RS5000s. All for all, its a truck and will ride like a truck, expescially the Fx4 and the Fords are notorious for ride quality but they also have the strongest frame and highest towing and payload capacity, so if you want a smoother riding "church truck" go get a chevy!