sdaly

Hi all,

Looking to improve my front end's load carrying capacity and keep it from bottoming out so easily and "porpising" so much. I tow/haul heavy and i have a ranch hand front bumper so my front end carries a lot of weight. Is it better to step up to heavier coil springs or add Timbrens to the front?

jswar

I have Timbrens front and back on my 2500. Front because I have a 8'2" Boss vee plow...rear just for the additional load carrying ability. I feel that the Timbrens smooth out the "empty" ride as well as helping when the plow is hanging on the truck. The truck "sits" on them all the time, and they seem to help soak up pavement joints/etc.

converteddzlr

I'll second the motion for the timbrens. I have an 8'6" Western MVP plow and the timbrens made a huge improvement and were a lot less costly than a spring changeout!

p0wd3rp1l0t

i'll third the timbrens...also have a plow and work awesome, plus if i dont want them takes ten min to install/uninstall unlike new springs haha couldnt even get the tools out and tires off in ten min

Raspy

I have Timbrens on the front of mine but they are no substitute for a heavier spring. They are just a thicker and softer bump stop. The drivers side one also rubs and wears the rubber unless you grind the bracket to smooth it out enough to stop the shreading. Plus they are helpless without good shocks to keep the front end from coming down hard on them.

I ended up with KYB shocks after running Ranchos and Bilsteins to firm up the front and reduce the bottoming. I also added a 1" lift to help with it.

I would never add any weight to the front without going to a heavier spring and I plan to get them for mine when I get around to it. Heavier springs don't necessarily mean a stiffer ride, it's hitting the stop that is felt the most. Riding on the stop all the time is not the answer for a better ride. We need more travel and velocity sensitive damping on the front to control the heavy weight.

The best answer is to get enough travel and enough stiffness to not bottom except on severe bumps. This means a slightly higher stance and good shocks, as well as enough spring to carry the weight.

sdaly

Thanks for your responses. Still not sure which way I want to go yet. One thing that I had to remind myself of is that when I installed my heavier front bumper, I actually liked how the added weight smoothed out the harshness of the front suspension. It came at the penalty of more front end bottoming out though. I'd like to go with new springs but I'm afraid it would return the front end to that same harshness I had before I installed the ranch hand bumper. I'm wondering if the timbren option would help retain the smoother unloaded ride since the the timbrens only kick in when they're loaded down. Decisions, decisions...

Raspy

You'll be riding on the Timbrens all the time since they are taller than the stock bump stops and you have added weight. Some of your harshness might be stiff shocks. I've found it better to have stronger springs and less bottoming for a better ride. Of course more travel is the best but we are limited unless going to a lift. My Timbrens made the bottoming slightly less harsh, but it is still bottoming anyway you look at it.