Standard vs aftermarket coil springs

[x1buellist]

So, I removed my stock rear springs yesterday and was comparing them to the springs I bought online to give a 4" drop. The stock springs are considerably thicker and more robust than the wimpy looking new springs I bought. I haven't installed the new springs yet but it seems like they wouldn't be able to handle even a fraction of the weight that the stock springs could handle.

[markeb01]

When I had new custom springs fabricated in 2009, the company compression tested the 49 year old original springs and they still measured out 1500 pound load capacity for the pair (even though my truck is a half ton model). No wonder it rode like a buckboard.

The new springs were fabricated with a 400 pound capacity and they still look pretty beefy. After I removed the bed cover I swapped in Jeep 2.5” lifting springs, which are the typical Jeep lowering springs only longer. On my truck I’d estimate they had about 150-200 pound capacity, judging by how much they sagged under the weight of a loaded ice chest.

Compared to the originals they had almost no load capacity, but I think most guys that go for a static drop are more interested in how it looks than how much it can haul.

[jonathan-m]

My jeep springs in the rear max out at about a 350-400 pound load it seems. Simple (cheap) solution is just to keep the old originals in the garage for when you have the rare heavy load to haul. It only takes about 25 minutes to switch them out, and I only maybe carry a real heavy load once per year so its no hassle at all to switch them when I need them.