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new rear springs for xtreme/zq8?

1K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  needawheel 
#1 ·
i have a 2000 4.3 2wd xtreme regular bed,regular cab... i am looking for new rear springs and cant quite find anything that says it fits zq8/xtreme/sport/etc...
 
#5 ·
thanks, I am looking for new ones though... I almost have every part to totally overhaul the truck at this point and i figure i may as well get the springs done as preventative maintenance. i wanted to do new rear shocks and springs together. i suppose the new bilstein rear shocks are technically 'non-zq8' so i could do some trickery back there as long as it maintains the xtreme lowered stance, whatever that is... but i would prefer new zq8 springs to just keep it simple... but i suppose new 'zq8' rear springs may be a custom build in and of themselves...

on a side note, i have a few sets of 'helper springs' that are the add a leaf-style... supposedly they add carry capacity... just wondering if anyone has ever used them on an xtreme or zq8? thoughts/impressions?
i rarely need them but i have considered adding them in just to see what they do... they were free and appear to be fairly 'easy on, easy off'...
 
#6 ·
There are spring shops that can make springs, coil or leaf, to any specs you need. I've got 26 years and 300K+ on mine and they don't seemed to have sagged at all.
I think helper springs will make your ride terrible.
 
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#7 ·
true. they havent sagged and its usually empty back there...
maybe i will shelve this one.

i havent found anyone who has used helpers on an s10, which is kinda odd in my opinion bc i would think somebody would have pushed one of these beyond limits... but i suppose those guys probably killed those s10s long ago and are beating on colorados now...
 
#8 ·
true. they havent sagged and its usually empty back there...
maybe i will shelve this one.

i havent found anyone who has used helpers on an s10, which is kinda odd in my opinion bc i would think somebody would have pushed one of these beyond limits... but i suppose those guys probably killed those s10s long ago and are beating on colorados now...
Helper springs and add-a-leaf’s have been mentioned in threads here. They are different products, and have different effects on ride height and harshness. In my experience, helpers tend to have little effect on unloaded ride height and limited contribution to ride harshness. A Pro Comp 13120 Add-a-leaf kit installed on a RWD, regular cab, stock Z83 w/ ~70k miles increased unloaded, rear ride height ~1.5-2.0”. That trucks ride is a bit harsh, but it also has poly body mounts because OEM style rubber mount cushions are so expensive.
 
#17 ·
Just buy stock springs and lower it back down with blocks. The ZQ8 package wasn't designed for people who want to use their truck as a truck.
so along these lines, what is the stock zq8-xtreme height vs a base-stock spring height vs base-stock spring minus the middle leaf height?

i think i read that whatever my xtreme's actual drop height is, its achieved via springs alone... but i admittedly dont know jack about this subject.
 
#12 ·
nice. i have never seen something like that before. that looks good... and pricey too i bet.
i am only interested in the extra spring stuff because i just have these laying around and they were free for me. i think regular prices were in the $100 range.
these may not be the correct-sized addaleaf ones i have, but its the same brand and same concept: Auto Craft Over Leaf Spring Assists 1 Set Ac111035 for sale online | eBay
 
#16 ·
Just buy stock springs and lower it back down with blocks. The ZQ8 package wasn't designed for people who want to use their truck as a truck.
 
#19 ·
removing a leaf almost definitely would not sync it up to a zq8-shock spec-wise... but maybe the height would look somewhat closer to the lowered stance? i wouldnt know.
but then again the bilsteins i have are marked 'non-zq8' so they technically wont sync up spec-wise to the old zq8 springs either... its a dammed if ya do, dammed if ya dont deal on those rears... i was maybe thinking the add-a-leaf things could prolong the life of the old springs that are on there... i wouldnt know.
 
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