How to Upgrade Your Suspension

Upgrading Only Your Shocks

Get some new shocks. The first and fastest way to beef up your suspension is just to upgrade your shocks. This might be something as simple as buying the next-more-expensive OEM replacement, or by going so far as to add fancy high dollar upgrades that might well have the side effect of wrecking your driving experience, even as they add a little more of the desired stability and reliability.

Be wary of getting too wild. Consulting with your local counterman is a good idea, but keep in mind that he is out to sell you product, and might not be as much of an expert as he thinks he is. Any time you veer away from OEM equipment you are taking a gamble, and as a general rule, the industry translates 'improvement' and 'upgrade' as stiffer, less pliable shocks. This can help you control a saggy rear end and might do a better job of keeping your tires on the ground where you need them, but doesn't translate to a smooth or comfortable ride.

Look for heavy duty shocks if necessary. It is very difficult to predict how after-market shocks will affect your overall driving experience, despite the many claims made by marketing experts and salesmen. That said, if you mean to be carrying heavy loads up to and including towing, it is probably a good idea to go for heavy duty shocks, even coil-over or air shocks, to keep your rear end from bottoming out.

Upgrading for Heavier Loads

Consider getting heavy duty shocks or struts. Putting a big steel brush guard on your Jeep? Rigging up your truck to pull a trailer? Go for heavy duty shocks. No reason to get crazy just yet, but if you habitually haul a trunk of luggage or a bed full of boulders, or if you intend to haul a camper or boat or something, beefier shocks are your best first step. When buying your upgrades be careful to check for compatibility, and unless you are also doing a lift job, steer clear of those models which call for a 2" (or more) lift. These might add to your clearance a little by themselves, but are actually intended to compensate for a lift job, not to provide one. You'll end up with less travel on your shocks, and likely ruin them pretty quickly.

Think about getting "ride adjusting" shocks. These shocks can go a long way towards keeping you from sagging and bottoming out while hauling things. When doing such an upgrade, it's best to replace shocks at all four wheels with a more or less equivalent quality, though the 'ride adjusting' and air shocks are generally only for your rear wheels. Air shocks are particularly interesting, as they can be stiffened up for heavier loads, or softened for smooth but stable ride.

Reinforce your springs. You might also consider reinforcing your springs when getting ready for heavy hauling. If your machine has leaf springs (common on trucks and many cars for rear suspension) you can simply have a leaf added, or 'spring helpers' that bolt on to your existing springs to add tension and strength, giving you as much as a ton (or more) of extra load-bearing capability. Coil springs are more common on the front wheels, and can likewise be reinforced by fairly cheap, easily applied supports - generally a polyurethane brace that can be slipped into the spring coil, reducing the amount of play in the spring without adding any additional ride height. Both of these spring helpers can actually increase your ride height by a small amount, though this does not count as a lift. Leaf spring and coil spring reinforcement simply reduces the amount your vehicle chassis weight compresses the springs, which may render a slightly lifted appearance. Wheel travel is not generally affected, and if you did it just right, your additional weight will bring things back to about normal. By all means put in heavy duty shocks, but stick to the OEM fit.

Insert air springs. To really solidify your ride, airbag or air spring inserts can be added to coil spring suspensions, which are reputed to significantly reduce sag and bounce. Some kits can be self-installed with basic tools, but they are generally not an inexpensive option anyway, and might be best left for professionals to install for you, as they generally require dropping axles and removing the springs. While this is not the end of the world, it is potentially problematic and dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.

Think about getting bigger wheels. The above improvements might be plenty if you need a little extra clearance for your oversized tires or larger diameter wheels with the low profile tires that have become fashionable. If going for these options, keep in mind that low profile tires, while reputed to provide better handling in adverse road conditions, can really make for a much less comfortable ride. Conversely, oversized tires can add a little extra cushion and even improve mileage somewhat, but require more torque to move, and can affect performance as a result. Usually there is a little slack as far as tire/wheel sizes, especially on trucks, but if you intend to make that change for whatever reason, try them on first and make sure they clear your front wheel wells and cowling when turning, and don't scrape when you hit bumps. If you have these problems, but insist on the wheel/tire change, you're going to need a minor lift.

Lifting Your Car

Consider adding torsion bars. Many trucks have adjustable torsion bars, which will allow you to make adjustments to the ride height in the front of the vehicle, raising it to match a lift in the rear, or lowering it to keep it level if the rear springs are being taxed, rendering that 'saggy bottom' look. Check your owners manual for adjustment procedures or better yet, since you will need a re-alignment after adjusting your ride height, just take it in and let your alignment specialist do it for you. Torsion bar adjustment in the front along with leaf spring helpers in the back, and heavy duty shocks all the way around, and you can keep your truck level, or hike it up, or even give it a fancy aggressive 'rake'. Keep in mind that torsion bar adjustments do not increase your travel range; only the clearance of your wheel well over your tire, which for our purposes should be plenty.

Try out a lift kit. Use your best judgment when it comes to using a lift kit. Lift kits can be found that provide an inch, two inches, three inches and so on, until you are replacing every single component of your suspension from sway bars to tie rods just to keep up with your hunger for more clearance and ride height. Don't get carried away. Just a couple of inches can make a dramatic difference, and every time you add to your clearance height, you have to get new shocks to match, and at some point you're just sacrificing stability and reliability, as well as making it harder to get into your trunk or truck bed. If you want to go full mud-bogger monster truck, you'll find instructions for that elsewhere. For now, consider this to be the last resort for keeping your cushy old Chevy from scraping wheels and dragging your trailer tongue every time the road gets a little bumpy.

Pick out the right size of lift kit. You've already got spring helpers and better shocks in place, and you are still riding low in the back. Go for a 2" (or even a 1.5") lift kit. For coil springs this is usually another polyurethane insert, that just lowers the point where your spring connects to the chassis. For leaf springs this is just a shim that goes where your springs come into contact with your axle, and sometimes with shackles to adjust where they connect on the chassis side. If you are very lucky, you can boost up the rear end (again, matching heavy duty shocks, of a length that reflects your lift) and just use torsion bars to compensate and level your front ride height. In some cases (where there are no adjustable torsion bars) you'll need a lift kit that covers all four wheels, unless you are okay with having your rear end sitting higher than your front when your vehicle is unloaded.

Look at the contents of your lift kit. More complete, well rounded lift kits can be found which actually include longer springs and shocks and peripheral hardware. If you really want or need a couple of extra inches, these present a trade off, removing some doubts and calculations for getting everything to match up, but require some serious work to install. If you have the resources, consider a professional installation. In any case, once you are lifted, be mindful of your alignment, and make adjustments, or better yet, take it in and have your alignment professionally dialed in.