New suspension parts ordered

[IsaacCarlson]

I have ordered new HD coil springs for the front end and airbags for the rear of my truck. The rear springs have been getting saggier by the day and the front springs are not doing so hot either. My tires have started to wear on the inside edges and the steering is funky because the camber has gone south due to shot coils in the front and the right coil is almost gone.

I will see how this helps mileage. I just installed new u-joints(the last pair made it about 5 months). I am going to put in new spark plugs in the morning, which I have side gapped to .04". I picked up a new thermostat today because the temp gauge is sitting just a hair south of the normal range.

I think there is a leak on top of the fuel tank because the outside of the tank looked wet. I will have to investigate that. The mileage seems to be better with the new o2 sensor, but no numbers just yet.

[some_other_dave]

Toe is usually a bigger contributor to inside-edge tire wear than negative camber is. Toe-out is a problem, especially when combined with any negative camber. If you have a reasonably-sane amount of negative camber (up to a couple or three degrees) and no toe out, tire wear on the edges should be small enough not to really worry about.

You'll probably want to get an alignment after installing springs anyway, but I wouldn't be surprised if they found toe-out on the wheels that are causing problems. Also look for worn bushings and slop that could cause the wheels to go into toe-out while you're driving.

-soD

[IsaacCarlson]

The camber is what is wearing the tires. It is excessive when empty and VERY bad when loaded. I can easily get my upright fist between the tire and fender on the left side when loaded, but I am lucky to get my flat hand in on the right side.

The bushings and ball joints are good and the steering is all new. It is the springs. I didn't think so at first but I lifted the front end up to see and the tires then sat straight. The new springs should bring everything right back into alignment and then I can get new tires before the snow flies.

I might have to redo the angles on my plow arms to get it to sit right after the "lift". The springs do not have any lift built in, but they will sit higher for sure. Seeing how far off the front is, and since the truck sits level now, I wonder how much the rear springs have flattened.

The tracking says the parts should be here on Tuesday. I will update on Wednesday.