Rear leaf springs noise

[HondaHawkGT]

3 minutes ago, Silverado2016 said:

The complaints many of us have described on this specific forum topic are not referencing the typical, traditional leaf spring squeak noise associated with leaf springs.  This is a 'clunk' and thud felt in the seats similar to if a person were to loosen all the axle U-bolts and then attempt to drive the vehicle.  It feels and sounds like the axle is twisting and wobbling off the frame.  I could accept a 'normal' or common leaf spring 'squeak' from any vehicle manufacturer over the clunk and thud issues that us truck owners are being told are just considered 'normal' and 'acceptable' by GM's current standards.  I'd argue coil spring technology has come a long way over leaf spring and is one possible solution.  (leaf spring technology can be found on early horse drawn wagons.) Coil springs have been proven to be a much more comfortable and better handling (cornering) ride however typically come at a reduced load capacity. Dodge uses a rear coil spring suspension in the 1500 series trucks.  If load capacity isn't as important, coil is arguably the better route to go. 

 

Mine was clunking too.. At first I suspected it was the spare tire, then I checked for loose leaf spring bolts, re-torqued my new u-bolts, checked for axle shaft slop (c-clip clunk), etc. My "clunk" was caused by the helper leaf spring's plastic guides not sliding smoothly against the main leaf spring. Any time the axle would articulate or the leaf spring flex under decel/accel conditions, the plastic bushings would stick then suddenly break loose and slide (google stick-slip friction), creating a noise that was a combination of a clunk and a creaking noise. I bet some are even getting a slip-yoke clunk. These long parabolic leaf springs have a fair amount of axle-wrap-life twisting under braking and acceleration, which causes the yoke to slip as the distance changes. Both Ford and GM have a history of slip-yoke clunk.

 

Coil springs make a terrible rear suspension for pickup trucks. They require a dozen links and bushings, and the balance of load carrying capacity vs ride quality is bad. Ever since the Ram 1500 switched to a multilink coil spring suspension, the suspension squat was terrible and the payload ratings lose-dived. An Ram 1500 Ecodiesel Longhore Crew Cab with the Ram Box only had a payload rating of around 960 lbs. That meant that if you had 3 people riding along, you might have just a few hundred pounds of payload capacity left for stuff in the bed. Even in 2019, the Ram with its payload rating "boost" is still coming in at around 1300-1500 lbs for a typical configuration. You can get a new Chevy Colorado with 1400 lbs of payload capacity.

[Silverado2016]

1 hour ago, HondaHawkGT said:

 

Mine was clunking too.. At first I suspected it was the spare tire, then I checked for loose leaf spring bolts, re-torqued my new u-bolts, checked for axle shaft slop (c-clip clunk), etc. My "clunk" was caused by the helper leaf spring's plastic guides not sliding smoothly against the main leaf spring. Any time the axle would articulate or the leaf spring flex under decel/accel conditions, the plastic bushings would stick then suddenly break loose and slide (google stick-slip friction), creating a noise that was a combination of a clunk and a creaking noise. I bet some are even getting a slip-yoke clunk. These long parabolic leaf springs have a fair amount of axle-wrap-life twisting under braking and acceleration, which causes the yoke to slip as the distance changes. Both Ford and GM have a history of slip-yoke clunk.

 

Coil springs make a terrible rear suspension for pickup trucks. They require a dozen links and bushings, and the balance of load carrying capacity vs ride quality is bad. Ever since the Ram 1500 switched to a multilink coil spring suspension, the suspension squat was terrible and the payload ratings lose-dived. An Ram 1500 Ecodiesel Longhore Crew Cab with the Ram Box only had a payload rating of around 960 lbs. That meant that if you had 3 people riding along, you might have just a few hundred pounds of payload capacity left for stuff in the bed. Even in 2019, the Ram with its payload rating "boost" is still coming in at around 1300-1500 lbs for a typical configuration. You can get a new Chevy Colorado with 1400 lbs of payload capacity.

 

Sounds familiar minus the helper spring mention.  Mine is the plastic pads/guides that GM refuses to address.  The past several years and even the current year are nearly identical design.  I was just stating that squeeks can be fixed relatively easy over clunks and parts actually slipping.  GM's current plastic pads are not available for purchase independent from the leaf spring as they are forced into the leaf spring at the plant.  I was told by several service dept's that these springs have to be purchased as a whole assembly, making them way too expensive and labor intensive to replace every 5,000 miles. (also have to drop the fuel tank to remove the leaf spring.)  Had GM made the plastic spring pad serviceable or independently replaceable separate from the leaf spring steel, this issue would be a much smaller deal to complain about.  Squeeks are typically easy to fix with lubrication in some form or method.  Parts as designed on the late model 1500 GM series trucks slipping and clunking are near impossible to fix short of clamping or welding the springs all together (not advised or recommended), or replacing them with aftermarket altogether.

 

I'm not going to argue about the payload capacity of leaf spring over coil spring.  I do know that if a person is mostly concerned about payload, then they would be looking at the full size trucks and mostly diesels, which are an entirely different leaf spring weight capacity and truck class.  Air bags also come to mind when someone is solely concerned about payload.  Why do the GM 1500 series have the most reported issues of clunk, thud, etc when it comes to leaf springs, much more so than the 2500 or 3500?  Seems like a GM design issue that the company could address, but would rather stick their head in the sand and kick the can down the road and flat out lie to the customer (in my case) for whatever reason.  Colorado or Canyon is well overpriced and any time of the year that I have looked in my 150 mile radius area rarely offer purchase incentives on these vehicles. The interior creature comforts are far inferior to any of the full sizes in any make in my opinion.  GM makes more profit margin on the full size. 

 

 

[HondaHawkGT]

15 minutes ago, Silverado2016 said:

 

Sounds familiar minus the helper spring mention.  Mine is the plastic pads/guides that GM refuses to address.  The past several years and even the current year are nearly identical design.  I was just stating that squeeks can be fixed relatively easy over clunks and parts actually slipping.  GM's current plastic pads are not available for purchase independent from the leaf spring as they are forced into the leaf spring at the plant.  I was told by several service dept's that these springs have to be purchased as a whole assembly, making them way too expensive and labor intensive to replace every 5,000 miles. (also have to drop the fuel tank to remove the leaf spring.)  Had GM made the plastic spring pad serviceable or independently replaceable separate from the leaf spring steel, this issue would be a much smaller deal to complain about.  Squeeks are typically easy to fix with lubrication in some form or method.  Parts as designed on the late model 1500 GM series trucks slipping and clunking are near impossible to fix short of clamping or welding the springs all together (not advised or recommended), or replacing them with aftermarket altogether.

 

I'm not going to argue about the payload capacity of leaf spring over coil spring.  I do know that if a person is mostly concerned about payload, then they would be looking at the full size trucks and mostly diesels, which are an entirely different leaf spring weight capacity and truck class.  Air bags also come to mind when someone is solely concerned about payload.  Why do the GM 1500 series have the most reported issues of clunk, thud, etc when it comes to leaf springs, much more so than the 2500 or 3500?  Seems like a GM design issue that the company could address, but would rather stick their head in the sand and kick the can down the road and flat out lie to the customer (in my case) for whatever reason.  Colorado or Canyon is well overpriced and any time of the year that I have looked in my 150 mile radius area rarely offer purchase incentives on these vehicles. The interior creature comforts are far inferior to any of the full sizes in any make in my opinion.  GM makes more profit margin on the full size. 

 

 

By helper spring, I meant the leaf below the main leaf spring, not the overload leaf.

 

The plastic pads have been available from Dorman for years. There are videos on how to change them on YouTube.

 

Dorman 924-070 Leaf Spring Spacer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C1CECGS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_abfNBbANRS5FR

 

They fit GMT900 trucks. Should also fit K2 trucks.

 

My point wasn't Ram vs Colorado, I just used the comparison to make the point that coil spring rear suspensions compromise payload ratings for a soft ride. Most K2 trucks have 500+ lbs more payload capacity vs a comparable Ram 1500 and the GM truck will sit level with that load in the bed. The Ram will be dragging its bumper.