Spring Clamps Reduce Rear Vibration

[ic3man5]

Who wants to try it first?

 

http://zoneoffroad.com/zone-offroad-products-suspension-add-a-leaf-chevy-gmc-pickup/c6159

[Jamesandrew4]

So took my truck for my first vibration visit. They told me front two tires were out of balance picked up my truck and guess what still there.. Laughable. So after reading this and other vibration topic I literally sent these threads to the service manager to review. The game plan is driveshaft balance, possible engine mount shim 3mm, then leaf springs.

 

Should be going in Monday or Tuesday. But also after reading this thread I inspected my leaf springs and the passenger side the bottom leaf literally is not stacking inline on top of the others see pic. I also had experienced during a turn and hitting a bump the truck almost feel like it jumped and the rear end slid

 

[hotrodz37]

Who wants to try it first?

 

http://zoneoffroad.com/zone-offroad-products-suspension-add-a-leaf-chevy-gmc-pickup/c6159

That's a much better price than I had thought and zone makes some good stuff. You look like the man for the job ic3man5 haha

 

I think I'm going to try the clamps only on the rear this weekend and include the overload. Frenchsquared is the only one that said his vibes completely went away with the clamps and he put his on 8" behind the axle. Still torn on whether to put them on in front of or behind. I tried in front but never drove on the highway and am taking a highway trip this weekend and might give it a shot on the rear.

 

 

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[ic3man5]

So took my truck for my first vibration visit. They told me front two tires were out of balance picked up my truck and guess what still there.. Laughable. So after reading this and other vibration topic I literally sent these threads to the service manager to review. The game plan is driveshaft balance, possible engine mount shim 3mm, then leaf springs.

 

Should be going in Monday or Tuesday. But also after reading this thread I inspected my leaf springs and the passenger side the bottom leaf literally is not stacking inline on top of the others see pic. I also had experienced during a turn and hitting a bump the truck almost feel like it jumped and the rear end slid

 

image.jpeg

 

1.) Mark your tires to make sure they aren't spinning on the rim - If they are goodyear wrangler tires try to convince the dealership to upgrade them for you (I'd pay the difference in a heart beat - I believe the upgrade on the sticker for my bridgestone tires were like $200-300).

2.) Have them inspect u-bolts for proper torque (If you can remember can you ask them what the proper spec is suppose to be?)

3.) If you have the tools you should get the clamps and see if it helps the vibration (take them off before you bring it back in and let them know it helped).

Edited February 26, 2016 by ic3man5

[ic3man5]

That's a much better price than I had thought and zone makes some good stuff. You look like the man for the job ic3man5 haha

 

I think I'm going to try the clamps only on the rear this weekend and include the overload. Frenchsquared is the only one that said his vibes completely went away with the clamps and he put his on 8" behind the axle. Still torn on whether to put them on in front of or behind. I tried in front but never drove on the highway and am taking a highway trip this weekend and might give it a shot on the rear.

 

 

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If I do it I'll have to wait until the weather is better, right now I compacted a bunch of dirt and ice in between my leafs and my clothes looked similar to the leafs. I was also expecting the price to be a lot more than that.

[Jamesandrew4]

So the spinning on the rim issue you are referring to when I felt the rear of the truck hop or step out? I will check what tires it came with one way or another the issue with the vibration is getting fixed. I am going to get the clamps but first I want to give the dealership a chance to make it right. I have aftermarket Lund rock rails and side steps I am not even putting on until they fix it so they can't make excuses.

[ic3man5]

So the spinning on the rim issue you are referring to when I felt the rear of the truck hop or step out? I will check what tires it came with one way or another the issue with the vibration is getting fixed. I am going to get the clamps but first I want to give the dealership a chance to make it right. I have aftermarket Lund rock rails and side steps I am not even putting on until they fix it so they can't make excuses.

 

No, its literally the wheel spinning on the rim, if that is happening then no more balance. Just place a mark on the wheel and the rim (A line) and see if they still line up - if they are slipping they won't line up anymore.

 

edit: if you are going hard enough the rear end will "jump" over bumps, its the nature of a solid axle rear end in a pick-up.

Edited February 26, 2016 by ic3man5

[DanY]

I've had the rear end clunk for the last couple of months. Started when it got cold but still did it on days when it warmed to 60 degrees. Mostly a single or double clunk when backing out of the driveway or pulling out from a stop with the wheels turned sharp right. I really think it's the right spring binding and unloading with a clunk.

 

I took it in for state inspection a couple of weeks back and had the dealer look for the source. They heard it but couldn't figure out where it was coming from. It went back in last week for them to try to find it and they did not hear the noise that day. They found the TSB that told them to torque all the spring fasteners and had to order new shackle nuts.

 

Back in today to install the shackle nuts. They called an hour after I dropped it off and said that there is an aftermarket rear sway bar installed and spring clamps installed. Can they disconnect them to check if these are making the noise? Funny it's the third time they have had the truck and they finally found the sway bar and clamps. Did they even look underneath it on the first two visits?

 

Now I'm waiting for the call that with the aftermarket parts installed, they cannot fix the problem under warranty.

Edited March 1, 2016 by DanY

[hotrodz37]

Has anyone tried them behind the axle yet? Most seem to be trying them in front, me included. I haven't had a chance to try the rear yet but curious how it might have worked out if anyone had.

[ic3man5]

I currently have mine on the front and the rears but not clamping the overload leaf, seems to be pretty decent so far.

[6sigma]

I tightened my stock U bolts on the leaf springs to 80 ft-lbs. This significantly reduced the vibration I felt at 70-80 MPH. There is still some vibration near 80 MPH but it seems to have smoothed out the 70-75 MPH vibration. At 80MPH it is significantly better. The U bolts seemed to be around 40-50 ft-lbs factory. Also, now the vibration seems to come and go whereas before it was constant at those speeds. I still have the mild vibration at 45mph when decelerating. I suggest tightening the factory U bolts as a first step for anybody with vibration issues at 70-80mph.

[Chad2815]

I have them installed 5 inches past the axle and included the overload. Noticed no change in ride quality but the clunk is almost completely gone and I had a slight vibration at 80 (could see the passenger seat moving) that for now seems to be completely eliminated. Should I have not included the overload leaf? Will this damage the truck at all?

[4x4Pete]

I checked the torque of the u bolts and found them at 45 ftlb. Torqued them to 75. That moved the vibration from 50-60mph to 75-80mph. I decided to try the spring clamps. Installed 8" in front of the axle, all leafs tightly together. High speed vibes gone but seems that there is a light vibration from 30-50 now. Of course this depends on the road surface. Feels better than the cycling vibration that was there before anything was done.

I checked the torque of the u bolts and found them at 45 ftlb. Torqued them to 75. That moved the vibration from 50-60mph to 75-80mph. I decided to try the spring clamps. Installed 8" in front of the axle, all leafs tightly together. High speed vibes gone but seems that there is a light vibration from 30-50 now. Of course this depends on the road surface. Feels better than the cycling vibration that was there before anything was done.

[oneandzero]

I had a look at mine today and found the same as others around 40 ft/lbs so I re-torqued to 85. I can't say if it helps or not. I almost want to say it made the ride worse but I still have snow tires on and the weathers warming up so hard to tell.

Thought I would add a link for u-bolt torque specification because I was curious what it was supposed to be.

https://www.autoandtrucksprings.com/pages/U-Bolt_Torque.html

[hotrodz37]

I put the clamps on the rear today about 6" from the block behind the axle. It didn't help at all and made the ride very harsh. In front of the axle is definitely the way to go in my opinion.

 

 

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