russellbailey
TYF Newbie
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2019
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I have a 2012 Suburban 1500 4wd LS at 150k miles. I load it heavily - I've pulled a 7500 lb trailer probably 20k miles (boat, to coast and back) as well as sometimes put a couple hundred pounds on the front hitch (bicycles).
At maybe 40k miles I replaced the rear coil springs with Hellwig airbags completely, and I can adjust that pressure from the cab depending on load - the stock springs really struggled with the 700 lb tongue weight even with a weight distributing hitch. I also have Bilstein 4600s plus the Hellwig 3-position swaybar on the stiffest setting. The rear works great.
The front is soft, and I want to replace the springs when I replace the current 4600. I understand that the Z71 may have come with a slightly stiffer front spring to get the increased ride height, and I'm interested in more details about that. I'd be fine with the height coming up 1-2" to level, but I'm really looking for a slightly stiffer spring without getting harsh.
I looked up Moog spring options and found 3. Moog part #s are
81246
81248
81250
Here are the specs I see for each after emailing with a vendor - interestingly his spec only showed these as being valid through 2010.
spring bar dia spring rate free height design load ID OD
81246 0.781" 567 lb/" 14.297" 2720 lb 4.640" 6.200"
81248 0.781" 567 lb/" 13.634" 2344 lb 4.640" 6.200"
81250 0.765" 580 lb/" 14.51" 2906 lb 4.570 6.110"
All are constant rate. I presume these are likely OEM equivalents but with different part #s.
Does anyone know if one of these equates to the spring that I have on now? As well, does anyone know which one equates to the Z71 spring?
When I see Z71 Suburbans, it appears that the stock suspension has more ride height in the front, which I presume comes via being slightly more stiffly sprung.
My guess is that 81246 is equal to my current spring, and 81250 is equal to the Z71 front spring. If I can confirm that, I'm likely going to replace the springs as well as the shock/strut soon on the front and go with that slightly stiffer spring.
Thank you for your input. I've had difficulty finding this level of detail on the internet searching around.
At maybe 40k miles I replaced the rear coil springs with Hellwig airbags completely, and I can adjust that pressure from the cab depending on load - the stock springs really struggled with the 700 lb tongue weight even with a weight distributing hitch. I also have Bilstein 4600s plus the Hellwig 3-position swaybar on the stiffest setting. The rear works great.
The front is soft, and I want to replace the springs when I replace the current 4600. I understand that the Z71 may have come with a slightly stiffer front spring to get the increased ride height, and I'm interested in more details about that. I'd be fine with the height coming up 1-2" to level, but I'm really looking for a slightly stiffer spring without getting harsh.
I looked up Moog spring options and found 3. Moog part #s are
81246
81248
81250
Here are the specs I see for each after emailing with a vendor - interestingly his spec only showed these as being valid through 2010.
spring bar dia spring rate free height design load ID OD
81246 0.781" 567 lb/" 14.297" 2720 lb 4.640" 6.200"
81248 0.781" 567 lb/" 13.634" 2344 lb 4.640" 6.200"
81250 0.765" 580 lb/" 14.51" 2906 lb 4.570 6.110"
All are constant rate. I presume these are likely OEM equivalents but with different part #s.
Does anyone know if one of these equates to the spring that I have on now? As well, does anyone know which one equates to the Z71 spring?
When I see Z71 Suburbans, it appears that the stock suspension has more ride height in the front, which I presume comes via being slightly more stiffly sprung.
My guess is that 81246 is equal to my current spring, and 81250 is equal to the Z71 front spring. If I can confirm that, I'm likely going to replace the springs as well as the shock/strut soon on the front and go with that slightly stiffer spring.
Thank you for your input. I've had difficulty finding this level of detail on the internet searching around.