RTE springs, sagging, driveline mods

[Falconx84]

I've been around dweb long enough to realize that it seems w/ RTE springs you either love them or you hate them. I'm looking into them because I've heard some rumors about them changing the way they're made or something, and I plan on driving to richmond for a slimline bumper, so I was looking into springs as well, 2 birds w/ one stone.

If you had springs that sag, what kind were they (MD, HD, 2", 3"?), how long did they last, was there any warranty?

I you had springs that didn't sag, what kind were they, how often did you wheel?

I also welcome comparisons to OME and others, but ONLY if you've used both.

What sort of driveline mods would been needed to fit a stock d1 with 3"-5" lift springs? I've heard that it's just replacing the rotoflex with a U-joint, is that all? How much will that cost and how difficult is the install?

And, since we've opened that topic, any recommended brands or vendors?

Lots of questions deserve lots of answers I'm hoping to get this done in like 2-3 weeks, hopefully by the beginning of june.

Oh, and if it helps with recommendations, I try to wheel 1-2 times a week, more if I get the chance. I usually carry a decent load, tools, shovel, the groups recovery gear.

sorry for the long post, but as you can imagine, I'm pretty excited about the prospect of a new bumper AND lift

 

[bigred]

I love the way the RTE springs handle, both on and off of the road. I have the old black ones (3"), and yes, I believe that my rear has settled a bit. I have spoken with Steve at RTE, and he has been more than cool, considering that I am not the original owner of the truck. He told me that now RTE is selling grey springs that are guaranteed to comress and rebound and not sag for five years. I will be updating mine to the greys within a month or so.

 

[lunchbox]

I have SG stage II springs with Fox shocks on my truck now and love them. I have had OME in the past and I was please with them as well. For all around value, ride, and performance I would suggest the OME 3inch lift from EE. I just recently helped a friend put this setup on his DII and it is top notch. You will get the best service from EE as well. The SG set up is great off road, but can be a bit soft for highway driving. When I switched to the taller lift I got driveline vibes pretty quick. To solve that I went with GBR driveshafts. I couldn't say enough positive things about the product and the service. Bill is a great resource.
Just my .02

 

[Falconx84]

Hmmm... 5 years sounds like a pretty good deal. Does OME have a guarantee?

Is there a website for the GBR drive shafts? is that the only mod needed to correct the vibes?

BigRed --When you say the rear "settled a little" how much? Do you have any idea what springs are on the truck?

I was looking at the springs needed for
Daily driver, heavy offroading, large cargo loading--> RR4 RR1

still debating on the 2,3,5 inch setup. 5 seems really tall. Has anyone tried the new 5" RTE springs?

Thanks for the responses so far.

 

[LostInBoston]

I originally had OME HD. i bought them used with suposedly 22,000 miles on them. they saged bretty bad. about 1" lift with bumper and winch. now i have RTE 3", old style, with no sag after over a year. They handle great on and off road.

 

[Robbie]

wow, lot of stuff up there. start with the driveline mods needed to handle a lift - there is no hard and true rule of what you will need, what will happen or how much it would cost. 2" lift might need no mods. Or it might need new driveshafts (double carden). Or it might need new driveshafts, new trailing arms and new radius arms. Or might need new driveshafts, new trailing arms, new radius arms and a front TT to help correct/mask castor. Noone will be able to tell you until you put the lift on and start troublshooting your vibes (if you have any). 3" and over, and you will probably have them though.

i have either the first or second run RTE (they are almost 3 years old, so not sure). They are the 2" RR4/RR1's with about 30k+ miles on them now. I have not noticed any perceptible sag, but I also do not do much wheeling (full on cyber wheeler here), maybe 4-5 times a year of actual wheeling, plus a lot of runs along gravel roads. But I do carry heavy loads quite often. With a really heavy load (700+lbs) just in the back, you will have quite a bit of sag of course. But I also have had a KVT bumper and 95lb winch on the front for the past year and haven't noticed any real droop. Not sure if this tells you anything or not, but that is my experience.

 

[bigred]

Falcon.. When I say that they settled, I don't think that it is enough that anyone else would even notice. They still perform great, both on and off road. It just looks like the rear is sitting a touch lower than the front if I look hard enough.

 

[Falconx84]

Looks like i may try the RTE springs, esp since they have the 5 yr guarantee, plus they have the sort of "package" on their website where they can apparently fix whatever goes wrong. This looks like it'd be better than me guessing and ordering parts at random, lol.

I'm looking at a minimum of 2" lift, and possibly 3" or the 2+2 BL/SL. It all depends on what my insurance check comes out to....

Any ideas or opinions?

Thanks for the info so far guys, I can really count on dweb!

 

[Falconx84]

so, what do you guys think.... 3" SL or 2+2 sl/bl RTE kit?

 

[Robbie]

what size tires you going to fit?

i would only go suspension lift. but as long as you are not going over 265/75 or 235/85 then i would stick with 2".

 

[Falconx84]

I'm gonna try to fit 235/85... but I'd kinda like additional body clearance and perhaps a little bling

 

[bigred]

Do it up, man.. 285's on the 3'' RTE lift. The combo comes highly recomended!

 

[Devin W]

I'm using the 5" RTE (black) springs and haven't noticed any perceptible sag other than the initial amount from the weight of the front bumper and winch (approx. .5"). I've got about 15K on the them with a little moderate wheeling, but fair amount of offroad driving.

I didn't need to make any driveline mods for this combo to work, but I do feel that the driveline is more vulnerable. And FYI, to really fit the 285/75, I needed to go to the 5" set up as the 3" still allowed for a fair amount of rub.

 

[utahdog2003]

235/85 was the proposed tire above for 3" lift

 

[bigred]

Devin,
Do you have any pictures of your rig? I was just going to go from the old to the new RTE 3", but after listening to you may consider the 5".. Maybe I have spring envy? Will my OME shocks still work?

 

[Devin W]

Bigred
Here are a couple pics. I'm not sure if either of these show what you'd like to see, but if you have a specific view in mind, I can snap a shot. I'm not sure if your shocks will work or not. My Fox are the 10" (which is actually longer than many companies 10" shock due to the way they measure) and they work well. I also had to change out brake lines and space down the frame crossmember under the rear of the motor / front of transmission to provide for enough driveshaft clearance when the axles are fully articulated.

 

[bigred]

Nice rig! That may be the way for me to go! How can I find out if my OME shocks will still work??

 

[Devin W]

Thanks. Here's one more pic that gives you a comparison to a truck that is running (I think) about a 2" lift and maybe 245's.

As far as the shocks go, I would ask whoever you source the springs from. I got some good advice from the guys at RTE when I was doing my set up.