well this is my first post here so hello to everyone and im hoping i can learn alot here... i recetly purchased an 1989 chevy suburban 1500 4x4 it rides really rough over bumps etc. i replaced the shocks a week ago it took some of the pain out of riding in it but still rides hard and stiff.. could it be the leaf springs? any idea would be appreciated thanks in advance.  

I do not really know what you are calling rough but I have a 89 burb that I have owned since it was new and it is not the smoothest rider on bumpy roads and it never was. 4x4 burbs up through 91 were built on HD chassis which was sturdy but not known for ride quality at times.  

they have negative arch springs and very little uptravel before they land on the bumpstop, even a speed bump at the grocery store can bottom it out on the bumpstops. they ride much better with simply adding a leaf in the front, and night and day different with a set of easy ride lift springs in the 2-4" range.  

mudb8-.:
they have negative arch springs and very little uptravel before they land on the bumpstop, even a speed bump at the grocery store can bottom it out on the bumpstops. they ride much better with simply adding a leaf in the front, and night and day different with a set of easy ride lift springs in the 2-4" range.

I would say there is day and night alright, it is WORSE with added spring! I know and ran mine that way with a added spring from a GM front leaf stack to raise it and ride suffered more. I got tired of it after many years and took it out. BTW, that burb can have one of 3 spring types in front. Std 2 leaf, HD 2 leaf and HD 3 leaf. The 3 leafs rude a bit nasty and lot very friendly on a bumpy road. If you raise a burb and soften springs (rearched set) then you can have handling issues because a burb is heavy and has a high CG and last thing you want to do is raise it and soften ride too.  

I had the same gm third spring istalled, the ride was 10 times better as I said...mine is a diesel.

when I started playing with lifts on the chevy's in the late 80's I found the 2-4" lifts handle and ride much better on, they eliminate the sway from the negative arch springs. I ran 255x85-16s and 33x12.5-16.5's.  

Diesel weighs about 350 to 400 pound more between engine and extra battery than they come standard to HD 2 leaf setup with 3 leaf optional. I drove a 72 GMC 3/4 truck from 74 to 84 and it had 3 leaf in it from factory and it was NASTY on ruff roads plan and simple. I ran them on my burb for about 9 years and then I was done with them. Ride is  better without them. Not perfect but much better. Worst factory front suspension I have ever seen on any 4x4 was on that J20 Jeep I have. When it was new it came with a optional front spring package that had 7 leafs on each side in front. You felt EVERY crack in the road.My father  in law bought it as a farm truck and disliked that he could not hardly sip coffee in it on even a smooth road. We took out 3 leafs on each side in front and it helped a lot but was still somewhat firm. When I got the truck in 86 I put two of the 3 leaves removed back in and put a plow on it a little while later. Even with "just" 6 leaves in front it had no problems with a 600 plus lb plow on front lifted in carry It did not even sink a inch.  

well i dont drive this truck on rough rodas i live in the city, and as stated above sipping coffee is not at all possible with this thing. in the  first post i said rough maybe what im experiencing is too soft of a ride... bottoming out, and lenaing like hell into corners kinda sounds like too soft of a ride, mushy maybe please excuse me this is my first truck in just tryna learn here... one other thing on the back leaf there is a 2" rubber looking block in the middle right where is rests on the axle. is this factory or was this installed to raise the vehicle in some way?  

well im my lifted chevy I can sip coffee and set it on the dash while driving down the hwy...

this is a 4" rancho spring lift and 4 rancho 5000 shocks.
i also have a 82 burb with skyfacker springs and rancho 5000's

my 69' chevy was by far the worst handling and riding rig I ever have had untill it got a rancho lift under it.  

I have owned and driven my burb for 19 years so there is not much you can tell me about them or that body style as I have lived with it and put over 180K miles on it and over a dozen cross country trips on it too in all kinds of weather and temperatures. It is the second burb I have owned too.  

im thinking im gonna have to get used to this kinda ride possibly, any idea on what those rubber blocks are on the back leafs?  

torridomax:
im thinking im gonna have to get used to this kinda ride possibly, any idea on what those rubber blocks are on the back leafs?

I have not heard about them for a while. They were used to stiffen up ride in rear a bit and make it less pitchy. They buffered the overload leaf contact with stack so that you would not get as "ruff" a ride when it was deflected near overload and suddenly contacting it on a bump. (rubber compression buffered it) If you are riding low enough in rear that you are in near or complete contact with this booster it can make ride a bit ruff. In this case, adding a leaf to rear to get it further off stiff boosted can improve ride some.  

ok and can usomeone direct me where i can purchase one leaf? or two leafs i have checked a few places such as lmc truck jc whitney they dont sell them individually, also is there any benefit of replaceing the leafs with a new set from jc whitney? also today fter a short ride i look under the truck and notice my rear shock was hanging the shock mount that is welded to the axle has two loops kinda both are snapped off... also i have no idea where to buy this part to have it welded on.. thanks  

As far as leafs, I get mine made at a spring shop. (I place that rebuilds and makes spring stacks) they can cut and arch it to your needs in a matter of minutes. On the shock bracket, if it is missing, I would look for one off a junk axle. Find one, cut it off and weld it to your axle.  

im looking now for a junk axle they are pretty easy to come by, i will also look in my area to find a place that can make and bend leafs for me... thanks you