I have an '88 E-250 Club Wagon that I think rides way too hard. I was wondering if the front and rear springs of an E or F-150 are any softer and if so, are they easily swapped into my E-250? If not, can anything else be done to soften the ride?

 

Two questions before offering any suggestions/
How much air are you running in the front and rear tires , they do use different pressures?
What kind of shocks are presently on the vehicle and has any suspension work been done recently?
One last question for now, what if anything are you carrying in the vehicle?

 

Hanky, I run around 40psi in the tyres. Funny you should ask though because I was reading somewhere the other day that they should be up around 55psi. Is that true? If so, that'd only make it worse. The shocks are what was on it when I bought it almost 2 years ago. They may well be the origonals and they're probably shot. No suspension work has been done to my knowledge, certainly none by me but I intend lowering it 3" in front and 4" in the rear with an AirBagIt lowering kit. Despite the name, this will not involve air bages but rather drop I-beams with the coil springs, and raised hangers with longer shackles for the leaf springs. At that time, I'd fit new shocks. The problem, as I see it, is that it's a load carring vehicle that spends 95% of its time empty. The most I'd ever have in it are 2 motorcycles weighing a total of 800 lbs and even that would be a rarity. If I'm right about that, the simple solution would be to use fit the suspension from a similar but lighter duty vehicle, say an E or F-150. Your thoughts?

 

sounds like bad idea. I doubt if the lighter springs would fit. Usually, 250 series have different frames and axles.


If it had to pass a safety inspection; it would fail. Installing passenger tires would cause a fail let alone under rated springs.

 

On the driver's side door pillar, where the latch post is located, there should be a label showing the proper air pressure for the size tires the vehicle was certified. I believe it showed 55 front & 85 rear. If the suspension is tired there may not be enough cushioning to provide a comfortable ride. The brand of tire can also influence ride quality. Depending on where you reside, state inspection requirements can be pretty strict when it comes to altering a vehicle. Some states and also insurance companies don't look favorably on altered vehicles.It wouldn't hurt to inquire without disclosing your identity as to whether the requirements might affect your vehicle depending on what is altered and how much. It most likely was intended to be a work vehicle, but some of them rode quite well.
More weight carried= better ride, but less MPG.