5-6 inches of lift for a daily driver that rides nice?

[84Silverado4x4]

my 84 shortbox has a 6-8" full spring suspension lift in it currently and it rides extremely rough!  I am wanting to keep enough lift to clear my 18x10 wheels and 35x12.50x18 tires.  This is a light off roader but mostly a daily driver that I would like to ride much nicer!  Any recommendations?

[fxrsrider]

High quality coil overs and maybe a polybushing overhaul all the way around

[illinoisk30]

What brand lift is currently on your truck? I run Skyjacker on all my trucks and they are the best. I have a all spring 4" on two and all spring 6" on one. Very happy with all of them.

[Engineer]

Skyjacker for the win.

[84Silverado4x4]

I'm not sure what the lift is for sure but the shocks say Rough Country  Heckethorn on them.  I only see a 6" lift listed for rough country and though I don't know what size lift it really is I had another 84 shortbox with a 6" superlift in it and this truck sits a couple inches taller.  I was told by a local 4x4 shop that I won't get a rear spring with that much lift to ride good.  They told me they just don't flex enough with a short wheelbase and the short spring and that I would be better off using stock springs with blocks.  They said my other option would be Deaver springs but that they would be expensive!

[Irish_Alley]

i agree with the shop about the whole block ideal but 8" blocks might be a little too much. you might want to think about 4"blocks and 4" springs or 2" blocks and 6" springs. but the more lift you have in the springs the rougher the ride.
rough country could of made the 8" lift years ago or the P.O. might have just got cheaper shocks from them

[Engineer]

For the rear if it is 8" you may consider a shackle flip and this will allow you to run a stock spring and a shorter block than what would be needed otherwise.

If you do a shackle flip in the rear avoid hauling heavy or towing big loads.

[84Silverado4x4]

With the 5.3 LS and 4l60e trans it probably won't be a big pulling machine but I wouldn't mind being able to pull an open car trailer with one of my hotrods on it now and then.  My goal is to have only enough lift to clear my 35's with no issues and not trimming the fenders.  I would like a decent ride and still be able to handle some lighter towing.  I don't need it to ride like a cadillac but the ride I have now is rough!!  I like a little lift and its fun to do some light off roading but it's mostly my daily driver and spends most of its time on black top.

[VileZambonie]

Once you go over 2" of spring lift the ride gets much worse and I don't care what brand of springs you put on it, it will still bounce like you're jumping on your bed. Those JC Whitney shocks probably aren't helping you either. 4" lift will clear 35"s without issue especially if you are not off-roading it. IFS would sure make a big difference in ride comfort but it's not a popular conversion since it's not a direct bolt in and most guys prefer the solid axle strength. Believe it or not the seat actually makes a big difference in ride comfort as well. The factory seats are like trampolines and will usually send your head into the roof over rough roads while some after market seats make you absorb every little movement of the truck. I would suggest a sodt ride 4" spring lift, good quality shocks and a nice comfy seat.

[84Silverado4x4]

I'm looking at 4-6 inches of lift.  I think my rear sits just a bit taller than the front.  Do you think my fronts are ok and it's mainly my rears giving me the bounce and roughness?  What should I install for rear spring/blocks combo and what shocks should I use all around?  I have front buckets and center jump seat out of an 08 Silverado installed in the truck right now and I really like the seats.  The truck is set up with extended brake lines, front sway bar drop down brackets with quick release, steering arm for the lift, and a dual steering stabilizer.   

[VileZambonie]

How are the rear springs setup? Factory shackles and hangers? All spring, no blocks?

[84Silverado4x4]

Yep factory shackles and hangers with no blocks all springs.  My best guess is this is somewhere in a 6-8" lift but if it's supposed to be a 6" it's a tall 6.  The top of my cab is just over 7 ft. with new 35's on it.  It won't go in my 7' garage door but I had another 84 same truck but with a superlift all spring 6" lift with same size tires and that one made it in the door pretty easy.

[VileZambonie]

How many springs are in the pack?

[84Silverado4x4]

There are 5 springs in the front leafs and 6 springs in the rear spring pack.  The bottom 6th spring on the rear is twice as thick as the other 5.

[Mario]

I would go with a 4" arched spring pack in the rear with a 3" lift block.  Personally, I'd rather be an inch taller in the rear than equal or lower.  I don't think you really need the overload spring ("6th spring, twice as thick").  Just go with 5.  You could have a spring shop build you a new main leaf, and re-arch your other leaves for around $400.  I would arch the top 3 to match, but run the bottom 2 flatter by at least 1/2".  It will create a two stage effect.  3 springs for the first 60% of the weight, and 5 springs for the last 40%.  Something like that anyway.  Maybe Four Wheeler has an article on the best shocks to use.