New to me 03 Limited 4WD AC

Looks like you hit the jackpot with this truck. Super clean inside and out. Congrats......

 

Im on the 4th clip on my AC 4x4 with LT tires now and it’s not too stiff. Might even ride better with the heavier tires now actually.

 

The clip height doesn’t change the spring rating (stiffness) on a spring, just the ride height. Perhaps you’re feeling a placebo?

 

It does change the preload, which can make the ride stiffer. It also changes the static ride height which can limit available down travel, making it easier to top out on dips and holes, giving a more jarring ride in those conditions.

 

True, but subjectivity trumps logic, it seems.

I'd liken it to tire rubbing. "Stiff" is subjective, just like "No rubbing" is subjective to some folks, i.e. the people for whom "only rub in reverse/only kiss the frame a bit on one side/had to remove front mud flaps to kill any major rub" is synonomous with "no rub" from a set of oversized tires.

Ride stiffness/squishiness is similarly subjective. Like, my Toytec coilovers are stiff for rapid hits. Like, really stiff compared to OEM KYB shocks. Mind you, some of my stiffness sensation was definitely because I was rolling brand new E-rated A/T tires, slightly worn and a smidge larger C-rated tires removed some of that jarring sensation of stiffness, but my coilovers still feel overly damn stiff to me.

I've run coilovers for lowering on a host of different vehicles, and it's always stiffened shit up, so I should've listened to my personal experience with them before listening to others saying, "rides great, smooth, you'll love 'em...", but I also don't mind, I'm not in very deep on $$ with them. But subjectively, I find them really stiff, others don't.

What I've seen in the few years we've both been here is, like, some people think 5100s ride stiff as hell in general. Others feel like they ride like OEM but smoother. Some guys say 3rd clip is brutally stiff, then another person will come along rolling 4th clip and say it's smooth as OEM.

Oh, and what constitutes "preload" is apparently a very, very contentious topic.

 

Very nice !