[I'll dispute that Timbren's don't affect the unloaded ride. I know two people that have/had them...and they do affect the unloaded ride, and they surely affect the slightly loaded ride.

If they are installed with a spacing between them and the frame, the unloaded ride is unchanged from the stock suspension. I have mine set so they contact the frame at the same time the overload springs first touch the spring pack.

Absolutely NO hassles and NO change in the original ride. The way they are installed will determine what kind of empty ride you will have. If there is no spacing, the Timbrens will stiffen and make an empty ride uncomfortable.

If they are installed with 1" to 1 1/2" air gap unloaded, and you get more than that in jounce, you are going to have ride quality affected. Fact. Throw a couple bags (like 8) of dog food in the back, near the tailgate...the air gap will be less and the axle slap against the Timbrens will affect ride quality.

But hey, to each his own.

I've had the exact same conversation with him several times, when questioned where the "custom" install kit came from, there was no response.  Interested if I could 'adjust' my kit to eliminate the impact/slap when empty, I phoned Timbren.  They stated the ~1" spacing is the only avaliable kit for pickups.

Common sense will tell you during normal driving the suspension will move more than the ~1" of clearance Timbren specs for its kits.  Unloaded and lightly loaded ride will certainly be affected, mine is, but the trade-off is worth it.

If they are installed with 1" to 1 1/2" air gap unloaded, and you get more than that in jounce, you are going to have ride quality affected. Fact. Throw a couple bags (like 8) of dog food in the back, near the tailgate...the air gap will be less and the axle slap against the Timbrens will affect ride quality.

Your statement is the key to the answer. If the gap is larger than an inch or so, the original ride is unaffected by any interference. Here's some FACTS. During the last month of various trips during our most recent construction, I have carried two tons of sand, a pallet of bricks (670), fourty bags of concrete, several loads of wood that filled the bed, 12' pallets of steel roofing, and various loads that didn't include dog food.

Always running my tires at 80 PSI, I have no jounce that you claim whilst running empty. Under any load over a ton, my truck will squat a preprogramed rate of four inches total, regardless of load, until the tires fail. This has always been the case from the second year of our ownership with the truck.

Timbren makes kits for many applications. With access to a stocking dealer that will compare the heights of the various spring cones, a custom suspension can be effected. Fortunately, unlike some other people, I was told of this ability by other Timbren owners, before I had my Timbrens installed. These are my FACTS.

Like a dog on a bone with this...ok. So are you unequivocally stating that your suspension has NO movement unloaded? That as the truck goes down the road, over normal pavement sections and transitions from bridge decks to road bed, your rear suspension doesn't not travel the 1" gap?

The others I mentioned had Timbrens installed at my recommendation. Were/are they pleased with them? Yes. Did they affect unloaded ride quality? Yes. Was that a reasonable trade-off for the ease of use? Yes. Would I install them on my truck? No.

Do the air bags, that I have installed on my truck, affect the unloaded rise quality? Yes.

Personally, I don't like the 4" squat. I find driving with head lights, on-coming traffic tends to agree with me. It's another reason I went with air.

Like a dog on a bone with this...ok. So are you unequivocally stating that your suspension has NO movement unloaded? That as the truck goes down the road, over normal pavement sections and transitions from bridge decks to road bed, your rear suspension doesn't not travel the 1" gap?

Personally, I don't like the 4" squat. I find driving with head lights, on-coming traffic tends to agree with me. It's another reason I went with air.

Apparently you didn't read my thread(s). If you did, you would have understood that my suspension travels aprox 4" BEFORE the Timbrens are contacted. This is the very same amount of travel, the original stock suspension settings came with from the factory. My original suspension travel therefore is aprox four inches, not one inch. This is why we have enjoyed a comfortable ride even when the truck is driven empty. Thus my statement that the original empty ride remains unchanged, cannot be disputed. That is my unequivocable statement.

Only when an additional load of ~one ton is placed into the bed, will the original overload springs touch the main spring pack. This is the same setting that was also used to factor the Timbrens. The difference is now instead of aprox 500 # of overload spring assistance, the Timbrens offer aprox 6000# of support, much more than the truck can carry.

The width of your hand deflection at the tailgate, does not place a burden at night on approaching cars. That small amount is much less than most trucks deflect with any kind of load or when towing. It is also the reason we enjoy a comfortable ride. The headlights don't need to be readjusted, oncoming traffic doesn't object, and star gazing doesn't have to be a secondary hobby.

Sorry for the mistake gard....I thought when you mentioned the 4" compression of your suspension, that was after contact with the Timbren.

But you are outside the mfg's installation guideline.

But your set-up works how you want it to work.

It is highly unlikely a person interested in Timbrens will find 4" of squat acceptable, I certainly would not.  So for the vast majority of Timbren owners who use them to remove squat, the empty ride will be affected.  Most people still find it tolerable, but to say Timbrens don't affect the empty ride is not correct.

It would be worth mentioning in your future endorsements of Timbren; that you are not using them as delivered in vehicle specific kit form, and that you find 4" of squat acceptable.

My mention of a 4" squat has been stated innumerable times. As in this instance, each of them has been belittled by you. Because I didn't follow the "rules" and modified a product to my tastes, I have been continually bombarded by your statements, that what I have done is not possible.

This is a typical CS reply. When the facts are unarguable, and with no personal knowledge, you try to discredit the veracity of, and condemn the messenger. Then you further complain when your questions are not answered.

If you want to go through life banging down the road because someone else tells you you have to, go ahead. If you don't have the will or knowledge to change an uncomfortable situation, don't derogate those who have.

I enjoy a comfortable ride, a level ride regardless of varying loads, absolute reliability and no maintenance. I couldn't ask for or expect any better service from a product. That is my endorsement.

Nonsense, but that is a "typical stop picking on me" gard response. 

I am fully aware there are different rubber springs avaliable, and know of several people who have modified (both with different springs or brackets) the kit for their uses.  My point has always been that you claim to have an unaltered ride using Timbrens, yet the mods you have done to a standard kit are left out....other than an occasional comment about adjustment.  Timbrens claim to fame is their bolt on and forget installation.  Your 'adjustment' requires an installer knowledgable, willing, and capable to do more, which is rare to say the least.  Someone asking for advice about Timbrens should be aware of that fact, because an off the shelf kit (which is what you'll get if you don't ask) will not ride the same as a non Timbren equipped vehicle.

The one inch measurement is where you have measured the gap between the Timbrens and the frame.

The four inch measurement is the measurement between where the overload springs' bumpers remain when unloaded and the main spring pack on my truck. This will vary from truck to truck and brands. There is not a 4 inch difference between my Timbrens and the frame, it is less, but is of a sufficient length that they do not come into usage until the overload springs first contact the main springs.

If you are having ride issues with a stock one inch setting, the top of the Timbrens can be reprofiled with tools found in mechanics tool boxes, wood working shops or even most home owners' tool collections. Removing additional material from the top will improve the empty ride and have little or no affect on the total load support.