95 T&C Sagging rear end

[drummertom]

I am trying to find a way to raise the rear end of my 95 T&C. I put a hitch on it and the hitch drags if I go over a low spot. Also, I don't want to ride around with the rear end sticking way up when I am not pulling the trailer. Air shocks would be great but they apparently don't make them for this vehicle. I would really like to have some kind of adjustment on the rear shocks. Any help is appreciated.

[rsublime4life]

Buy a truck

[neon_rt]

You can buy adjustable "Helper Springs" for about $40. These are easy to bolt on with simple tools. You can "tighten" the adjustment bolts to add height and stiffness or loosen them when you are not towing. When you are not towing, you will notice that the van handles much better with them.
Be careful with how much you tow with your T&C, if you have a add on hitch (not from the factory as the "Trailer Tow Package") you are limited to 1800lbs tow (includes 300lbs for Driver and one passenger) minus what ever weight you put into the van. For instance when we went camping, we had 6 people (800 lbs of people - 300 lbs allowance = 500) and about 300 lbs of gear for a total of 800 extra pounds. Take 1800lb towing capacity and subtract our extra 800lbs cargo and we had only 1000lbs left over. Our tent trailer was 1250lbs so we were over some, but we took it easy and didn't have any trouble. If you have the factory trailer tow, which includes auxillary oil and trans coolers and trans temp sensors, you start with 3500lbs and start subtracting cargo weight. Tow safely and don't kill your trans, they are very fragile. I would suggest a fluid and filter change by a qualified shop before taking a long trip. These transmissions take special fluid, make sure they DO NOT put in DEXTRON/MERCRON fluid or you will not have a working transmission very soon.

[Ed_Strong]

Originally Posted by neon_rt

You can buy adjustable "Helper Springs" for about $40. These are easy to bolt on with simple tools. You can "tighten" the adjustment bolts to add height and stiffness or loosen them when you are not towing. When you are not towing, you will notice that the van handles much better with them.
Be careful with how much you tow with your T&C, if you have a add on hitch (not from the factory as the "Trailer Tow Package") you are limited to 1800lbs tow (includes 300lbs for Driver and one passenger) minus what ever weight you put into the van. For instance when we went camping, we had 6 people (800 lbs of people - 300 lbs allowance = 500) and about 300 lbs of gear for a total of 800 extra pounds. Take 1800lb towing capacity and subtract our extra 800lbs cargo and we had only 1000lbs left over. Our tent trailer was 1250lbs so we were over some, but we took it easy and didn't have any trouble. If you have the factory trailer tow, which includes auxillary oil and trans coolers and trans temp sensors, you start with 3500lbs and start subtracting cargo weight. Tow safely and don't kill your trans, they are very fragile. I would suggest a fluid and filter change by a qualified shop before taking a long trip. These transmissions take special fluid, make sure they DO NOT put in DEXTRON/MERCRON fluid or you will not have a working transmission very soon.

Well, before you do anything do your self a favor and crawl underneath and check how many leaf spring your '95 T&C came equiped with. If you have the single leaf spring rear suspension deal like mine, Leaf Helpers won't work... I had that problem with mine. It seems that air suspension is the only way to go in that case.

[neon_rt]

I have the single leaf suspension under the back my Grand Caravan. I had the same sagging problem with it. I installed the "spring helpers" and it worked perfectly. The only drawback to it is, when you are done towing, you have to back down the adjustment bolts so the ride isn't too harsh. I would agree that air suspension is also a good choice but it does cost more. Since we only tow once or twice a year, I don't mind making the adjustment. Also the air suspension only addresses ride height, it doesn't do much with body roll, the helper springs contribute to stabilizing the van by resisting body roll. I also installed a Helwig rear sway bar to improve handling for everyday use and towing.

[Ed_Strong]

Originally Posted by neon_rt

I have the single leaf suspension under the back my Grand Caravan. I had the same sagging problem with it. I installed the "spring helpers" and it worked perfectly. The only drawback to it is, when you are done towing, you have to back down the adjustment bolts so the ride isn't too harsh. I would agree that air suspension is also a good choice but it does cost more. Since we only tow once or twice a year, I don't mind making the adjustment. Also the air suspension only addresses ride height, it doesn't do much with body roll, the helper springs contribute to stabilizing the van by resisting body roll. I also installed a Helwig rear sway bar to improve handling for everyday use and towing.

What year is your Grand Caravan and what helper springs did you put on it neon_rt?
I went to Advance Auto Parts and bought the ones they had on the shelf (similar to this ones http://hailin.en.alibaba.com/product...g_Helpers.html )
When I got them home I read the instructions and saw that the pictures only showed the multiple leaf spring combination. I called the company that makes them and the rep told me to bring them back to the store cause they're not intended for single leaf spring sets and were not going to work. So I took his word for it and got my money back. I believe the reason is that this leaf helpers go under the axle and owr single leaf Grand Caravans go over the axle.

[neon_rt]

I don't recall the brand (they were cheap), I got them from GI Joes (outdoor store). Helwig also makes some they are about $100 . It was just a simple arched spring that bolted to the leaf spring with a u-bolt. I would take a picture of it for you but the van got rearended in Portland and is now totaled.
BTW mine was a '00, we picked up another '00 cheap, I haven't had a chance to put a trailer hitch on it. I think this time I am going to put the Nivomat self leveling suspension upgrade on it instead of helper springs. The Nivomats cost just under $500 a pair. I am willing to spend more this time b/c of the insurance settlement $.

[drummertom]

Actually, I did some research that paid off well. I went to gabriel.com and compared shock specs for a 95 and a 96 T&C and found the only difference was about 1/4 inch difference in the length of the shocks. I went to a parts house and compared the two side by side and yea, there was only about 1/4 difference in them. Now they list an air shock for a 96 but not a 95, so what did I do? I bought a set for a 96 and put them on my 95 and so far they work great. There was not a clearance issue, although the top of the shock is VERY close to the frame rails but there is clearance. The whole setup costed me less than $50 and I would have spent almost that for a good set of non-adjustable shocks, so I am very happy so far.