Hellwig EZ 990 installation question for 2015 silverado

malibu43 · July 5, 2020

Hey folks. I went to install my EZ 990 helper springs yesterday and had to abort once I realized a piece of hardware was missing. However, before I got to that point, I had the truck up in the air supported by the frame and the wheels off. When I did a test fit of the helper spring, the cupped ends of the spring were sitting very close to the factory springs (one end was almost within a 1/4 inch of the factory spring, which is where it's supposed to be if you have it tightened down to maximum preload). That got me thinking that maybe you are supposed to install with some weight on the wheels, so that when you "tighten it down to prevent noise and rattling when going over bumps", the springs are in a state that is representative of when you are driving. If I tightened it down to that point with no weight on the wheels, it seems as though there would be a huge preload on the springs once I lowered the truck back down. The directions from Hellwig start with chocking the wheels, but never mention lifting the vehicle. However, the directions end with "lower the vehicle back down", so the directions from Hellwig are also a little confusing about whether their should be weight on the wheels or not. I have looked at you tube, but didn't find a silverado install. The videos for Ford and Dodge see to show it being done both ways...

I was able to get the missing hardware from Pep Boys this morning, so I'm hoping to do the install today in the next hour or two (going camping on Thursday and want these on and ready before we go).

Can anyone help clarify whether or not I want any weight on the rear wheels when doing the install?

malibu43 · July 5, 2020

Never mind. Directions say to lift the truck if necessary to get the outer u-boats started. Cant believe I missed it before...

malibu43 · July 6, 2020

Another question - during installation I found that the rear end of the passenger side leaf springs are misaligned by about a quarter of an inch. I noticed it because it made it difficult to slide the rear u bolt over the springs, and the u bolt was sitting a little crooked. Is this normal, and will it cause any issues with the helper springs? Can I (or should I) try to get them back in line with a c-clamp or something?