Carli leaf spring shackles are the final cherry on top of rear ride improvement. Built in the USA, these shackles improve ride, articulation, and serviceability. Unlike the stock shackles that bind and restrict movement, these are designed to keep up with and augment the ride improvement from Carli leaf springs.
Some of the jarring ride of the Super Duty rear can be attributed to the factory vulcanized bushings in the leaf spring pack and shackle. The factory shackle is very strong BUT the design is not conducive to a smooth ride. This is no surprise as a Super Duty isn’t made to ride well, it’s made to tow. The Factory leaf springs are high-spring-rate and short-travel, why would Ford design a shackle that rides well and is capable of extended suspension travel? Vulcanized bushings are a press-fit bushing often utilized by OEMs in which the bushing material is adhered on both points of contact.
Carli does everything in their power to milk these trucks for as much ride quality as they can. The vulcanized bushings may not seem like a big deal until you consider that there are 6 total bushings fighting suspension movement in the factory configuration – front leaf spring pivot, rear leaf spring pivot and shackle pivot.
Replacing the factory springs with Carli-spec Deavers replaces 4 of these bushings (front and rear leaf-spring pivot) with free-moving, serviceable bushings, and this shackle replaces the final 2. In contrast to the factory bushing, the Carli Bushing assembly utilizes more bushing material and a thinner sleeve to prioritize ride damping.
Further, Carli bushings are serviceable. Droop the rear end and grease them through the protected zerk fitting. There are channels for the grease from the zerk. The grease travels through these channels, around the crush sleeve and to the bushing face for optimal grease migration and bushing life.
If you do manage to wear out the Carli Shackle bushings, you purchase new ones and swap them in; reuse the crush sleeve. The factory shackle requires replacement in its entirety when the bushings crack/rot.
Quantity 1 is a FULL SET of shackles for your truck.
SKU: CS-FSHACKLE-11
- Greasable and Rebuildable
- Far Better Ride than Factory Shackle
- 1/4" Steel Construction
- Fits Factory and Carli Springs
- Fitment: 2005-Current Ford F250/F350