The aftermarket springs vary in thickness.
If you go to ORD and search the aftermarket import springs vs their custom springs, you'll see the ride and the height differ because custom quality springs are thinner and ride way better than any stock or aftermarket spring. $$$
Check out Jay Leno's Dutz videos and look at the springs for a 3 ton vehicle.
Twice as many, very thin is the prescription.
What you are asking is very esoteric unless you define who made what and what ride quality you wish to enjoy.
Taking out a leaf on worn springs will kill the ride quality to ride height.
They could break if the bolts are stuck inside the bushings, like mine.
Call Off Road Designs and buy the best quality at the correct ride height, rather than wish for a great ride with the proper height?
Custom springs will provide exactly what you want. Within 1/2 inch, as the thin leaves make it much easier to tune for ride profile.
Removing a single thin leaf is no big deal with a large pack.
You can also have the OEM springs re-tuned and heat treated to spec.
We have a shop here in MT that offer's re-tuning of OEM springs.
The problem is, OEM springs brought back to spec might not meet your profile requirements for the show aspect.
In most cases, OEM spring pitch will have the truck leaning and biased rear to front or vice versa.
The friction in the bolts and bushing bends the springs out of shape at the hook, because the high compression rubber binds the spring hole to the rubber and the bushing to the rusted bolt. That is why stuff bends and breaks and the ride starts to mess up along with the profile.
Once the bolts is frozen to the mount, the spring bends at the flat just inside the spiral.
Now all your measurements are worthless. The spring is damaged.
Taking out a leaf could make things worse.
Greasable spring bolts and bushings with the correct arch will prevent this from happening again.
You could be asking whether removing a leaf on bent arches would be better on one side, when it's not bent on the other?
See what I mean? Nobody can answer without correctly diagnosing if your springs or the eyes are bent or not.
There's no simple answer, unless you start from scratch with quality components and gresable bolts, from what I have researched.
Your best bet would be to have your bolts removed and the stock springs re-tuned to OEM with gresable bolts.
ORD's solution would probably ride a lot nicer than the stock fix.
My truck is getting 60" K2500 springs and the 14-Bolt axle with new perches.
Can't afford new custom ORD springs. The 52 inch stocke-rs are shot.
The 60 inch springs and 14-B were very affordable.
Welding and fabricating new perches and mounts is tough, however I'm not going for ride quality, but towing capacity AND ride quality with a load.
Drive line angle is critical with any spring modification. Without correcting the drive line to differential angle, you could break stuff.
It is very important when you alter spring packs to align the perches and the drive line.
If your goal is to keep the ride height as close to stock as possible, 3-1/2" shackles could be used instead of the 4" K2500 shackles to maintain as close to stock ride height as possible. Or vice versa.
Knowing that part, before ordering the custom bushings kit, was important, because the shackles use different size bushings.
Before you order your gresable bolts and bushings, make certain which shackles you'll be using.
You can adjust ride height with a different OEM style shackle and not mess with the pack whatsoever.
A set of new shackles is $50 for a set of Doorman's. You could source a set of OEM's from the bone yard and have them pressed out, if you want higher quality steel and tougher shackles. Pressing the bushings and rubber inserts takes all of a 30 ton press.
Keep in mind, if your bolts are frozen in the bushings and your springs are actually bent, this will not improve your ride, simply adjust your height.
Altering the spring shackle height, might break an already bent spring, hauling a camper or a cord of green firewood.
If your springs are bent and you modify, thinking you've made it all good to go, it may very well break under normal heavy duty use.
Think this through. What will you expect of your truck?
Just measure, measure, measure, then order once.
Everything's a trade off.
