Sorry if my post sounded rude last night, I must have been a bit grumpy when I typed it up.
Cars and other vehicles with independent suspension and lighter suspension/driveline components in general are an entirely different ball game than a leaf-sprung truck with larger diameter tires. With your truck, you are looking at 500+ pounds of unsprung weight at both ends with tires (assuming) in the 31"-33" diameter range. It is not NEARLY as sensitive to such changes, like a car would be.
No problems with what you've posted. I'm usually a blunt typer and I hope I've not came across rude either in us having different opinions. I mean no illness in attitude.
My opinion, off of what I've read from your end is yours is more weighted towards the handling and braking end. My issue is not just unsprung weight, of which I'd take all i could get without killing the look of the truck...i.e. 26x6 on a 4x4.
My concern, or better area of improvement, or better still area I dont want to lose in, lies in the rotating weight. Not the sprung vs unsprung.
When my 01 Silverado gets 16mpg on 33" bfg all terrains on oem wheels and will light up almost all the way through first with a Cai, exhaust, programmer and 4.10s and then gets a set of 18x9 KMC wheels in the same height bfg all terrain and won't spin and goes down to 13mpg there's no other reason besides rotational weight/unsprung. Now these are torsion bar fronts, but what they are on the front is irrelevant. How that truck braked or handled potholes after may be due to unsprung weight, but not the acceleration. Also regarding rotational weights, leaf sprung trucks and 70s muscle cars with leaves respond equally as 4 link late mustangs and 3link foodies. The rear suspension has no bearing on on rotational weight. Regarding handling, I would absolutely agree with you but most people will have no concept of why.
And regarding sensitivity I'd argue still that heavier and slower vehicles will be way more sensitive than lighter and more powerful vehicles. My examples would all be based on racing, but that shouldn't make a difference. Math and percentages are facts and a rectangular hunk of steel on 4 rubber circles doesn't know what it is, and what it isn't.
I wouldnt notice rotating weight changes on a 10 second fbody or a dirt track car in acceleration. I would notice them on a Honda Civic or a Ford Focus or any truck except maybe a diesel, this being due to the power issue imo, not the weight. Can speak from experience here on 2500s gas vs diesel.
