why not Add-a-leaf?

[SavageRacing25]

hey guys im looking to do a 3in or 4.5 lift in the keep and i was just wondering why everybody seems to dislike the add-a-leafs? i did aal in my pick up and it seemed to do the job, but just wondering why you guys dont care for them? thanks alot

[AznDrgn]

AAL's tend to give you little lift and tend to wear out quickly. This is not the case in all situations but it is for most since XJ leaft packs are so soft and flat to begin with.

[Dassc612]

The thing that I disliked most about my AAL when I had it was that it was very stiff, on and off road. On the road it wasn't so much of an issue, but wheeling is when it was. An AAL is adding height by using a higher spring-rated leaf pack to compensate for the additional height that you're trying to achieve. This means that the added leaf has to be much stiffer in order to lift the vehicle, and in the end you're sacrificing flexibility.

When you have a full leaf pack with springs of all the same spring rate then they will work much better.

If you have healthy leaf packs then the AAL will not sag. I put my BB AAL on a set of 6 month old Quadratec HD leaf packs, and until the day I removed them (about 1 year) I experienced no loss of lift what-so-ever.

[SavageRacing25]

alright thanks for the info guys, i plan on doing a lift and wasnt quite sure the difference of them. Thanks alot

[Solidsyko]

idk...my dad added full length aal in the rear of the now mine cherokee when it was maybe 3? it has gone from a 4ish inch lift to around 3. So honestly it must really be on a case by case basis.

[kadetklapp]

Here's a question-

I'm getting Rusty's 2" BB AAL next month and installing it right away. I think I'm going to find ZJ front coils and install them, but how about adding ANOTHER leaf to the rear, say from another XJ or an S-10 or something? Would that 1)Help keeps it shape and 2) gives it true 2" rather than 1.5-2"?

[Jason, aka: Jeepin.com]

1) yes
2) yes

but
3) it'll make the pack even stiffer. If you don't mind a really stiff ride and not a lot of rear suspension flex, then you'd be OK.

[kadetklapp]

Well, I want SOME flex, will I lose most of what I had? The ride I'm not too worried about.

[americanautomov]

I had Skyjacker AALs in both my XJs and never really had a problem with them sagging.

[doogie]

I feel like the defender of AAL's since I happen to like mine. And I give the same spill everytime I talk about it so:

I have a Rusty's full length 3" AAL. I've had mine on for the last 50,000 miles. I tow a 2,800 lb boat most of the summer. I wheel it as often I can. And there are a few small areas near my house that I flex it all the way out on atleast a couple times a week. I haven't ridden in a full leaf pack XJ but mine rides good, better than it did stock, but maybe my shocks were shot who knows. Point being, for the money AAL's don't deserve a bad rep. If I had the extra money when I bought the lift would I have gotten a full pack probably. But am I unhappy with my AAL....not at all and have no plans to change it. It hasn't sagged but if it does chances are I'd get another AAL, for $59 for a pair of replacements, you can't beat them.

[kadetklapp]

Well that makes me feel somewhat better.

[DslCJ8]

Have you tried to find a local spring/suspension shop that will fabricate leaves to match your current spring rate?

[balloo93]

Originally Posted by doogie

I feel like the defender of AAL's since I happen to like mine. And I give the same spill everytime I talk about it so:

I have a Rusty's full length 3" AAL. I've had mine on for the last 50,000 miles. I tow a 2,800 lb boat most of the summer. I wheel it as often I can. And there are a few small areas near my house that I flex it all the way out on atleast a couple times a week. I haven't ridden in a full leaf pack XJ but mine rides good, better than it did stock, but maybe my shocks were shot who knows. Point being, for the money AAL's don't deserve a bad rep. If I had the extra money when I bought the lift would I have gotten a full pack probably. But am I unhappy with my AAL....not at all and have no plans to change it. It hasn't sagged but if it does chances are I'd get another AAL, for $59 for a pair of replacements, you can't beat them.

If your packs are in good shape the AAL will last longer. I ran teh same Rusty's 3" full length AAL and it flexed fine, but the end of the main leaf started to invert over the end of the AAL. Over time this would have messed up the main leaf and cuased issues.

I now run a bastard pack S10/XJ leafs and am at approx 4-4.5" of lift. The S10 main leaf is longer than the Rusty's AAL and seems to be slightly softer. it hasn't worsened the mainleaf and has actually allowed the Main to retain it's curve.

[ChewyXJ]

I'm glad that Doogie and a few others have had good experiences with full length add-a-leafs.

But, if you think about what we are asking this one leaf to do it becomes easy to understand why so many people have had bad experiences with them. We are asking this one leaf (per side) to not only lift and support the vehicle but it also has to deal with the resistance of the less curved stock spring pack.

In my very humble opinion I will always recommend a full pack replacement for a long-term lift over 2". More often than not it will provide a better ride, more flex and a longer lasting more reliable lift than an add-a-leaf. Yes, its costs more but I tend to think long term.

Good luck with whatever you decide.