Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

Spring Rate Spring Info Thread

18K views 32 replies 20 participants last post by  kgb_m3 
#1 · (Edited)
Spring Rate Info Thread

Here is some stuff I decided to compile for future refference. This came from the "Who has the softest rideing 2.5in lift?" thread. Spring rate is per pair unless otherwise noted.

Spring Maker .......Lift .........Rate Front (lbs/in) ...............Rate Rear (lbs/in)
------------.........---- .......------------------...............-----------------
Tuff Country ....... 2.5 ................205 ....................................255
BDS ....................2.5 ................299 ....................................299
Old Man Emu ........2.5 ................185 ....................................208
Black Diamond ......3.5 ................240 ....................................250
Waggy (7leaf front) 2 .................210 .....................................---
Rustys (5leaf).........4 .................165.....................................165
Pro Comp...............4..................287.....................................228
Rubicon Express....4.5..................210.....................................224
Rancho 44050.......2.5.................175......................................---
Yj (unconfirmed)....0.0.................174.....................................190

Notes:
--------
The OME springs speced are J1R and J1R 4 leaf and 5 leaf accordingly.
 
See less See more
#5 ·
BDS makes to kinds of spring packs. One is standard and other is heavy duty.
EDit: wait nvm thats for the 3.5" lift.
 
#6 ·
Thanks, I was just about to start looking for this info ! :thumbsup:
Why does it seem that the softer riding spring is up front for some ? wouldn't you want the stiffer ones there because of the extra weight ? Or am I not getting it.....
 
#7 ·
hogzilla said:
Thanks, I was just about to start looking for this info ! :thumbsup:
Why does it seem that the softer riding spring is up front for some ? wouldn't you want the stiffer ones there because of the extra weight ? Or am I not getting it.....
Towing....
 
#8 ·
that will explain why my old man emu rides soooo good then...:thumbsup:
good job on gathering the info xj, well done mate!
btw you ever get the sye sorted out??
 
#10 ·
Looks like I'm in for a rough ride!:eek: :D I have the BDS 2" springs in the garage ready to go. Nice info guys.. Hopefully others shopping for a small DD lift will find this info. It really doesn't matter for me but it is something that should be considered since a smooth ride isn't a big factor.
Great job guys!:thumbsup:
 
#13 ·
93YJfalcon said:
I wonder if there is a trade off. Maybe the higher the spring rate the longer before they sag? Does anyone know if this would hold true?
certainly. springs are designed to have a certain number of deflection cycles throughout their life. a higher rate spring will deflect less than one with a lower rate so all things being equal the "harder" springs will last longer before wearing out. the down side though is that being harder you get less flex out of them offroad. cyclical lifespan has to do with materials as well as design factors, so you can of course get a high quality, soft spring like say the OME that lasts just as long as one of the harder ones. :thumbsup:
 
#14 ·
anyone know the spring rate of superlift's 3.5" springs? or the RE 1.5" SOA springs?

this thread is great...
 
#15 ·
I wonder if the spring rate has something to do with BDS's awsome warranty.

As for the spring rate vs. sag topic: The more the object moves and bends, the more out of initial state it will become. One thing to note is that there is a point on all springs that if you excede the streching limits, it will "break" the spring (when I say break, it could just not bend back into its normal position). However, on vehicles this isn't really a problem becuase coils do not have forces streching them, and leafs have bump stops.
 
#16 ·
leftlanetruckin said:
that will explain why my old man emu rides soooo good then...:thumbsup:
good job on gathering the info xj, well done mate!
btw you ever get the sye sorted out??
yeah... porc kit with a cut down xj shaft....
 
#18 ·
hogzilla said:
Thanks, I was just about to start looking for this info ! :thumbsup:
Why does it seem that the softer riding spring is up front for some ? wouldn't you want the stiffer ones there because of the extra weight ? Or am I not getting it.....
Look at it this way. The weight in the front doesn't change much. You load 3 of your football buddies, a couple cases of beer, and a wench or two into your Jeep, and most of the weight is on the rear springs.
 
#19 ·
Funny how most will say BDS has the best riding springs but on paper they should be the stiffest...
 
#22 ·
Very helpful advice. I have a question though, What do I look for with the spring kits if I have a hard top and want to lift? I imagine the hard top adds alot of weight to the back end.
 
#23 ·
Rescuer265 said:
Very helpful advice. I have a question though, What do I look for with the spring kits if I have a hard top and want to lift? I imagine the hard top adds alot of weight to the back end.
most lift manufacturers have already assumed you have a hardtop to be sure that their springs won't sag. OME offers different springs to match your top, but really i wouldn't worry too much about it. I've been running my BDS with a hard top, 100 lbs of sand and 5 lbs of tools every winter (probably 5-6 months of the year) with no noticable sag. the hard top adds weight, but it's not really concentrated at the extreme rear of the jeep. a winch on the other hand will generally have more affect on your front springs.
 
#24 ·
sentinal02 said:
most lift manufacturers have already assumed you have a hardtop to be sure that their springs won't sag. OME offers different springs to match your top, but really i wouldn't worry too much about it. I've been running my BDS with a hard top, 100 lbs of sand and 5 lbs of tools every winter (probably 5-6 months of the year) with no noticable sag. the hard top adds weight, but it's not really concentrated at the extreme rear of the jeep. a winch on the other hand will generally have more affect on your front springs.
THanx man :thumbsup:
 
#25 ·
Greatwhite007 said:
I am still on the fence between blackdiamond 1.5" and 4WD Hardware 2" for my YJ..... Want a good ride...not sure who is better....

Any thoughts?
Just so U and others know... all 4WD in house springs are now made be Pro-Comp! :rofl:
They used to be BDS, but have since changed. :( :confused: :mad:

Funny how most will say BDS has the best riding springs but on paper they should be the stiffest...
I was thinking the same thing.
I honestly don't know everything about spring rates, so this is just my ecduated guess... there must be other factors involved because I went from pro-craps to RE, to BDS. Allthough the RE by far were the softest, the BDS's seem to flex just as well with only a slightly firmer ride... and they're still new, so they should soften up a bit. Neither of the two are remotely close to the crap ride and flex of the pro-comps, so I would'nt worry about the higher rate by BDS.

Besides, when I go on over night wheel'n trips, I load so much junk in the junk, I can use the extra help! :D

WoRM :2c:

btw... I have the RE 4.5's for sale (shameless plug, hehe)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top