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So I finally decided to bite the bullet and ditch the leaf springs in the front. I think it’s worth getting the controversial matter out of the way first… YES, leaf springs are super cheap, simple, capable, and can flex very well. With the right shock valving, this Jeep rides over bumps in the road really smoothly as well. I assure you I have gotten as much as I can out of the leafs as I can over the last 5-10 different iterations and tweaks. I’ve tackled everything from spring rates, bushings, bolts, shackles, shackle angle, and even leaf spring length but I’m still left wanting more. At the end of the day, I’ve probably spent as much on leaf springs as I would’ve had I just gone to coilovers early on but I also know that’s not a totally fair comparison considering SUA, SOA, new front axle, bushing changes, XJ leafs, etc are significant steps in progression that many people stop at. I’d say it’s less about what the suspension can do and more about what how it does it. I’m going to put some pictures below showing how the leafs flex under heavy load with the rear coilovers on the bumps and then how they don’t flex until the coilovers are on bumps. The driveway shot is on a 16” wall and the drivers front suspension compressed a whopping 1/8” while the passenger rear shock compressed 5” and the drivers rear drooped 8”. If you’ve heard me talk about suspension imbalance, this is what I’m talking about.
I’m literally swapping out leaf springs with 14” of travel for coilovers with 14” of travel so I think the comparison will be really interesting to see.
A few shots of the Jeep pre-build...
I’m literally swapping out leaf springs with 14” of travel for coilovers with 14” of travel so I think the comparison will be really interesting to see.
A few shots of the Jeep pre-build...
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