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SOA Guys - What Springs?

2K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  The Black Sheep 
#1 ·
I just picked up a 92 YJ with a spring over and 2" lift springs. It's running 35" tires on Waggy 44s and there's too much lift for the tires. I want to lower the Jeep a couple inches, but I've heard that stock springs aren't the best and tend to bow. The Jeep has a SBC under the hood, so I need a litte stronger spring anyway. What are you guys running for springs in your Jeeps with SOA? The Jeep will only see trails and very light wheeling, so I don't need anything with a lot of flex and I'm not interested in relocating shackles, etc.
 
#2 · (Edited)
My 91 YJ with 44 front and 60 rear, 350 TBI and it's SOA, used the original springs. You'll get roughly 4.5" depending on the perch height. You can go with less pack height to lower it alittle. I run 35's but I also have a body lift so I can go 38's. If using stock replacement springs make sure you have a wrap bar.

Take a look at the shackle length, are they stock or did the PO increase that length as well. May be able to regain a an inch or two there.

 
#4 ·
On my 91 yj with a spring over my stockers went south after 8 months . i ended up finding some newer stock springs and the removed the bolt , cut the eyes off of another main spring set and put them back together each with 2 main springs , it flexes well and they have held up after 3 years . and it was cheap ............
 
#5 ·
If thats your Jeep my advice would be in this order from "MY" prefered ideas to my least prefered......

-You have 35s, Unless you plan on going bigger, put it back SUA, get some Waggy Front 1335 spring rate springs (Check the SOA 2nd Thoughts thread, its well worth the read) Buy some TJ flares and a 1" BL, install them all then let the magic happen. Your 350 will cause spring wrap with pretty much any set of springs that perform well. Thats an entirely seperate issue

-Stock YJ oacks do work well. But only when modified. I took a bunch of stock packs, cut down a bunch of main springs and the first leaf below it and made 7 or 8 leaf packs front and rear. They flexed really well, didn't settle and I worked those fuckers over hard. Best thing is if I ever bent a main leaf, I could just pull another one for free pretty much from the junkyard and I was back up and running in less then an hour. For what its worth I never bent a main leaf and I ran rocks as nearly 90% of my wheeling. I was also a smart driver and smart enough to see a weak point in my suspension so I installed a metal bracket that stopped my shackles from inverting on a hard hit.

-Alcans. They are the shit apparently, based on picks Ive seen, I'm probably not gonna say anything otherwise. But they are expensive. And they are still a leaf spring with the same negative aspects of the other two options.
 
#6 ·
Mine has some unknown brand spring over stock height springs. They are made of heavier leaf meterial, like 5/16 instead of 1/4. They ride fine and flex fine, and don't seem to wrap. They still look the same after a few years of wheelin em.
Travis..
 
#7 ·
My vote is for some front Waggy springs.

I've had cj, and yj springs but after destroying the last ones I couldn't locate any used ones near by. Wagoneer springs are plentiful and work great.

My cj currently has a mixture of waggy and cj springs. I mixed in the cj's to lower the ride height. So far I'm happy with it.

(the rig is a cj7 w/ I6, 1 tons, 40's, leaves up front only.)
 
#8 ·
You might try taking out a few of the leaves. I have done that before with much success.

The best spring over spring I have found is the JC whitney 7 leaf CJ rear spring. It has a military wrap which is very necessary for spring over springs> I generally take the 2 lower leaves out and make it a 5 leaf.
 
#9 ·
You might try taking out a few of the leaves. I have done that before with much success.

Be very careful with this, I've destroyed spring packs doing this. All it takes is taking out the wrong support spring and the pack settles too flat or worse to inversion and an eventual "S" shape due to the fact that lifted springs have longer main leafs and when they settle might max out the shackle angle and still continue to settle even more.

The best spring over spring I have found is the JC whitney 7 leaf CJ rear spring. It has a military wrap which is very necessary for spring over springs> I generally take the 2 lower leaves out and make it a 5 leaf.
I've seen these springs work very well. Never used them myself. You don't need military wrap for SOA anymore then you do SUA. Infact if you have some spare scrap metal in about 5 mins you can make an anti-inversion tab to stop your shackles from inverting and killing your leafs. Military wrap just "resists" bending springs. Its a fix to a symptom, not a solution to the real problem.
 
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