• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Best Spring Pack?

T

T- Bone

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Germany(Army)
I am looking for a new spring pack in the 4.5 to 6 inch range. Anybody have an opinion? RE, Superlift, Tomken, Rancho. Maybe I should just fab one. I want max articulation, a decent ride and durability. I am tired of the old block and AAL.Thanks.
 
RE Extreme Duty leafs are great. They will net about 6" of lift. So the 4.5" they say just wasn't true in my case. The flex great, handle great, and can carry a load. I had 16 bags of sand in the back one day and it was just sitting about 1" lower. I do have ORGS boomerang Shackles on mine. They only give about .25" of lift but help the leafs to flex. Juice
 
pack

Yep. RE's are the only way to go!
 
Just to toss in another opinion....

I have [email protected]'s 4" HD rear leafs, along with a dogleg shackle. I've had the springs for a year, and put the shackles on last month. Right now, it measures just over 23" from center of rim cap to fender flare for 6+" of lift.

These are stiff springs, and take some time to loosen up. The spring rate is geared for XJs that customarily have a couple of hundred lbs. of load. Mine rides much nicer when I've got my top cab of tools, and a pop-up trailer behind it.

One other thing to note: these springs are a little long eye-to-eye. You really want a dogleg shackle to help in articulation. The stock shackle whacks the unibody pretty quickly.

Would I buy these springs again? In a hot second.
 
i had the RE 4.5s on mine with block and shackle lift. I took the overload leaf off... With tools and all my junk in there ( 250 lbs ) they sat DEAD at 6 inches of lift with the 1 inch block and 1 inch shackle lift.

I now have some RE 5.5 extreme duty springs a buddy of mine ordered with rubber bushings and removed to go higher. The net my 8 inches loaded with the block and shackles.. I like the extra wheelwell in the back and the raked effect so i can see down the hood on the trail.

from the fellas i have spoken with at paragon the BOR springs were a tad stiff for thier tastes, even full loaded. Skyjacker springs are what alot of my friends use ( the 8" springs with rubber bushings ) and they love them.

I'm going to stick with my RE's and flip the springs and change the shackle mounts for extra lift and an extended wheelbase.

i've had RE 4.5 inch springs on a previous Xj i had.. new they netted about 6.5 inches of lift with revolver shackles on them..
 
I have the 4.5" Re springs and I like them, but if you can find the Dakota , Chevy and other donor leaves cheap. Do it, many of the real Hardcore wheelers on the board have done Bast**d packs and have proven themselves over and over again.

With that said, I think the only real way to get the flex everyone wants in the rear, is either to do 1/4" elipiticals, coils or longer rear leafs packs. The length of the OEM spring mounts are the number one factor on how the leafs function, simple, the longer and flatter the spring, the softer and more flexible ride.
 
Man, you guys are all wrong. RE? nope, BOR? please, the best damn leafs out there are ORGS 11 leaf Nationals.

Everyone knows that National spring is the best you can get, and Mark Hinkley custom tuned these spring sets just for XJs. They ride awesome, provided me with about 6" lift (rated 5.5), flex like mad and dont sag!

Most of those other leaf springs are NOT tuned specifically for the XJ, they're just picked as a 'good fit'. There are 2 ways to make tall rear leafs. #1 - Small number of thick heavy rate leafs OR #2 - Large number of thinner flexible lighter rate leafs.

With fewer thick leafs to carry the weight & height, your XJ is gonna ride like a garbage truck.

At $550 for the pair, ORGS leafs aren't cheap but good parts usually aren't.
 
Last edited:
The dakota leave are unpredicable for lift height, but are usually in the 3-4" range.

Right now in the back I am running the stock mainleaf, all of the dakota pack except main leaf, and a rustys 3" AAL. The pack sits at 5.25" with a RE shackle. It flexes great and is really balanced to the RE 4.5" coils I have in the front.
The dakota packs can be picked up fairly cheap at a yard and the AAL I got used for $35 shipped so it is a cheap solution.

Andy
 
Let me just say that I am impressed by the activity on this board.
Thanks for the replies, I am still undecided but it is good to get some perspective from others.
I hear what your saying about the ORGS. Skyjacker says they use alot of thin leaves and that got me interested.
I currently live in Germany and the chances of finding a junkyard are slim. Then to find a light pickup in it are even worse!
 
vintagespeed said:
Man, you guys are all wrong. RE? nope, BOR? please, the best damn leafs out there are ORGS 11 leaf Nationals.

Everyone knows that National spring is the best you can get, and Mark Hinkley custom tuned these spring sets just for XJs. They ride awesome, provided me with about 6" lift (rated 5.5), flex like mad and dont sag!

With fewer thick leafs to carry the weight & height, your XJ is gonna ride like a garbage truck.

At $550 for the pair, ORGS leafs aren't cheap but good parts usually aren't.
Click to expand...

Vspeed ....

Since you're running these would the ORGS 11-leaf Nationals be the same or similar to the Currie 11-leaf pack (rated @ 5.0" lift) ?

They advertise these as "Desert Race rear springs" in the catalog... and are 2.5" wide and 150 lb. spring rate. $600/pair.
 
i am waiting on a pair of alcan custom springs. they should be here today or tomorow. i am running to the door everytime a brown truck drives by :D :D :D
 
this will be my first set, anyone have experience with alcan leafs?

the way i understand it is they are pretty good. and for the $$ i hope they are.
 
Are the Dakota leaves longer, or exactly the same length? Can you just swap in the entire pack? I've got an AAL right now and I've noticed I can actually see a space between the AAL and the main leaf. The AAL is long enough that it goes under the shackle and the main eye and the entire rear weight of the vehicle seems to be riding on just that leaf. Anyways, if Dakota leaves are cheap and a direct swap, I might check into it. What's a typical price to pay for a set of Dakota leaves at a junkyard?
 
The Dakota packs are about 6" longer,so you would have start with the next leaf down.My 96 is only a 4leaf pack and there pretty thick!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Best 4.5" Lift Ride Quality
2
Replies
36
Views
7K
75SV1
7
M
Test fitting RC 4.5" long arm on 2000 XJ
Replies
10
Views
4K
RCP Phx
R
T
Tire Decision - Debating between AT and MT
2
Replies
25
Views
6K
Evan03
E
X
Help me my Obi Wan Kenobi's
2 3
Replies
47
Views
13K
75SV1
7
M
Oil pressure question
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
Money_Pit_Incoming
M
Back
Top