Spring Comparison: RE vs Clayton vs Big Offroad

[BillDunn83]

i run Big offroads 6.5 springs on mine and I love em i get incredible amounts of flex and once they were broke in they ride nice too! i used to run RE but these are way better. on the other hand I have heard a lot of great things about clayton too although a buddy of mine actually bent one of thier leaf packs...

 

[Mike H.]

Pretty hard to beat OME for the $.
My next set will be Deaver.

 

[swbooking]

I run the BOR springs, and they sagged within a few months. Well one side did anyways. After talking to them, they said that Alcan only has a 30 day warranty on leafs. I could have jumped through hoops and ended up sending them my leafs on my dime, but I honestly dont have that time with working away from home a month at a time.
They flex no where near as good as the OME's I had on my last rig (SOA YJ).

Martin

Wow, I find that pretty hard to believe... I was hoping mine would sag a little but they have been at the same height for the last 2-3 years that I've had them on my rig... I wheel my rig pretty hard, I'm never the one to take the easy line and used to DD my XJ over 1000 miles per month, both my springs are at the same height and have not sagged at all. Maybe you were just the lucky one and got a bad spring? :dunno:

 

[bchulett]

Im running a RE 3.5 lift with new packs that i just picked up this summer. Front netted 4" while the rears netted 5". The ride is stiffer than stock, but not too stiff. Its also not soft either and ive noticed that the rear does not like to articulate at all. It is quite rigid back there. All in all great package.

That's not how springs are supposed to work... "stiff" like rigor mortis.

Pretty hard to beat OME for the $.
My next set will be Deaver.

My next set will be Deaver... I can't wait to get rid of my RE leaf springs.

.

 

[JOSEJALAPENO]

The Deavers are sweet, You will be very happy with them. I have had then for 2 years
& thay are still great. I think with in this year i will pull them off & send them to deaver to have them serviced.

 

[MG2000XJ]

The Deavers are sweet, You will be very happy with them. I have had then for 2 years
& thay are still great. I think with in this year i will pull them off & send them to deaver to have them serviced.

At $700 for a pair of springs they better be sweet. I have been thinking about ditching my RE's for Deavers as well, sounds like it'd be worth it.

 

[Mighty.Mighty_XJ]

Yeah, wish I could, but unlikely I'll be spending $700pr for any springs. I could get so much else for that $$.

 

[DaJudge]

I have had BOR 4" Flexy leafs for 3.5 years and they are great. My RE springs sagged almost immediately.

 

[jeeperguy21]

Hopefully with my experience, I can give some helpful input. I have ran both BOR leaf springs and Clayton 6.5" springs. I bought the BOR springs brand spankin' new and ran them for about 3 years. They are way taller than advertised, which required me to put coil spacers in the front to level the Jeep out. BOR states that they recommend running their leaf springs with a longer shackle, which probably contributed a little to the uneven stance, but it was WAY taller in the rear until the 2" coil spacers. I hoped they would settle, but after 3 years, they were just as tall as the day I bought them. Not to mention stiff as hell. The only way I could stand using them was by removing the bottom two leafs so that the ride was softened up a bit, which worked fine for the time I had them on. The BOR leafs that I bought were the FlexE leaf packs, and not the Heavy Duty too. I can't imagine how rough the ride must be on the HD packs.

I bought a used set of 6.5" Clayton leafs that had been used for about two years from someone that rolled their Jeep and was parting it out. Not only did the height match up so I could remove the coil spacers in front, but they also have rubber bushings, which I love. BOR offers rubber bushings too, but I didn't want to fork over the extra cash back then to get them and just dealt with the poly bushings. After 3 years, the poly bushings looked as new as the day I put them on after I removed the BOR springs from my XJ. To this day I don't know why my BOR leafs were so dang stiff because on many threads you can read about people raving about their flex, ride, and performance. I honestly don't think you could go wrong with either one, but I know for a fact that I now have a love for Clayton and their springs are top notch. Let me know if you have any questions about either packs that I have.

 

[kastein]

You already have what I have... OMEs. Mine have not sagged noticeably and I've carried all sorts of things I shouldn't have, including at one point a Ford 8.8 that stayed in the back for a few months, another time a d30 that stayed in the back for a few months and was joined for a month or so by an AW-4, an NP231, and about 75lbs of tools. My carpet hated me but the springs just kept on going.

I recently added another 1.5" of lift in the back with a set of teraflex boomerang shackles, didn't mean/want to but I needed more length in the shackles to really get any flex out of the springs. I probably scragged the crap out of the springs for the first year or so I owned them because stock shackles didn't let them flex much, most of the suspension travel I got was the centers of the leafs inverting a bit. Still, they haven't moved height wise. They do flex a hell of a lot better with the shackles added though.

 

[JOSEJALAPENO]

At $700 for a pair of springs they better be sweet. I have been thinking about ditching my RE's for Deavers as well, sounds like it'd be worth it.

You will be very happy, Thay work well in just about everything, From
going fast in the dirt to slow rock wheeling.

 

[justin_502]

I got RE leafs and cannot wait till I get them off my jeep and get some Deavers, I had nothing but crap with Re from the product to the service! Never again wouldent reccomend that company to anyone.

 

[Mighty.Mighty_XJ]

You already have what I have... OMEs. Mine have not sagged noticeably and I've carried all sorts of things I shouldn't have, including at one point a Ford 8.8 that stayed in the back for a few months, another time a d30 that stayed in the back for a few months and was joined for a month or so by an AW-4, an NP231, and about 75lbs of tools. My carpet hated me but the springs just kept on going.

I recently added another 1.5" of lift in the back with a set of teraflex boomerang shackles, didn't mean/want to but I needed more length in the shackles to really get any flex out of the springs. I probably scragged the crap out of the springs for the first year or so I owned them because stock shackles didn't let them flex much, most of the suspension travel I got was the centers of the leafs inverting a bit. Still, they haven't moved height wise. They do flex a hell of a lot better with the shackles added though.

It's funny because I remember that when I bought my OMEs, all my research & reading specifically recommended against lift shackles. Said to use stock shackles, which I did for about 2 years or so.

 

[leftlanetruckin]

I have the 4" superflex springs, and boomerang shackles along with a shackle relocation. Only one side has sagged, and is now noticeable from about any angle...
Flex wise, they are nowhere near as good as OME springs. I am guessing the folks that rave about the flex have nothing quality to compare them to? Not insulting anyone mind you, so keep the soap box in the closet:rof:
On my YJ with OME springs, I could climb a 42" tire with all 4 wheels on the ground. The rear Big springs have no where near the flex to do that on the XJ. Too solid, which unfortunately did not help with sagging...
Ride wise they are OK, nothing to write home about but bearable for sure.
After using and abusing the Clayton long arms (replaced the rubber bushings with Ballistic joints after @2yrs of hard wheeling and DD'ing) , I would have zero hesitation in running their leafs myself.
Again, just my .02...

Martin

 

[kastein]

It's funny because I remember that when I bought my OMEs, all my research & reading specifically recommended against lift shackles. Said to use stock shackles, which I did for about 2 years or so.

Yeah... I used my stock shackles because I wasn't sure and didn't feel like dropping another 100 bucks. If you think about it, it makes sense though - a more heavily arched lift spring will change more in length relative to the body when it compresses than a stock spring, so the shackle needs to have more room to move forward/back, and since it's limited as to how much it can turn in the body mount, the only way to get that is to use a longer shackle. Well, aside from some goofy mickey mouse revolver shackle death contraption, that is.

I just wish I'd gotten longer shackles sooner, and slightly shorter lift springs - it flexes WAY better and the ride is a hell of a lot better as well with the longer shackles. The back end is 1.5" higher than the front now, looks a little goofy and I was hoping to stay lower but it evens out some with a weekend worth of spare parts and camping gear in the back.

 

[Highway XJ]

Are the Deaver 5.5 inch coils progressive? Looking to do something about the ride on the front as the washboard freeways are shaking my teeth out. I have RE 4.5 inch coils now, rated at 169 pounds they say.

 

[WebDog]

I just picked up a pair of Custom Deavers for a customers F350 Chase Truck, the springs are massive and well put together.

I am going to try to get some $$ together and get a set for the XJ in the next month or so.

 

[Mtb Jak]

OME.. but i need more lift now..

I already added the "AAL" from OME shackle, and relocation bracket what could be the options? After riding in a few other lifted rigs I can honestly say none of them rode as smooth as my rig..

 

[Mighty.Mighty_XJ]

OME.. but i need more lift now..

I already added the "AAL" from OME shackle, and relocation bracket what could be the options? After riding in a few other lifted rigs I can honestly say none of them rode as smooth as my rig..

That's the exact combination I have now ... OME + extra leaf, reloc. brackets & 1" shackle. I dunno exactly how much lift I have, but I like to say around 5" because that's how the numbers add up. I need to let some weight off the OME springs. They seem to have flattened with my bumper/carrier and I don't want to run 'em into the ground. Hence this thread.

It's really making me mad all these guys saying OME springs are the best, because I have to give mine up. I'm so conflicted! If I could somehow get them re-arched & run them again, I would. When they're off the XJ we'll see if they have indeed sagged. As it is, I have decided on the Claytons. My reasons? Just looking at the opinions here, the price, FREE SHIPPING! and proximity to me. I waited a little bit too long to purchase & I was pressed for time. Thanks to everyone who tried to help out with my decision.

Shameless plug: I have a pair of (new), RE 3.5 for sale and my OME pack will be as well ... if anyone's interested. PM me.

 

[ocean_jet]

I ran RE leafs from their 4.5" inch kit and one side sagged within a year. RE told me tough crap and there is nothing they will do about. They said springs are a "wear" item and not subject to their lifetime warranty.

I got some used Deavers and am much happier.