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How do I keep my coils from falling out???

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dustybob

dustybob

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Rexburg, ID
So generally every question I ever have I can find an answer for by doing some searching... However I haven't found many answers to my current problem.

How do I keep my coils from falling out?? I have tons of flex which is awesome... But my coils fall out frequently on the trails that I've been running. Currently the stock retainer bracket holds them on the bottom but not very well. The top clears the bump stop and I need some way to keep it in.

I've been told to get some limiting straps, but I don't want to limit my flex and the rebuttal is that I need to limit so I don't damage my shocks... My shocks are plenty long and I have never maxed them.

So has anyone have a solution that has worked for them? OR seen something that worked? Please let me know your ideas and post pics! Thanks!

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-Dustin
 
Your answer is limiting straps. All that flex isn't any good if you don't have any coils. From the look of it it looks like you have hardly any up travel. If this thread goes like I think it will I'm sure there will be an essay or two written about usable flex, which I agree with. Goat is usually the one who pops in with that. I will leave that to him. Short answer? Limiting straps.
 
just get limit straps and lift a tire every so often. too much flex can hurt your capability to a point.
 
You have too much flex. Get shorter shocks.


New people talk about how much lift height and flex. Experienced people talk about how little lift height and stability.

Your mucho flex isn't adding one bit of performance, and is actually taking away from performance. I'll show you the best performing XJ's available and they don't have their coils falling out.
 
When I went to prothanes, I used a 3" diameter piece of plate bolted to the upper bump tower to give the prothane a place to land. They work pretty good keeping my coils from falling out as well.

Don't forget, if there is no weight on the tire, it doesn't much matter if its touching the ground or not.
 
Goatman said:
You have too much flex. Get shorter shocks.


New people talk about how much lift height and flex. Experienced people talk about how little lift height and stability.

Your mucho flex isn't adding one bit of performance, and is actually taking away from performance. I'll show you the best performing XJ's available and they don't have their coils falling out.
Click to expand...

There's the post I've been waiting on. lol.
 
Thanks to souske for being the only one that came anywhere close to answering my question... Do you have any pics of your setup?


For the rest of you...

I understand you can get to a point when more flex is just stupid and won't do you any good unless all you do with your XJ is set one tire on a forklift. However, I'm not to that point and I'm not looking to obtain any more flex beyond where I'm currently at. I just need to keep things retained.

New people talk about how much lift height and flex. Experienced people talk about how little lift height and stability.
Click to expand...

Where in my original post am I talking about lift height??? I have adequate lift to fit my 35s, no bigger... And I'm very stable.

Your mucho flex isn't adding one bit of performance, and is actually taking away from performance. I'll show you the best performing XJ's available and they don't have their coils falling out.
Click to expand...

Taking away performance??? I pride myself in conquering obstacles with my open diffs that others require lockers for. How do I do it? I keep it on all 4's

And some of your "best performing" XJs were probably built on a high dollar budget, mine was built on a fairly low budget with my most expensive part being my tires. The main reason mine falls out is probably because my springs aren't tall enough and the stupid puck spacer i'm using.
 
dustybob said:
Taking away performance??? I pride myself in conquering obstacles with my open diffs that others require lockers for. How do I do it? I keep it on all 4's
Click to expand...
how much good do you think a tire that's sitting on the ground with the weight of half an axle and a rim/tire on it is gonna do you?

Traction retained with that little weight on the tire is damn near nil.

... I also note that the front is flexing all over the place but the rear is acting pretty normal. Must make for an interesting ride when it seesaws the other way as your rear tire climbs something.
 
Goatman said:
You have too much flex. Get shorter shocks.

New people talk about how much lift height and flex. Experienced people talk about how little lift height and stability.

Your mucho flex isn't adding one bit of performance, and is actually taking away from performance. I'll show you the best performing XJ's available and they don't have their coils falling out.
Click to expand...

Shorter shocks ^

I would say that you should put on some straps.

Or maybe you can make come cheesy coil retainer that holds the top of the coil in. Weld some brackets to the bump stop and the body? But that would limit your downward travel, and cause the coil to pull back up after a certain point?

But really I have lots of flex and did really good with my old 31s and my 4.5" open differentials my coils never fell out. Now I have 6.5" and 35s more flex and still don't drop my coil out when I am wheeling. How inconvenient would that be "hey man will you get out and install my coil while I am going down this...."

The flex is great to an extent, at some point though you have to be realistic that you are overflexing and need to limit that or put on a longer coil that would keep your same height. If one exists?
 
Ok, so apparently you don't get on too often. Goatman knows a thing or two about extracting performance from the XJ chassis. You may ave heard of Team NAXJA and King of the Hammers? Your budget doesn't change physics. If you have 2 feet of space between your coil and your Jeep, you're wrong. Plain and simple.

Get limit straps. That is the correct answer. It doesn't matter if it's the one you want, it's the right one. You've got a lot of intelligent people here on the NAXJA forums, don't discount them. There are a few who's advice I consider above all others because their history and knowledge and experience have shown them to know their stuff; Goatman is one of them, and no he didn't pay me to say that...:D

As far as your coil being too short, if it gets longer, your Jeep gets taller. You end up with the same problem. The other option is for the coils to get closer together but then you lose up travel.
 
dustybob said:
Thanks to souske for being the only one that came anywhere close to answering my question... Do you have any pics of your setup?
Click to expand...
You do realize that in order to be long enough to catch your coil, you will be effectively eliminating uptravel, right?
For the rest of you...

I understand you can get to a point when more flex is just stupid and won't do you any good unless all you do with your XJ is set one tire on a forklift. However, I'm not to that point and I'm not looking to obtain any more flex beyond where I'm currently at. I just need to keep things retained.
Click to expand...
How far beyond where you are is that point? Because when your coils are falling out, I'd say you've reached that point. Think for a second...what supports your rig when the coil comes out? What happens when it pops out as you're coming down? Think of the damage that would be done. It'd cost you a lot more than losing a little (useless) flex.
 
dustybob said:
The main reason mine falls out is probably because my springs aren't tall enough and the stupid puck spacer i'm using.
Click to expand...

Why ask then if you have the answer?

It appears to be true you are barely falling of the bumpstop, with 2" longer coils and no spacers you'd be alright. But without limiting straps you could still go further and cause the same problem.

I'm with Darky also on there are some folks on here that KNOW their stuff.
 
Pics would help probably. You must have super long shocks and zero uptravel if the coil is retained on the bottom and the top is going past the bumpstop tube and coming off.

What front springs are you running? I've got 4.5" RE springs and a 1" spacer and I've never even come close to losing a spring. Never had limit straps and my shocks have plenty of travel as well.
 
Lot's of us on here had issues with the front coils falling out in the early years of our XJ wheeling builds and experience. For some strange reason, none of the people who have been doing this a long time have problems with their coils falling out anymore. Wonder why?


If you try to argue with experience, the experienced guys just smile. :)


There's nothing wrong with the coil unseating some, and there's nothing wrong with figuring out how to retain the coil. The whole concept of a coilover triple rate kit is to deal with the coil unseating. However, the only reason I commented in your situation about getting a shorter shock is because yours is on the extreme side, and the extra droop is useless. I deal all the time with people who want the longest possible shock, which usually ends up limiting up travel for the sake of useless droop. A longer shock also has a longer body.
 
Dude don't listen to these guys.

If you get rid of your flex, all your friends are going to make fun of you.

Grab some rubber bands and wrap them around the coil and tape them to the frame.

Seriously, this whole hobby is about who's the coolest anyway.
 
you're lucky you don't drive like me, if my coils could unseat that far one bump at speed and the jeep would go end over end.
 
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