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long arm or leaf spring conversion

A

agentxj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
san antonio, tx
i was intrested to see what you guys have to say about it.
i think that the leaf would be less money and be easyer for the sterring setup (for big lifts above 6 inch. ) but what about flex and handling . those who are running these setups it would be good to hear from you.
 
Boy I tell ya! You're opening up a can o' worms with that topic!

Frankly,I like both. But I'm easy to please. As long as it works I don't care if it's leaves or coils. The end justifies the means for me :D
 
Georgia Mike said:
Boy I tell ya! You're opening up a can o' worms with that topic!

Frankly,I like both. But I'm easy to please. As long as it works I don't care if it's leaves or coils. The end justifies the means for me :D
Click to expand...

What a useful contribution to this thread Mike, thanks for sharing :rolleyes::D

I was going to suggest that maybe we try to limit this to theory as it applies to leafs and theory as it applies to coils and leave the short vs. mid vs. long arm debate for a seperate thread after we convince him that coils are better. ;) That way we can get some useful tech on the pros and cons of both without getting all wrapped up in just coils(no pun intended). Just an idea

Ary
 
Ary'01XJ said:
What a useful contribution to this thread Mike, thanks for sharing :rolleyes::D

I was going to suggest that maybe we try to limit this to theory as it applies to leafs and theory as it applies to coils and leave the short vs. mid vs. long arm debate for a seperate thread after we convince him that coils are better. ;) That way we can get some useful tech on the pros and cons of both without getting all wrapped up in just coils(no pun intended). Just an idea

Ary
Click to expand...

[opening NEW Can of worms] So I should go coils out back too?[/OC of W]


:D
 
It all depends on the well you are fetching buckets from...

Below 5" I'd stick with what came there: Coils on pads, 2 shocks, track bar + 4 links. It's proven to work by thousands of folks, who may have it all wrong.

At 5-10" it's a battleground... Not too many leaf folks here to argue for em :dunno: Plenty of other Long Arm/Mid Arm/Short Arm folks I'm sure will chime in why their's is better.

Seems to me that lots of setups have merit (depending on ones budget, parts scrounging/wrenching/fab skills, tolerance for downtime, budget etc...) with the leaf conversion being IMHO towards the "easier" end of the spectrum.

Easier isn't automatically worse or non-functional though. IMHO it really depends on what the Jeep is expected to do and the plan to get it to where it can do it.
 
woody said:
with the leaf conversion being IMHO towards the "easier" end of the spectrum.
Click to expand...

So what your saying is that reinforcing the frame, knowing where to weld spring mounts, fabbing new steering is easier than taking a crossemember that has arm mounts, slapping the longarms on?

i think making longarms is way easier, you already have the platform to do it with. all you have to worry about is steering issues, thats if your going real high.
 
Didnt need to add anything structural. Front hangers welded on the front bumper, used the lca mounts on the other end. Even reused my stock front axle. Steering is just now solid as a rock. Leaves can be cheap and easy, research, be ready to disassemble and try again, have time. Took time to get the shackles at the right angle. I spent two nights a week on mine for a month before it was ready to ride.
Would I do it again. Probably. I'm alot more confident in my fab skills now. I stuck it all together and it didnt come apart(yet). I might have tried a long arm but money is still tight and those long springs arent free.... It works. Nothing dramatic. I bought almost everything used.
Jeeppic061.jpg

vacation7-4186.jpg

PS: just tore up the junky 35's and bought new 36" swampers, the cheap lumpy kind. works great. going to trailor it to tellico next year so I can try the tough stuff with out fear of having to nurse it home.
 
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I have never had or even had a ride in an XJ with longarms so I can't give an honest comparison, BUT I can tell you what I love about my leafs up front.

Easy! yes that's right, it's not that bad to set-up, especially since I swapped a Waggy D44, the coil setup on that would have been not so fun.

Cheap! I actually made money by selling my 4.5" coil lift stuff and buying a Waggy D44 and slapping leafs on it. I looked at doing longarms and it would have cost me about $300 versus making about $100. That $400 difference is very important to me considering my student budget.

Ride quality! The ride quality is FAR superior to 5"s with coils and short-arms and I would imagine it is just as good as a longarm setup. It flexes better than a 5" shortarm setup, but feels way more "stable" than coils. I would guess that it flexes almost as good as a longarm setup but with a much more "stable" feeling. Silly crazy flex is WAY overrated.



Judge for yourself, if the cost was the same, I would probably go longarm by a narrow margin. One day when I have better budget to work with I'll go 3 link with coilovers.
 
mad maXJ said:
I would guess that it flexes almost as good as a longarm setup but with a much more "stable" feeling. Silly crazy flex is WAY overrated.
Click to expand...

I think leafs will not even come close to a properly modded long arms. ONly way you can come close to it is to do the funky stuff with the leaves, like 3/4 or 1/4 eliptical
 
KarmirXJ said:
I think leafs will not even come close to a properly modded long arms. ONly way you can come close to it is to do the funky stuff with the leaves, like 3/4 or 1/4 eliptical
Click to expand...

I am using 57 inch MJ leafs (with Chevy and Waggy leaves mixed in) and a 4 inch regular shackle and I am maxing out my 12 inch travel shocks and will probably max out 14 inch travel shocks when I get them. Okay, so maybe some long-arms could max out 16 inch travel shocks, well who makes 16" travel shocks? No one without spending a couple hundred bucks a shock.

And then there is the ever popular subject of whether or not tons of flex from long-arms is actually accomplishing anything. If you have your long arms dropping farther than a 14 inch travel shock, then the coil is certainly unseated and the only pressure on the tire is part of the weight of the axle. That is not helping you any, get some lockers and decent flex, I aint going for a ramp queen.
 
if I had to build a rig most likely I would of gone with leaves cuz of the simplicity, all im saying is that you already have the 5 link configuration infront of the xj, why not just stick with it and make it easier.

and yes, your right, too much flex is for ramp queens and really doesnt to anything. it is over rated.

but standard config leaves do have their limitaitions.
 
KarmirXJ said:
you already have the 5 link configuration infront of the xj, why not just stick with it and make it easier.
Click to expand...

cuz it wouldn't have been easier, leafs were very easy to set-up, especially using a Waggy D44. I tried sticking with the factory 5 link by going to 5.5 inches of lift with the control arms in the factory locations and it SUCKED. It rode harsh on the street and didn't flex as good as now with the leafs. And then there is the cost aspect of it all which I also touched on above...

I am convinced that leaves are the way to go for anyone looking for 5"+, has the ability to fabricate, and is on a tight budget.

Yes leaves have their limitations, but so do coils, so do radius arms, so does just about everything. Now if time, money, and frame/oilpan permitted, I would do a triagulated 4-link with coilovers and full hydro steering. But alas... they do not...
 
as for crazy flex .... anyone ever heard of limiting straps?

now to play both sides.. my long arm setup has me chasing gremlins if something comes loose.. i hate chasing gremlins ALOT, i also use the inverted y setup for steering still , which i also hate. i've given some thought to doing SOA in the front... seems like it would be much simpler and easy to troubleshoot with a proper setup. Even now as i am getting ready to change out my rear springs i wonder if i could use my old ones as front springs... i can tell you this much.. setting up a longarm setup takes a while... especially if you are designing a crossmember, triple checking all your measurements and angles etc etc. also take into account there are way less parts to buy with leafsprings :D
 
thanks AZXJMAN for the link but it is what started this thread

My xj is sitting and now would be a good time for the leaf conversion with a d44 if i can find one for cheap
also i am a poor college student and leafs look good for price
i was thinking about it when i looked at rustys site the rig he has pics of with his long arm setup must ride like a shoe box on top of a boble head doll .....thanks you guys for all the info
 
Yellowxj conversion pics
Some pictures of my conversion. Not a good write up but...if you didnt count the cost of my welder and chop saw (borrowed the torches)...the rest of the front lift cost less then $500. Also found a full size bronco front drive shaft was the right size and length...works great with that much lift.
 
Just put a street only quik disconnect track bar on the xj. Able to use all bolt on parts from tractorsupply/trailor supply store. THE THING RIDES LIKE ITS ON FREAKIN' RAILS. OH MY GOD
My leaf spring set up is almost....dare I say it...perfect. Now that I've said that somethings breaking in the driveway right now.
 
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