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01 XJ droopy rear.... need springs....

FastFreddy4

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Ohio
Ok I know this topic has been beat in the ground... and I've done the search every day this holiday weekend reading what others have done... and I found a lot of talk about people doing things - but not a ton of follow up reports. Basically I have a 2001 XJ Sport 4x4 4dr. The rear is drooping... 15.5" axle to flare (supposed to be closer to 17" from what I read). I loaded the family up and did a 3 hour drive recently and other family members drove with us also... and they all commented how the jeep looked to drive up hill all the way.... so I looked at it loaded and it was low looking in the rear... not hatefull but not right. And unloaded (but a full tank) it still looks droopy (thats where the 15.5" was measured from).

Now I don't off road the vehicle and it is a daily driver that sees a fair amount of highway driving so the dreaded lifted death wobble is a worry for me. I just bought new stock size tires 3 months ago - so I don't want to buy more tires. The most off roading I do is back dirt path roads on trips... its all driveable and no rocky climbs or anything... (most any truck would make it with stock clearance).

So I have found a few solutions...
  • buy a set of shackles for the back (like these on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=004&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=140121591912&rd=1,1 ) and just raise up the rear - since the ride is still fine.
  • Get a set of the V8 coil springs for the front and the Quadratec HD rear leafs and hope it sits level and has no wobble. (hoping the rear spring bolts don't break)
  • Get a add a leaf for the rear and replace it later when it all wears out again. (hopeing the rear spring bolts dont break)
  • save my money and get a OME 2" lift kit that seems to be going for around $750 or so and hope the front bolts don't break off when doing the rear springs, but be totally done with it.
I don't tow often but maybe 2-3 times a year when I need mulch or dirt for house projects. I don't want a death wobble as I plan on driving an hour each way to Kings Island each week this summer for me and my 5year olds Summer of Fred (I'm a stay at home dad). Don't want to break the bank, but if thats what it takes to do it right the wife would let me, it would just take longer to get it done. I'd love the shackle idea to be ok... its cheap and I'm totally capable of doing it myself... as long as I don't wack out the driving capability of the XJ at highway speed doing this.

Thanks for any input, sorry it was so long winded....
Fred
 
Seems to me all but the first option would do.I put HD leafs and off road shock on the rear of my XJ and it raised it up about 1.5 inches higher then stock.I never thought about putting V8 springs in the front to level it out.
 
My XJ's rear sagged about 2". Bought some Rusty's 2" Add a leafs.....

Took the pack apart, wire brushed, WD40'd and reinstalled. I left out the bottom most and smallest leafs (they were cracked anyway)

Not a harsh ride, and the ride level is stock. Maybe a 1/2" higher in the rear than stock. But it helps when you have people in the back or junk in the trunk!
 
I bought a set of Nokian Vatiiva stock sized 225/75/15 tires... they worked great through the Ohio snow and rain and I was very pleased with them. Not the manly BFGs I wanted.... but great tires for my actual use... first time I actually bought tires for actual use instead of what I thought looked the coolest...lol.

So I can get the Rustys kit for $99 and shipping... and get the poly spacers for the front and the add a leafs for the rear and that should balance out my droopy stock rear? That just seems so cheap I'd have to try it. OR... if I went with the Rustys $250 2" kit that came with new front coils, rear add a leafs, and shocks - would that be a better deal? And I see he offers a new stabilizer shock for $30 - with stock tire sizes and only 65K miles is that worth replacing?

Thanks a ton to everyone who so far responded! I definitely have more now to think about....
Fred
 
Not necessarily. If you don't get a new leaf pack for the rear it may just bring up the rear to stock height....then the spacer in the front would raise the front, creating another "droopy rear."
 
What about this - Quadratec carries Old Man Emu rear leafs... http://www.quadratec.com/products/16090_530.htm

Supposedly a 2" HD spring. So if it would raise where I'm at 2" that would put me a 1/2" over stock which is fine. OR... If it raises me 2" above the stock height then I need to get some kind of spacer for the front coil to balance it out. I could do those rear springs, then drive it for say a week (approx 300 miles) and see where it sags to and get the right spacer for the front and be done... because the spacers for the front dont sag - just put them in and thats what you have.

2 inches is that going to be a death wobble? And why is that spring $50 less than the light and medium ones?

Sorry for all the questions - just want to do the suspension right and when done be able to forget it and just drive it....

Thanks again,
Fred
 
You could do the rear first, then front. You won't need an alignment if you do the rear alone....you will if you do the front....and then decide you don't want the lift in the front.....more work and money!
 
But if I replace the entire spring with new - that should raise it above the 'stock' height right? If I add a leaf - it might move my 1.5" low truck back near stock height....

Just making sure I have this right...

FF
 
Oh, of course.....if you replace the entire pack with a lift pack.....it will raise it.

Yes, add a leaf will raise it to about stock height. If you got a 2" that is. A 3" would probably be more.

It all depends when you're working with old packs.
 
The OME kit is the cushiest ride of all if you do the whole thing, front and rear, you'll get about 3"-3.5 that will settle a bout a half inch. Nobody I have ever talked to has regretted doing an OME kit.
 
So if I get the OME rear HD springs from Quadratec... will the stock shocks still work... 3-3.5" sould like a lot of lift over stock
 
FastFreddy4 said:
So if I get the OME rear HD springs from Quadratec... will the stock shocks still work... 3-3.5" sould like a lot of lift over stock

No, if you can just bite the bullet get the whole kit, the springs match the shocks with the OME, front and rear springs, F/R shocks and bushings for the rear, get rubber not neo.
Or if you really want to reuse the shocks you can get bar pin eliminators or BPE's that should work with stock shocks as long as you don't plan on flexing it alot they are around $35 a set and give you around an inch, inch and a half.
 
One option that you didn't list is the route I went with my wifes 97 stocker: airbags.
Her XJ doesn't sag unless you get 4 people in it and/or loaded with gear. All of that was liveable until we bought our 21' boat.
For less than $200 and a couple hours labor, I can set the Jeep to ride level for any load or cushy for a lighter load.

Airlift kit# 59507 XJ Jeep Cherokee
 
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