Rustys 4.5: Spring Question

So I'm lookin at a rusty's 4.5 to replace my aging 3.5 homebrew. Lookin at the options, I'm wondering what the difference is between the 4.5 add a leaf pack and the 4.5 spring pack is.

From what I can tell, the add a leaf is a 3 inch spring with a 1.5 shackle and the sprig pack is just 4.5 inch springs. Are there any advantages to running the add a leaf over the spring pack? or is it worth it to just get the 4.5 spring packs? any first hand experience or theory behind it? Explanations would be nice!

Thanks for any help.

The Add-a-leaf setup uses your stock spring pack and, well, adds a leaf to change the arch and stiffen the pack.

The full pack setup is a brand new spring pack that's arched correctly.

Avoid the AAL if you can. Because only one leaf is doing the work, they tend to flatten out quickly. They also generally offer a stiff ride.

I have the RE 2" AAL setup on my XJ, and while I'm satisfied with it for the time being, it is noticeably stiffer than stock.

I have not looked to verify this, but my assumption is that the AAL pack is; your stock springs, Rusty's 3.5" Long AAL, and 1.5" lift shackle. 4.5" lift pack will be a whole new spring pack with about 4.5" of lift (stock shackle).

There are advantages to each, depending on what you are looking for.

I have had Rusty's 3.5" Long AAL and it was excellent (I used if for years with and without other stock and short AAL's) I also never had any sag issues with it.

The AAL on it's own will provide more support and lift and is more prone to sagging over time due to the comments above (if your stock pack is pretty decent it will help).

The Longer shackle will provide much more flex than stock, and will help "break down" a good spring pack over time.

The new spring pack should provide more support, more weight capacity, but may not flex as well as the other spring pack due to the longer shackle.

I have had homebrewed rear spring packs with all sorts of springs in them and been very happy with them for years, on the other hand a standard 4.5" lift pack would probably work great right out of the box also.

For the average person with an aging spring pack looking for a replacement I would usually recommend the new spring pack, but as I have said there are advantages and disadvantages to the others also.

Michael

Generally, most 3" AAL kits include the AAL and a 1" or 1.5" shackle. Our kit is 1" shackle.

I would suggest an alternative to your spring pack.

If you're trying to net 4.5", I would suggest this.

1. 3" - 3.5" Leaf Pack
2. 1" - 1.5" Lift Shackle
3. A set of Brianho13's shackle relocators

This will net you good height, a tuneable shackle angle, good ride, and good travel.

My .02

I have been running rusty's 4.5 springs for a little over a year now and I am very pleased with them the flex good and ride good I would just do a new spring pack.

It is a off road only beast now, so im not to worried about how it handles on the road. And when you say "we offer" what does that mean? I'd assume you mean the company you work for but you could be one of those nuts who makes stuff in his basement. (no offense to those nuts out there)

Atownatheist said:

It is a off road only beast now, so im not to worried about how it handles on the road. And when you say "we offer" what does that mean? I'd assume you mean the company you work for but you could be one of those nuts who makes stuff in his basement. (no offense to those nuts out there)

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Can you give us a detailed rundown of your current 3.5" homebrew? Any issues with it currently? Is the front going higher also?
Also provide any details about future plans.

Michael

I got pieces from a buddy who had totaled his jeep (got t-boned, so the body was bad, but the shocks and springs were still good), it was homebrew and roughly 3.5 he didn't tell me anything about parts.

I've caught inchitis and want to start with all new stuff. So I plan on going to 4.5 and getting a set of 32's and staying there for a while. At least til im out of college. As i said in my last post, its off road only so road manners dont matter to me. I just want a quality kit that will work well and not break the bank. After im out of college and have a steady job, ill go balls to the wall and spend the big bucks.

I like the Rustys lift cuz its cheap and a few people i know have it and seem to like it. I know the RE is good, but i'm not diggin the extra dough. Another forum suggested rough country, but im skeptical of a lesser name lift. Course it cant stay as simple as just being a choice of companies. The Rustys has an AAL + shackle or a Full leaf pack. (I think im leaning towards the full pack cuz i want to get rid of the saggy springs i have now)

So thats where I stand. Aiming for the Rustys 4.5 with a full pack. But willing to consider other options.

I agree with your thoughts 100% then.

Rusty's 4.5 full spring pack would work well.

There are a number of people who don't like the Rusty's products but I have been nothing but happy with everything I have ever got from him including my current 4.5" front springs that have been in my rig for years now with a WAY too heavy front bumper, winch, etc and still doing very well.

Last time I checked (several years ago now) Rustys and RE spring pack were both made by the same company.

I wouldn't recommend the Rough Country lift kit either.

Michael

My original leaf packs were Rusty's 4.5" springs. They worked very well for me, and lasted the longest out of the few sets I've had. They will sit pretty high when new. It took a couple wheeling trips for them to settle out.

Atownatheist said:

It is a off road only beast now, so im not to worried about how it handles on the road. And when you say "we offer" what does that mean? I'd assume you mean the company you work for but you could be one of those nuts who makes stuff in his basement. (no offense to those nuts out there)

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Warrior Products

Sidenote, we're running Tuff Country (Tuff Country, not Rough Country) 3" Springs on the XJ we just sold at work, and they were pretty nice as far as ride goes. The leaves were thicker than the RE, RC, and Rusty's that I've seen.

WheelinJR said:

The leaves were thicker than the RE, RC, and Rusty's that I've seen.

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What do you mean by "thicker"? Each 1 is thicker or the pack is thicker?
How many leaves in a 4.5" pack?

Michael

Each individual leaf was thicker, by maybe a 1/16+ but I think they used 1 less leaf in the pack too.

WheelinJR said:

Each individual leaf was thicker, by maybe a 1/16+ but I think they used 1 less leaf in the pack too.

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That is what I figured. Thank's for the clarification.
Michael

Thanks for the quick replies and helpful information. I'm aiming for the Rusty's 4.5 with the full leaf pack. just gotta get the 700ish dollars to buy it now. UGH. why doesn't the money fairy just show up to my house?

Are you going for a brand new lift kit Ryan? I would kinda say skip the rustys 4.5 inch lift kit. I started out with that and the springs were great. The trac bar sucked and so did the brake line drops. Save up a little longer and get a 4.5 inch RE kit with upper and lower fixed (or adjustable arms). You will be fine with fixed arms at that height and the lift kit after shipping will only be a few hundred more then rustys, shipping from them sucks.

You can also call/ pm/ text me with questions, Ryan.

-Alex

Alex are you still running the Rusty leaf?

WaXJ_Skier said:

Alex are you still running the Rusty leaf?

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Yup, well sorta. In a year and half of abuse I have changed the bushings, and re built the pack multiple times (Kyle can attest to this).

-Alex

WheelinJR said:

Warrior Products

Sidenote, we're running Tuff Country (Tuff Country, not Rough Country) 3" Springs on the XJ we just sold at work, and they were pretty nice as far as ride goes. The leaves were thicker than the RE, RC, and Rusty's that I've seen.

Click to expand...

I'm also running Tuff Country spring pack and love them. The ride is awsome, flex pretty good too.
I too was looking for a good spring pack for awhile. Then T/C came out with there spring so I bought them since I'm running their lift.

Just my $.02

I really appreciate the comments in this post as it answers somewhat questions I have. I built, mainly because of stuff I had laying around, a
"illegitimate" leaf pack out of S10 leafs, a long RE AAL and the original XJ lower leaf. Standard shackles. I have DPG bumpstops and the leaf springs travel far enough to stuff the wheels as far as the stops will allow. Gives me 5.5" of lift and matches what I have up front. So it is a little stiff and sometimes at speed on logging roads the rear can bounce around a bit. I have been wondering if I would gain that much by installing some RE 4.5 leaves and extended shackles but if I am already hitting my bumpstops am I not getting all the flex that I can?
What I am having trouble wrapping my brain around is whether, with stiffer springs, getting not so much the stuff but the drop on the opposing side. Logic tells me that there will be equal drop to compression but it does not feel that way. I just do not want to spend the money for limited gain. Any input appreciated.