Caged94XJ said:
I just want flex that is all. Just kidding! I am looking for a duel purpose vehicle. One that I can take out on the rocks and one I can race across the desert in. Leaves are great, but do not offer the stability I am looking for at high speed. I also like the ability to adjust and fine tune the suspension for the way I drive and the rig itself. After talking to some people here and else where I have decided that 16 inches of travel is too much for what I will be doing. I have since reduced it 14 inches of travel. I am also be running 2.5 14 inch Fox Air Shox. The ultimate goal here is to have a stable yet adjustable suspension that can handle air yet flex for rocks. I know some of you guys will say just get another rig for desert. This is the only Jeep I will have for awhile due to space. Leaves buck too much at speed and that is something I do not want. I am also for now keeping the body so I can keep it plated and the dawn HOA happy. The goal is to have a D44 front and Ford 9 rear full width. The front will run the TNT Y-link kit and the back will be 4 linked. 5.13s should give me the gearing to crawl and ok speed, not trying to break any records just chase a buggy. At this point I don't know what else to tell you guys. It has been a long project for me, and still more to go. I just want to set it up right...
Just discussing here. I don't get how you figure that links are more stable than leaves at speed, many times it's the other way around. Leaves are inherently stable, links can be very unstable with the soft spring rates required in the rear for speed. Stability in a softly sprung rear link usually comes from a sway bar and/or the roll center height. Problem with link stability is that you want a lower roll center for speed so the handling is more predictable (you can feel when you're leaning too much) and a higher roll center for rock work so you don't lean as much with soft springs and shocks (but the roll predictability is decreased so you can all of a sudden roll).
Also, I don't agree that leaves buck in the rear at speed. There are a ton of fast desert trucks and prerunners with good working rear leaf spring suspensions. Granted, a very well tuned link will outperform a very good leaf spring, but a very good leaf spring can easily outperform a poorly setup up link suspension. Bucking comes from the rear spring rate being too stiff, and the proper compression and rebound shock valving, and good bump stops. If the rebound is too soft in the back the rig will kick back up too hard, but if it's too hard the suspension won't drop out quick enough and the shocks can pack, meaning the valving won't allow the suspension to use it's full travel and travel can decrease progressively through certain whoops. Also, if the front spring rate is too soft that can help cause bucking since the front is bouncing more than it should.
Bottom line is that rear suspension handling and stability are controlled by spring rates and shock valving, much more than they are influenced by whether you have links or leaf springs. I'm not trying to make a case for or against links, just pointing out what you're really up against to get what you want. For example, you could go get a set of good Deaver leaves, and some shocks that many are already running, and get some good bumpstops, and you will be pretty well dialed in because so many people have already run that combo. If you go to links you'll have to play with spring rates and shock valving to get what you want.
As far as air shocks, they seem to work very well for short bursts through the desert, like getting from camp to the trail, but they WILL fade once they get run for awhile. And, I keep seeing guys mess with them, like leaks and air adjustments, and they do change ride height with changes in altitude......and you live in CO. This is my opinion...just my opinion, based on my observations. Air shocks are great for buggies, they work well in the rocks and kick ass for short speed runs, and they are cheap..........but, they are not for daily drivers or for rigs that want to do any type of prerunning type stuff. On a driver or trail rig, if they start to leak you will loose your springs and ride height. With leaves or coils, if you blow a shock you still have spring rate and ride height.....not with air shocks. They are NOT the panecea that some folks are making them out to be.
