Jeep JKU Overland build - stiffer springs?

[Mikey6417]

Hey everyone! Just became a member of OLB and received my official emblem! woohoo!!

Been searching behind the scene mostly in the forums and either my lack of search skills are not up to par or this topic hasn't really been asked but I'm sure the seasoned veterans here have taken this into account when building their rigs.

As we all know, once our rigs are topped up with gear, obviously there is going to be tons of weight added to the rear and I was wondering if stiffening up the springs are a good idea? Should I just do the rears or all four corners? How about shocks, should those be swapped out according to what ever springs I end up putting in to account for the extra weight? I'm currently running a on a 2.5" Terraflex lift (springs/shocks) and will be upgrading my front brakes/calipers to a big brake kit for better stopping power.

What are your thoughts on this? Do I really need to up the stiffness, if so any recommendations on what brands are great but without busting the bank?

thanks in advance everyone! cheers!
Mike

 

[ArmyofMike]

Just did Mojave road and I use a RC Puck lift....To say my rear stock springs sagged is an understatement. I'm thinking I may go with a Rubicon Express 3.5" coil lift in the near future. Part # RE7142P (as I'm going to get the Progressive Springs/coils this go around.)

I've enjoyed the puck lift as the ride has been nice....but the stock springs take a beating and over time have sagged and don't seem nearly as stiff.
M

 

[Kent R]

After several iterations of suspension this is what I have now.
MetalCloak control arms to adjust for the lift.
Rubicon Express track bars. (they were on sale)
MetalCloak tie rod and drag link.
Old Man Emu heavy springs.
Bilstein 5100 shocks.
Air bags to get rid of the droop when really heavy. Not used that much.

The only thing I would do different now is use all MetalCloak bars instead of the Rubicon Express track bars.

This is just what has worked for me. Good luck

 

[Mikey6417]

Just did Mojave road and I use a RC Puck lift....To say my rear stock springs sagged is an understatement. I'm thinking I may go with a Rubicon Express 3.5" coil lift in the near future. Part # RE7142P (as I'm going to get the Progressive Springs/coils this go around.)

I've enjoyed the puck lift as the ride has been nice....but the stock springs take a beating and over time have sagged and don't seem nearly as stiff.
M

@ArmyofMike I was thinking about going that route as well but ideally I'd prefer not to have to yank my whole suspension out for obvious cost reasons and less work.. LOL.. but like you I think I may need to go higher like 3.5" lift to account for any sag.

After several iterations of suspension this is what I have now.
MetalCloak control arms to adjust for the lift.
Rubicon Express track bars. (they were on sale)
MetalCloak tie rod and drag link.
Old Man Emu heavy springs.
Bilstein 5100 shocks.
Air bags to get rid of the droop when really heavy. Not used that much.

The only thing I would do different now is use all MetalCloak bars instead of the Rubicon Express track bars.

This is just what has worked for me. Good luck

@Kent R what height is your lift at? How's the ride quality with the OME heavy springs without any gear? My rig's my DD so I'd like to retain some sort of ride quality just for sanity sake. I like the air bag idea, maybe that could be my problem solver?

 

[Kent R]

@ArmyofMike I was thinking about going that route as well but ideally I'd prefer not to have to yank my whole suspension out for obvious cost reasons and less work.. LOL.. but like you I think I may need to go higher like 3.5" lift to account for any sag.





@Kent R what height is your lift at? How's the ride quality with the OME heavy springs without any gear? My rig's my DD so I'd like to retain some sort of ride quality just for sanity sake. I like the air bag idea, maybe that could be my problem solver?

No issue with ride quality, im at about 3.5" in front and 3" in the rear. I use JKS adjustable levelers to level the jeep out. Air bags work great I am now towing an adventure trailer so we will see how they work with it.

 

[Fakawi Tribe]

I'l

Just did Mojave road and I use a RC Puck lift....To say my rear stock springs sagged is an understatement. I'm thinking I may go with a Rubicon Express 3.5" coil lift in the near future. Part # RE7142P (as I'm going to get the Progressive Springs/coils this go around.)

I've enjoyed the puck lift as the ride has been nice....but the stock springs take a beating and over time have sagged and don't seem nearly as stiff.
M

I'll get you the pics, as requested, but they are the complete AEV 3.5" Dualsport.

 

[ArmyofMike]

So after much research, I'm actually rethinking the 3.5" RE as it seems to yield closer to 4"-4.5" depending on application! That's too much for my rig and too many other parts I would need to change out. At this point, I'm thinking the RE 2.5" Progressive springs will do better for my overland/trail/highway use. In researching, the 2.5" lift yields close to 3" on most jeeps, and when I load mine, that will be about right where I want it.

Thanks for the Info @Fakawi Tribe and @Kent R

 

[MazeVX]

So honestly, I would not change the suspension just yet. Teraflex springs are said to be relatively strong/stiff and they are linear rate as far as I know... Progressive or multi rate springs will sag more due to their nature which would be a problem.
Look at adjustable shocks, they help to handle the varied load better, for example the Falcon 3.3, they will also improve your ride quality.
And another thing to think about is that weight puts stress on everything, not only springs will sag, every bushing, joint, bolt and weld will be more stressed so it makes much sense in many ways to travel lighter!

 

[Mikey6417]

So honestly, I would not change the suspension just yet. Teraflex springs are said to be relatively strong/stiff and they are linear rate as far as I know... Progressive or multi rate springs will sag more due to their nature which would be a problem.
Look at adjustable shocks, they help to handle the varied load better, for example the Falcon 3.3, they will also improve your ride quality.
And another thing to think about is that weight puts stress on everything, not only springs will sag, every bushing, joint, bolt and weld will be more stressed so it makes much sense in many ways to travel lighter!

Interesting and informative! I may not be able to afford the Falcons just yet but it's great piece of mind that the Teraflex springs are at par. I may just invest in a pair of airbags for temp solution, they are relatively cheap and a easier solution than for the time being.

thanks everyone for your input on this, what a great community!! cheers y'all!

 

[Northernlady]

I have ordered up a set of Old Man Emu Heavy Duty Coils and shocks. They will give about a 2" lift and stiffen up the ride as well as add about 300lbs of weight capacity. The entire set ran me about $1350 CDN. I am expecting them to arrive in the next week or so and will post more when I get them installed. I am also working on culling some gear to lighten the load a bit but there is only so much I can get rid of and on a little 2dr it doesn't take a huge load to take it beyond the capabilities of the stock suspension.

 

[sabjku]

@Mikey6417, I was in the same boat as yourself. Initially, before really getting into the overlanding scene, I just ran a set of Rough Country 3.5" springs and Bilstein shocks. It was fine for what I did with the vehicle; drive back and forth to work and the occasional trail/forest road on the weekends.

Fast forward to landing on Overland Bound a couple of years ago, and adding a lot more gear to my vehicle, including a trailer, the suspension was completely incapable of performing. Adding the ARB drawers, fridge, and all of the equipment to the rear end of the Jeep changed the ride characteristics more than anything else-the Jeep had a tendency to feel very floaty on the highway, and you could feel the vehicle being pushed around a lot more on the trail - not a comforting feeling.

After doing quite a bit of research I went with an Old Man Emu Heavy Duty kit(shocks and springs), but also opted for the EXTRA Heavy Duty rear springs(600lb) rating. This made all of the difference in the world. No more sag, no more floatiness, and much more controlled. At this point I still think I could mate a shock to the Extra HD spring set and get an even better ride, and will probably try that at some point.

Bottom line, make sure you get a suspension designed with a higher rate spring, designed for heavy loads, not just something that's focused around lift height.

 

[Wolf427]

I suggest Old Man Emu coils, part number 2628 for the front, and 2620 for the rear. Same springs a few others have suggested in the thread.

 

[MLGrace]

I went with a teraflex 2.5 spring lift and found too much sag with the trailer. Switched into the OME medium and no more problem. Rides great.

 

[9Mike2]

I started with OME shocks and HD springs. And I have had really good luck with them. My son says my Jeep is Up Armored with the bumpers and skid plates and all almost like driving an M wrap when I load up. This is why the next thing I am getting is the DynaTrac Big Brake kit.....

 

[sabjku]

I started with OME shocks and HD springs. And I have had really good luck with them. My son says my Jeep is Up Armored with the bumpers and skid plates and all almost like driving an M wrap when I load up. This is why the next thing I am getting is the DynaTrac Big Brake kit.....

It's amazing at how much braking gets impacted by all of that extra weight. I've been thinking the same thing recently as well....more braking power would be nice.

Did you do the regular HD springs in the rear or the optional Extra HD's?

 

[9Mike2]

It's amazing at how much braking gets impacted by all of that extra weight. I've been thinking the same thing recently as well....more braking power would be nice.

Did you do the regular HD springs in the rear or the optional Extra HD's?

Extra Heavy Duty.....because of the steel parts

 

[jeepers29]

Hey everyone! Just became a member of OLB and received my official emblem! woohoo!!

Been searching behind the scene mostly in the forums and either my lack of search skills are not up to par or this topic hasn't really been asked but I'm sure the seasoned veterans here have taken this into account when building their rigs.

As we all know, once our rigs are topped up with gear, obviously there is going to be tons of weight added to the rear and I was wondering if stiffening up the springs are a good idea? Should I just do the rears or all four corners? How about shocks, should those be swapped out according to what ever springs I end up putting in to account for the extra weight? I'm currently running a on a 2.5" Terraflex lift (springs/shocks) and will be upgrading my front brakes/calipers to a big brake kit for better stopping power.

What are your thoughts on this? Do I really need to up the stiffness, if so any recommendations on what brands are great but without busting the bank?

thanks in advance everyone! cheers!
Mike

I just went from a Tera flex 2.5 spring lift to the Teraflex 3" outback springs. Our jeep sagged substantially, due to weight and pulling our teardrop did not help either. The outback springs are much stiffer, which I do not mind. It is also nice to have a jeep that doesn't look like it is getting ready to take a leak. LOL I also, added the Teraflex sport arms at the same time to adjust camber.

 

[sabjku]

I just went from a Tera flex 2.5 spring lift to the Teraflex 3" outback springs. Our jeep sagged substantially, due to weight and pulling our teardrop did not help either. The outback springs are much stiffer, which I do not mind. It is also nice to have a jeep that doesn't look like it is getting ready to take a leak. LOL I also, added the Teraflex sport arms at the same time to adjust camber.

I've heard good stuff about those Teraflex Outback springs. My buddy @JRElaxED is running them now as well and really likes them.

 

[Jenks]

I am running the Rock Krawler 3.5” lift and 37s. I had a ton of sag when fully loaded so I installed a set of AirLift air bags to the rear. I love the flexibility I have with them. I daily drive my Jeep and switch between daily driver to rock crawling to Overlanding. With this setup I can do it all. To daily drive I simply leave 5psi in the bags just to keep them in place with out adding any stiffness. When riding on the trails when not fully loaded or with the tent on top and only a few psi the bags do not inhibit flex much at all if any. But when I have the tent and everything in the back I can put 25psi in the bags and the Jeep sits level and rides like a dream. I plumbed the bags together so when one bag is compressed the other has room for the air expand.