Just went down the rookie yj leaf spring rabbit hole. Did not want a lift, unknowingly bought a lift kit and now im ripping it out !
Why do the leaf springs look so flat ?
- Thread starter Too old for this
- Start date
Because OEM ones typically are,flat that is. Picture a heavily arched leaf, measure from center of eye to center of eye. Say its 30 inches. Now flatten it out completely and measure it. It grew exponentially and was a buzzard to flatten. OEM springs are flat, the maker can then put the shackles where they need to be with out reversing or being to short, 90 of the pack when their leaf is full compressed to the stop of fully hung on droop. Thats my $.02 worth.
Typically, the flatter the leaf pack, the better it rides. Compare CJ leaf springs to what YJ springs look like. The YJs generally ride better unless something is wrong, with them.
So I agree and here’s my story. Im a new Jeep owner, didn’t expect to to one but a jeep came along at a time i needed a second vehicle. Needed minor repairs and i noticed how flat the springs looked and it being a jeep i thought they were worn out. I went on line to a well known aftermarket outfit and bought a set of leaves and shocks in a kit and was told it had a very slight lift and i wouldn’t even notice it… bullshit! 2.5 inch lift turned into a nightmare for a guy who just wanted a oem stock ride and loved the way it rode before i changed everything!
My 89 has a 2.5” Tuff Country lift. I went to 31s with the lift. I have been driving it for over 30 yrs without and further suspension or drive line upgrades with no issues. It has teflon shims between the leafs which are supposed to soften the ride a bit.
The only lift kit that's going to offer a small lift and as good or better than OEM ride quality will probably be Old Man Emu. I wish they still made stock height springs for XJs and YJs. I do run their Shocks on the XJ and soon enough on the YJ as they will work on stock height vehicles.