Jeep JK spring swapping

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
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With the recent weight reduction in the rear my Jeep has a serious case of stink bug. The ride is also too stiff. I really liked the ride quality before, but I'm committed to these changes now so I need to find rear springs with a lower rate.

If anyone has a sagging rear JKU with a 2.5" lift coil I would be interested in swapping with you. My rear springs are Teraflex Outback 3" coils for a JK. They are 2.5" for a JKU. I'm told that the Outback line of coils is specifically designed for heavier Jeeps with the Overlanding build style in mind.
 

zmotorsports

Hardcore Gearhead
Vendor
Location
West Haven, UT
Ahhhh, the ole' spring swap-arooni dance.

Just went through that myself over the summer.

I have some springs but all taller than you are asking for.

Good luck, Jeep's looking great.

Mike
 

gijohn40

too poor to wheel... :(
Location
Layton, Utah
I have some 3.5 springs that I need to install on my JKU so the 2.5 inch ones will be coming out and your welcome to them... they are the AEV progressive rate springs.
 

Bart

Registered User
Location
Arm Utah
Very cool and glad you got that worked out. With all this talk about JK springs, what is the best riding spring that people have used? Although I have a Tera long arm lift on mine, I retained the old Full Traction springs that came on it. I'm not a fan and would like to get springs that ride better.
 

zmotorsports

Hardcore Gearhead
Vendor
Location
West Haven, UT
Very cool and glad you got that worked out. With all this talk about JK springs, what is the best riding spring that people have used? Although I have a Tera long arm lift on mine, I retained the old Full Traction springs that came on it. I'm not a fan and would like to get springs that ride better.

Here's my experience with springs on JK's in particular.

I started with BDS springs and at first they were nice but as I added weight they did not respond well.

I played with OME and they were a bit stiff riding for my taste and really didn't support the weight of my Jeep like I had hoped so I reinstalled the BDS in the front and went with the Currie Overlanding rear coils and although they rode better than the OME they still didn't carry the weight like I was told they would. In a post on my Jeep build thread I had mentioned about my theories of how the rear was sagging on steep ledges and causing my front to unload so I won't repeat it here but if interested I think it described well what I was experiencing.

I lastly switched over to the Metalcloak dual rate springs but in an inch taller spring than I needed in order to get compensate for the weight and also going to a higher spring rate. I was so impressed with not only how the Metalcloaks rode as well as supported my heavy JKU that I also went ahead and swapped over my front coils to the Metalcloak dual rates and removed my ACOS system up front. Over the last couple of months I have put quite a few miles on the Jeep both on and off-road and even my wife has commented about the ride. She also mentioned that it raised my rear end up a little which she wasn't thrilled about but it needed to happen to level out the Jeep.

My Jeep has been much more difficult to dial in compared to someone who may just want to lift their JK, but then again I don't think people on here are like most Jeep forums and just want added lift. My requirements probably mirror many others on here because I actually wheel mine and it's not just a highway queen although it does spend a lot of time on the pavement. I wanted top build the best dual purpose vehicle but because of the weight I'm carrying and the fact that I refuse to go to flat fenders it has become much more of a task to find that sweet spot. Keeping road manners but also getting enough flex and suspension travel has not been an easy venture so springs, shocks and bumps have been played with repetitively over the last 8+ years and 100k plus miles.

On several clients Jeeps back when I had my business I was having good luck with Teraflex's suspensions pretty much right out of the box but most of those were pavement pounders and saw little off-road. I'm not saying that the Teraflex didn't perform well off-road, I'm only saying that wasn't the owner's primary function and they were pretty stock without armor and/or aftermarket accessories.

Mike
 

zmotorsports

Hardcore Gearhead
Vendor
Location
West Haven, UT
I've heard great things about Metal cloak springs as well.

This has been my only experience with them but I was impressed. Not only with the product itself but also when I called to discuss because I wasn't finding the technical information that I wanted on any of their spec sheets. The guy I spoke with understood what I was after, he understood me when I told him I knew my rig and what I was trying to accomplish and didn't try to sell me something because he looked on an application guide. He knew what I was asking was outside the norm from a standard car and I feel like he was honestly trying to make sure I got what I wanted. That alone speaks volumes in my book. Lastly, the product itself is very good. I have about 3k miles on this setup now and I'm just as pleased as the day I installed the components.

I will definitely be dealing with them more in the future for other projects.

Mike
 

Anchor_Mtn

Work Less, Travel More
Vendor
Location
Fruita, CO
I swapped from AEV to Evo Mfg 3" coils a few years ago and love them. They ride amazing and don't ever unseat when flexed out. They aren't an "overland" spring made for a bunch of extra weight but they never sagged too bad when pulling trailers or temporarily loaded with camping gear. Combined with the Falcon 3.3 shocks I couldn't ask for a better ride without going to very well dialed in coilovers.
 

ChestonScout

opinions are like Jeeps..
Location
Clinton, Ut
Mine had metalcloak coils on it when I bought it. I thought they were wore out. I replaced them with Teraflex coils of the same lift

there was 1/8” difference in height after installed

I honestly notice no difference in ride quality between the 2 brands.
 

Bart

Registered User
Location
Arm Utah
I drove a 2016 JK with a Metal Cloak lift 750 miles, up to meet the guy that I bought mine from, and was amazed at the ride. It was night and day difference in the ride quality. Granted the lift on mine at the time was a 13 year old Full Traction lift with worn bushings. It was like going from a Cadillac to a cab and chassis truck. The new lift and other modifications (rear Falcon shocks) have made a big difference so far, but I'm going to swap springs and hopefully get a better ride.
 

astjp2

Active Member
Location
Riverdale/Alaska
Mine had metalcloak coils on it when I bought it. I thought they were wore out. I replaced them with Teraflex coils of the same lift

there was 1/8” difference in height after installed

I honestly notice no difference in ride quality between the 2 brands.
Ride quality is more a function of shocks than springs...
 

zmotorsports

Hardcore Gearhead
Vendor
Location
West Haven, UT
Ride quality is more a function of shocks than springs...


I would agree to a certain extent. Spring rates come into play which will affect how well the spring carries the load. Shocks can be used to fine tune the ride quality but if the springs are too soft (or too stiff for that matter) for the load the shock isn't going to assist with the load carrying, just the dampening.

Ride quality can also be very subjective, which is why finding that combination or balance between load carrying of a spring and dampening from a shock is not always as easy as bolting on a one size fits all kit.

Mike
 

astjp2

Active Member
Location
Riverdale/Alaska
I would agree to a certain extent. Spring rates come into play which will affect how well the spring carries the load. Shocks can be used to fine tune the ride quality but if the springs are too soft (or too stiff for that matter) for the load the shock isn't going to assist with the load carrying, just the dampening.

Ride quality can also be very subjective, which is why finding that combination or balance between load carrying of a spring and dampening from a shock is not always as easy as bolting on a one size fits all kit.

Mike
My FOX shocks do not carry any load, just dampen.
 
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