New to the 70 series, what to look for or what to avoid (1 Viewer)

[saltycoconuts]

It is really not that hard to convert to coil springs.

The main issues are frame widths and axle widths. The coil sprung trucks for the most part have wider frames and wider axles. So that is the biggest hurdle to overcome.

Coil sprung will almost always ride better than leaves. Coils are easier to "tune" as well and leaves take a lot of work to get just right. It all comes down to the ride of the leaves (spring rates), caster, drag link angle, shock travel and so on and so forth. Leaves though can be made to ride nearly as nice as coils, it just takes a lot more work as well as money. Coils are much easier to dial in if you are not starting from scratch.

It should also be noted that with a linked suspension (80-series rear and even radius arms) pinion deflection is not nearly as much of a problem as it is on leaves. To really understand all this I suggest googling some of the things I mention in this post, such as; pinion deflection and suspension geometry.

Radius arms, that are fitted to LJ's front & rear, are far from the best when it comes to suspension geometry. Thing is, they suit 80-90% of users and do ride much nicer than leaves. They also wear out a lot faster. This is the nature of the beast with coil springs.

Don't expect anything impressive from an LJ flex wise due to the radius arms but for 6" and smaller bumps, the coils will soak it up nicely. Apples to apples, coils will always be better than leaves. But don't underestimate leaf springs, with the right amount of work and care, they can be nearly as good, especially in something other than a SWB truck.

Cheers

Disregard my idea on the 80 cut and paste. I think I’ll stick with the leafs and try to get it right. It’s time for some fresh suspension anyway. The ARB shocks that are currently in are old. I’d bet that would give me an improved ride lol. Just don’t know which route I wanna go... tough dog, arb, bilstein or look for other options. Regardless suspension is more or less on the back burner. Gotta take care of school and my throwout bearing