opinions on SUA lift springs.... (1 Viewer)

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Not to beat a dead horse... but didn't have much luck doing a search. I've got to replace the 4" Pinnacle springs on my 40. They're so stiff, I might as well not have springs! It makes driving no fun!... which is too bad because they don't have a whole lot of miles on them. Been on for 4-5 years though. I see the HFS springs are on sale for $750. Anything else that's good with a good price. I need something comfortable that'll flex a least a little. Alcan's and OME... heard of them somewhat in a good light, price?
Maybe something used?
tom
 
Stiff ride has more to do with truck weight, spring rate mismatch than who made the springs. If your Cruiser is on the light side (V8, no hard top, etc) it will ride rough with any springs designed for a normal weight cruiser.
 
I had the OME lift for around 8 or 9 years. No complaints. They were getting a little on the soft side by the time I decided to go SOA.
 
Alcans are what I currently run. Great ride, good flex, completely custom built to how you want them. They run around ~$200 per spring. You have to order the u-bolts, shocks, brakelines etc. I'm extremely pleased with mine.

What tire are you wanting to run? 33's? 35's? what type of wheeling?

SOA is great, but if you aren't a fabricator it's gonna cost you a bit more than a lift kit.
 
FJBen said:
?

SOA is great, but if you aren't a fabricator it's gonna cost you a bit more than a lift kit.

agreed but afew yours when you change your mind and find sua just isnt enough, itll be cheaper in the long run, i almost went sua for that reason but im glad i went soa
 
If SUA is not enough, it is time for a four link.... ;)
 
SOA Cost

camcruiser13 said:
agreed but afew yours when you change your mind and find sua just isnt enough, itll be cheaper in the long run, i almost went sua for that reason but im glad i went soa

What is the cost to do a SOA???? (Approx)
 
My 40 rode horrible as well with my Skyjacker 4" springs. I could not hardly stand to drive it without throwing my back out. I swapped to Rancho RS9000's from Pro Crap shocks and it rides like a dream now. I just didn't know that shocks could make that much differenc but they definatly did.:grinpimp:
 
i did mine on a 1300.00 but i went power steering at the same time if i didnt i could have done it half that easy. i did all the welding myself though im sure someone out here would lend a hand with their skills, i would
 
Or you could just unbolt the spring packs you have, remove a few leafs until you get the ride you like. When doing this, use clamps to hold the packs together til you get the center pin unbolted, relase the clamps a little at a time and evenly. Remove one or two of the small leafs then reverse the process to bolt it back together. While the center pins are out I'd also check them good and replace if worn. I used grade 8 bolts and ground the heads down to fit in the spring perches. No $$$$, a little time and a better ride. I did that with my BDS springs and wish I had done a long time ago.
 
camcruiser13 said:
SOA Baby, you will not regret it!!!

I recently put new bushings, slightly longer shackles & cheap pro-comp shocks on my cruiser with stock suspension. I was amazed on the ride and flex improvement.

I'm running 32 swampers that just tuck under the rear fenders. Of course I'm hoping to go to a bigger tire.

With a SOA (using stock shackles), will my flex improve even more or will I just gain the extra clearance?

By the way, excellent write up on your SOA conversion! I have it book marked incase I go that route.


Thanks
JC
 
Hi All:

Completely agree with what "Pinhead" has to say! The spring rate of the leaf spring packs need to be tailored to the weight of the truck and it's load.

Regards,

Alan
Seattle


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"Pin_Head" wrote:

Stiff ride has more to do with truck weight, spring rate mismatch than who made the springs. If your Cruiser is on the light side (V8, no hard top, etc) it will ride rough with any springs designed for a normal weight cruiser.
 
Hi All:

Mike is on the right track here! Consider installing some Raqncho 9000 adjustable shocks and removing a few leaves from the spring packs until the rig rides nice n' soft like a roll of TP! ;)


God luck!

Regards,

Alan
Seattle

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"Mike Costello" aka "66FJ40X2" wrote:

Or you could just unbolt the spring packs you have, remove a few leafs until you get the ride you like. When doing this, use clamps to hold the packs together til you get the center pin unbolted, relase the clamps a little at a time and evenly. Remove one or two of the small leafs then reverse the process to bolt it back together. While the center pins are out I'd also check them good and replace if worn. I used grade 8 bolts and ground the heads down to fit in the spring perches. No $$$$, a little time and a better ride. I did that with my BDS springs and wish I had done a long time ago.
 
Josie'sLandCruiser said:
Consider installing some Raqncho 9000 adjustable shocks ....

I did the onboard controller too so I could stiffen them up for highway driving..... takes some body roll out of the rig at speed since we don't have sway bars.
 
Thanks for the info.... I'll try taking a leaf out first. It's got 'Heckethorn' shocks. Don't know much about them.... same as Rough Country? Are they crap?
 
You'll like what you get by removing leaves, and I think Heckethorn shocks are crap. Don't like Ranchos either, but Bilstein's are awesome - the best.
 
Hi All:

I had suggested the Rancho 9000 shocks because it offers the chance to play around with the valving to see what works best with the modified spring packs.

Regards,

Alan
Seattle
 

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