spring opinions (2 Viewers)

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JPB

Joined
Apr 8, 2005
Threads
12
Messages
55
Location
Raleigh, NC
I was going to switch out the springs on my 40, and I know OME's are the best... but they are freakin expensive. has anyone heard anything or had personal experience with safari srpings? or any other springs out there?
 
just do a search for leaf springs in this forum. there are lots of options and opinions.
 
I have run SOR 2 1/2, MAF 2 1/2 and Downey 4" springs, I am on a set of 4" HFS CCOT springs currently, they are the best riding, flexing and least sagging springs I have used and will recomend them to anybody. I have a pile of SOR spings with broken spring eyes from moderate to hard wheeling
RS
 
yeah I have been searching... I'm going to call Alcan now
 
ome dakar springs are supposed to be a good budget alternative
 
BayCruiser said:
how is the ride on the CCOT springs. on and off road.

I have been VERY impressed.
HENRY1.jpg
Henry2.jpg
 
yes I did... thanks for the link.

This is going to be my daily driver so I do about 90% on road, but the more and more I read it looks like SOA might be the way to go.
 
you can have any spring you want, landcruisers were not made for comfort. If this helps i had my springs made by my uncle and they just add a extra leaf and reset for cruisers that stay on the road.I like myself carry a lot of weight and he put 3 extra leaf plus a overload i can carry an easy 2000kg on the back. Not aloud by law.
 
JPB said:
yes I did... thanks for the link.

This is going to be my daily driver so I do about 90% on road, but the more and more I read it looks like SOA might be the way to go.

Why do you think this? Money? If so, consider this: doing an SOA lift can be a difficult thing to get right and ought to be done with the help of experienced people. If you have to pay those people the cost will likely be much higher for a spring over than a spring under kit.
 
You might want to consider TIC parabolic springs?

I did a resto on my 77 FJ40 that I finished about a year ago. I bought the Safari springs with a 2.5" lift. Most of my driving, if not all, is on road. Extremely harsh ride, especially on the small stuff. I wouldn't buy a pair of Safari's again. I don't know what's better, but I would try something else.

I'm currently doing a build up on a 65 FJ45 wagon and I bought a set of parabolic springs for that. I haven't been able to drive it yet, and it might be a little while. But, when I installed my safari springs on the chassis when they were new, you couldn't even get them to move by jumping up and down on the back. When I installed my parabolic springs on my 45 chassis, I could get the springs to flex by forcing my weight on the back.

I don't know if it is going to mean anything, but I am hoping it does. The few people that have parabolics, they seem to be happy? I think the concept of a parabolic spring on small bumps makes sense also.

Matt
 
I've had stock cruiser springs in SOA for 7yrs. Drive it every day. Cut and turn your front end and get an anti wrap bar for the rear and you're done. Oh yeah I've driven it to Moab for 3yrs.
Jerry
 
Reality check on springs:

1) Fundamentally, springs have to support the weight of the truck, so there is a lower limit on the spring rate or how soft they can be. If the springs were too soft to support the weight, the truck would be riding on the bumpstops, which will be real rough. Cruisers are heavy with a lot of unspring weight in the tires and axles, so they are never going to ride like a stinkin' Lincoln.

2) Springs can be stiffer than need be if there is a serious mismatch between their designed spring rate and the amount of weight they are actually supporting. The problem is that there can be a big difference in the amount a particular cruiser weighs. A cruiser with a 2F, winch, hard top and a bunch of gear in the back can weigh 1000 pounds more than a cruiser with a V8 and no top. This spring rate - vehicle weight mismatch probably has more to do with people's unhappiness with the ride of a particular type of spring than the manufacturer.

What this means is that any particular spring may ride too stiff or too soft depending on what your cruiser weighs. My guess is that this accounts for the opposite opinions of different people about ride quality for a particular type of spring. Whether a spring has a good or bad ride depends on the match between its rate and the vehicle weight.

Most manufacturers have to pick a target weight to design their springs for. Alcan can design the spring for what your truck actually weighs. If you have a light cruiser, buy soft or light weight springs; if it is a heavy pig, buy heavy duty ones. If you think that your springs are too stiff, try removing a leaf.
 
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