Taking off a leaf spring

[lpj23]

Will be doing a lot of driving on paved roads for the next few months on an hzj76 with very little load and 2 other passengers. Thinking of removing one of the spades on the leaf springs for a softer ride and just install again when needed... Is this a good idea or is there another way of softening the ride for road use with minimal expense. Need some advice. Thanks

 

[Falco]

That will help.
If you have the stock shocks you can't go softer.

 

[lpj23]

Everything is still stock. I'm assuming that the height of the vehicle will be the same.

 

[crushers]

the height will diminish slightly
the stock shocks will work just fine...

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

It might be easier to just run a lower pressure in the tires while not needing the extra load capacity.

A lower air pressure allows the tire's sidewall to flex more, becoming part of the vehicle's suspension.

The drawback of this approach is increased fuel use and tire wear.

Regards,

Alan

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will be doing a lot of driving on paved roads for the next few months on an hzj76 with very little load and 2 other passengers. Thinking of removing one of the spades on the leaf springs for a softer ride and just install again when needed... Is this a good idea or is there another way of softening the ride for road use with minimal expense. Need some advice. Thanks

 

[lpj23]

Thanks for all the input. Did the easiest thing 1st by lowering tire pressure to 30psi and by just installing rear shocks of the same length but smaller diameter... This produced a much softer ride but a little too "springy" that resulted in a slight bounce on speed bumps. I think there's no need to take off one of the spades in the leaf springs. Will experiment further with other shocks. Good thing my supplier allows me to return the shocks til I get the ride quality I'm looking for.

 

[crushers]

maybe try a set of Rancho 9000 and adjust to your ride enjoyment ...
to get the proper air pressure then find a straight road.
run caulk lines across the tire in numerous spots.
drive a couple hundred feet
stop while still pointing straight ahead.
check the caulk marks WITHOUT TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT AT ALL
are they wearing evenly?
are they wearing off the center first? increase air pressure
are they wearing off the outside first? lower air pressure
keep doing till the caulk wears evenly across the face
done.

 

[Falco]

In regards to tyre pressure i use 26-28psi.

If you remove the smaller leafs you won't have height changes but if you remove longer ones it will change height (and stiffness).

 

[lpj23]

Thanks for all the tips...Cheers!

 

[lpj23]

maybe try a set of Rancho 9000 and adjust to your ride enjoyment ...

Interested with these adjustable Rancho shocks. The 9000xl is available here and was wondering if the softer settings give a significant change in ride quality. Prices are bit on the high side here at $320/pair. My plan is to keep the front suspension stock and replace the rear shocks with these. I decided to replace the rears 1st because when I replaced the rear shocks with lighter duty ones with the same length (26") the change was significant, but just too soft. On our badly paved roads the stock Tokico's are too harsh and the light duty ones are too bouncy giving less control. Hoping that these ranchos can give me the ride Im after. Unlike in the U.S, the rancho sellers here have a "no return" policy. So I really need advise before getting them. Thanks in advance.