coil overs or not

Kap10merica

Kap10merica

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Location
Canton, nc
I'm thinkin of four linking my rear and was trying to decide to use coils i have some layin around or should i spring for the coil overs. Any suggestions. thanks:beer:
 
I started off linked with coil springs. It rode great. I finally sprung for the coilovers and wish I had done it all along.
 
I had coils and hated when the rear would bounce because the coils were too stiff. They actually were very light rate, but when I put on air shocks it was so much better. I have no experience with coil overs, but I wonder if air shocks wouldn't do the job just as good for half the price.
 
I absolutely love the switch from my coil springs to coilovers. Just the adjustability alone is worth it.
 
My personal $0.02...

I believe well tuned coilovers are 'bout the best way to go. My second choice would be ORI. Second only because you can 'blow out' an ORI (or other air shock/spring), but its much harder to destroy a coil spring!

Don't have any first hand experience with air shocks, but I believe they are so common, because they are the most inexpensive alternative to "stock springs'. I just don't care much for how I see air shocks 'unload'
 
My truck will be used only on trails and i have no bed so there is hardly any clearence issues. I'm still in the developemental stage but when I get ready to junk these leafs I'd like to have a head full of knowledge so there is less sittin and more workin.
 
I had ran leaf springs on all 4 corners with my one tons since may 08. Ran tons of trails in uwharrie, mtn city, harlan, and others all over NC and PA. I was overall happy for how much i spent on the suspension with the 1 ton swap on my yj. I had a common suspension setup for the axle combo, using XJ rear springs all the way around on my yj. At crawl speed the suspension worked great. With the jeep sitting with 3.5" of uptravel, and about 5.5" of down travel, it was stable, predictable and had a fairly low stance. At any speed over crawling, the suspension beat me to death. I attribute this mostly to the low amount of uptravel in the rear suspension and that the seating position in a yj is more rearward and you feel more of the rear suspension movement in the seat rather than what the front is doing.

Fast forward, after destroying most of the jeep in harlan over new years, I decided to make a change. I swapped to a double triangulated 4 link with around 70% AS and 14" travel coilovers in the rear. The first trip out was memorial day and within 5 minutes, the difference in ride quality made all the money spent worth it. To me, the jeep now rides good at all speeds, with the only improvement possible being to link the front as well. IMO i should have done this long ago. My coilovers are not tuned, they have factory valving and ballparked guess of spring rates that are really spot on thanks to rocky at wide open design. I would reccommend coilovers any day being that you get your spring rate base on the vehicle itself, and not a junk yard spring that is probably not going to be the correct rate for your application. With the ability to tune them, and adjust them, also great outweighs the coil spring and separate shock option.

You could, get a spring with the close rate, and get a reubildable/tuneable separate shock in the rear, but the only money you would be saving would be the price of the coils for the coilover assembly, which is not that much in the grand scheme of things.

Just my .02. I have nothing against air shocks or ORIs, only that i do not like that air shocks extend to their capability when unloaded, or when getting hot, and ORIs are great, but from what ive heard, are hard to tune, and are a big investment to spend at one time. ORIs have a MUCH longer lead time, so once you cough up the coin, you're probable going to wait 2 months before you see them, unless you are lucky. I personally like have a steel spring to support the vehicle weight and not compressed nitrogen. As well, you can not tune the valving in air shocks ( being that an ORI is a glorified air shock) or ORIs, but adjustablity is possible through changing nitrogen pressure and oil volume.

All said, my opinion is to go with coilovers. You won't need remote reservoir unless you are racing, or you want it to be easier to tune/revalve the shock often to get it really dailed in. The money you spend with be worth it in the long run, and if you are pinching pennies, and aren't in a hurry, then scrounge through all the forums for a used set, and get new springs for your app, and get them rebuilt.
 
I know most people hate Ballistic Fab. But my Hybrid coilovers are great & super easy to adjust (they hold a lot of weight also if needed, if you have a bigger rig).
 
Thanks guys I have one ? wat does ORI stand for and I have been tryin to find some used coils or springs of anykind. Will I need to buy airbumps for my coilovers or would standard bump stops work.:beer:
 
Ori is the company that manufactures them. Think of them as an air shock that gets charged both above and below the piston ie: both the top and bottom of the shock with a built in bump stop for both compression and extension. You can run regular bump stops with coil overs with no problem. Most just run air bumps but thats a whole different debate in itself

sent from my commando
 
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