Techniques for more XJ rear flex

After the run at Casparis on Sunday i realized that I want to try to get more flex out of the rear of my XJ. I have looked at Revolver's and Boomerangs, Not sure what the benefits/drawbacks are to each of those options, and ive also read about the shock relocation bracket that JKS makes that says aids in flex. Any ideas or input is appreciated, this will help me decide what to do in the springtime. I want my XJ to go the route of a flexy creepy crawly LCG machine. I'm not going any higher than 4.5in of lift on this Jeep either. So let the ideas flow!

sell it and buy a real jeep (tj) ahahahahah....i dunno man, i dont know too much about leaf sprung shit...revolver shackles are always a good thing though

Oh shut the hell up Brandon :flipoff2:, LOL, and the rest of you TJ, and YJ guys can go suck on it too haha. No freakin respect... we have near the magical wheelbase from the factory, no stretching required ya pricks :)

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Originally Posted by ridgerunner97

After the run at Casparis on Sunday i realized that I want to try to get more flex out of the rear of my XJ. I have looked at Revolver's and Boomerangs, Not sure what the benefits/drawbacks are to each of those options, and ive also read about the shock relocation bracket that JKS makes that says aids in flex. Any ideas or input is appreciated, this will help me decide what to do in the springtime. I want my XJ to go the route of a flexy creepy crawly LCG machine. I'm not going any higher than 4.5in of lift on this Jeep either. So let the ideas flow!

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If your going to upgrade your shackles, DONT do revolver's. They flex great on the trail, but can cause for weird habits while on the road. Boomerangs are better than just a regular lift shackle if your looking for some more lift, but they're not going to give you a whole lot more flex.

What kind of springs are you running in the rear? Factory? Aftermarket? Your springs alone are the best way to maximize your flex in the rear of an XJ. Theres a tradeoff between stiff springs that arent going to sag over time...but flex kinda crappy, or softer springs that might sag quicker but give you better flex. Something else to look at is a shackle relocation 'box' . These seem to be the new thing to get more flex out of the rear and depending on how much lift you have, should help with on road ride characteristics. Look on NAXJA or JeepForum for this idea..

plus revolvers unload when you dont want them to and they dont keep down force when you want them to.

Ive got factory with a factory spec rearch, and Ive got a 3in AAL which is actually not too bad in the stiffness department, rides okay. I have heard some scary stuff about the Revolvers thats why I posted, I'll have to look into this shackle box relocation gobbledy gook :)

My friend run's them on a yj but his is strickly offroad don't now how they are on the street.

first, if you have an add a leaf your already going in the wrong direction.


Soft, multi leaf springs, proper shackle angle (shackle damn near flat when spring is at max length, calculate this by taking the length of your main ply when flat, minus the length shackle you intend to run, plus 1-1.5"s) & proper shock angles/mounting are what need to be addressed for healthy leaf sprung flex.



Here's a pic of my rig at about half flex with 7) .250" toyota leaves each side, with a healthy shackle angle & lower shock mounts run length wise so the shock rotates on the mount as the suspension moves.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...0321091413.jpg

To get anymore flex then my setup you'd have to get into those crazy drop boxs, incredibly long spring packs, or missing links & such.

But the fact of the matter is, if your locked up front & rear, whether your tires on on the ground or not, as long as your rigs stable & still moving - thats all that matters.

BTW: not that it means a thing, but I've maxed out a 30 degree ramp with my setup & my rear pack is WAY too stiff right now since I don't have my anti-wrap bar on yet.

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Originally Posted by gonecheenin

first, if you have an add a leaf your already going in the wrong direction.


Soft, multi leaf springs, proper shackle angle (shackle damn near flat when spring is at max length, calculate this by taking the length of your main ply when flat, minus the length shackle you intend to run, plus 1-1.5"s) & proper shock angles/mounting are what need to be addressed for healthy leaf sprung flex.



Here's a pic of my rig at about half flex with 7) .250" toyota leaves each side, with a healthy shackle angle & lower shock mounts run length wise so the shock rotates on the mount as the suspension moves.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...0321091413.jpg

To get anymore flex then that you'd have to get into those crazy drop boxs, incredibly long spring packs, or missing links & such.

But the fact of the matter is, if your locked up front & rear, whether your tires on on the ground or not, as long as your rigs stable & still moving - thats all that matters.

BTW: not that it matters, but I've maxed out a 30 degree ramp with my setup & my rear pack is WAY too stiff right now since I don't have my anti-wrap bar on yet.

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True. I was all worried about flex with my xj until i installed a locker and now it's not a big deal because even if the tire comes off the ground, the other tire keeps it moving. Lockers are da shi$.

the AAL ain't gonna get you far. Might wanna get some soft full leaf packs. I run old man emu leaf springs and two old man emu add a leafs, which aren't like standard AAL's. They are soft, sorta like your main spring on ur stock pack. My rear is nice and smooth plus flexes plenty. I don't have a pix of it fully flex out but this is about 3/4 of my full droop:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e7...e/DSCF6596.jpg

The JKS shock bar is pretty neat but It's not really for flex but to give you more options for shocks, fine tuning them and all. It allows you to angle your shocks for a softer ride and also more travel but doesn't change how much your leaf springs can flex and with our xj's small fenders you can only get so much uptravel, and downtravel is the same as running the stock shock setup, but bumpstopping and running long travel shocks. I wouldn't worry about modify the shocks until you get the leaf springs flexing where you want them.

What I would do is disconnect your shocks and see how it flexes without them. Perhsps your shocks are limiting your flex.

Great suggestions guys, I have plenty of time to read up and ponder some more, I realize the aal is crampin my style a bit and I will probably go to the quality leaf pack. I checked out that shackle relocation box thing, that is pretty wild, and I may go and do that with a nice long thin leaf pack and a factory shackle, we will see, Chris your XJ flex's pretty damn nice man, i'll have to PM ya a few more detailed questions. Thanks guys hopefully some more guys will give me sum more ideas or info.

never had any problems with the rear flex on my XJ, but then again, I had a bit more lift than you did.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...d/IMG_2801.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...d/IMG_1813.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...d/IMG_2607.jpg

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Originally Posted by ridgerunner97

and do that with a nice long thin leaf pack and a factory shackle,

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Not thin leaf pack, thin leaf springs.


I've seen VERY flexy rear spring packs that had 10 leaves in them since each individual thin ply can move much easier than a thick ply can.

The only ply's that should have some thickness to them is the main & even that can be made thinner with 1-2 military wraps.

For instance here's a James Duff rear pack for a Ranger.

Lots of thin flexy plys
http://www.can4x4.com/tech/rangerLif...1137-small.jpg

Flex is not everything, but it can be nice at times. Softer, thinner leafs in your leaf pack make a HUGE difference! Also, the more worn in (or out, how ever you want to look at it) your leafs are, the better they will flex. I added a worn stock leaf, to my lift springs for a little extra height at one point, and the worn in left actually helped the flex.

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Originally Posted by limegreentj

sell it and buy a real jeep (tj) ahahahahah....i dunno man, i dont know too much about leaf sprung shit...revolver shackles are always a good thing though

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Comments like this make me smile! I'm sure your cute little TJ just flexes like a comp buggy! :021:

ive had mine on for 2 years now ( revolvers ) and no complaints yet. I do run a rear swaybar.

Thought I would post up here rather than start another thread. Ridgerunner and I have been talking about improving flex on our rigs and if you have ever wheeled with me you know the Scout dont flex. The Scouts rides like a brick shit house but it weighs im guessing between 5000-6000 pounds. So the springs have gotta be stiff right? Also when I did my SOA I put a big overload on the back end I was told I needed too or I would have issues with axle hop any thoughts?

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Originally Posted by Super Scout

So the springs have gotta be stiff right? Also when I did my SOA I put a big overload on the back end I was told I needed too or I would have issues with axle hop any thoughts?

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A rock crawler friend of mine told me once - A suspension should only be as strong as it takes to keep you at ride height, after that the rest of the components (Bump stops, shocks, etc...) should control everything else.

Yes, if you don't have an anti-wrap bar inthe rear, you have to have stiff rear springs or you'll start spitting driveshaft components.

Anyone on here have any experience dealing with Motion Offroad? or there products??? I kinda like some of there pieces...