S.P.O.A. what leafs needed for max flex

[mrRocky]

I have aquired my new project with spoa lux diffs and want to run the longest leafs possible to give me max flex. Booty fab is no drama as i was planning on extending the wheel base anyway.
I have heard a few different types such as mazda 323 rears? hilux springs, mq springs ect... It seems most of the cars i will be competing against are running 40" + tyres so i would like to maximise my susp as iam hoping 34"s and a heavy right boot will get me through.
I know spoa isnt ideal for flex but thats how it will be staying, and drop shackles are out of the question.
cheers mick

[mrRocky]

I was thinking maybe F100 with only 2 leafs

[31zook]

Try a single leaf out of a old mack truck... Not sure how much flex you will get but will be heaps long...lol

Josh

[Zook_Fan]

would you try 3/4 eliptical?

other than that go to a spring manufacturer and ask for a custom main at what ever length you could justify and base the pack around that with extra's from wreckers

[Spike_Sierra]

would you try 3/4 eliptical?

other than that go to a spring manufacturer and ask for a custom main at what ever length you could justify and base the pack around that with extra's from wreckers

x2, probably the simplest of ideas, then you can get the right width and whatever length you need.

[ljxtreem]

I have aquired my new project with spoa lux diffs and want to run the longest leafs possible to give me max flex. Booty fab is no drama as i was planning on extending the wheel base anyway.
I have heard a few different types such as mazda 323 rears? hilux springs, mq springs ect... It seems most of the cars i will be competing against are running 40" + tyres so i would like to maximise my susp as iam hoping 34"s and a heavy right boot will get me through.
I know spoa isnt ideal for flex but thats how it will be staying, and drop shackles are out of the question.
cheers mick

If you are going to run light/flexi springs with 34'sand SPOA you are going to need a good track bar set up, or you will be busting uni joints and stuffing springs all the time.

especially if you are giving it the right foot.

I think you can fit 323 rears without much trouble, MQ and Hilux will require fabrication.

I ran MQ fronts at both ends in my Old Rig, requires a chassis extension, and room to fit the flex, MQ's springs have funny brass set in rubber bushes so, the springs require sleeving to run a standard bush.
I ran 3/4 rear with a Sierra rear as the 1/4 spring.

My rig was SPUA with 36's

Mock

[alien]

im running hilux front all round with the load leaf removed and have plenty of flex and a very balanced ride on and off road...

if flex is the end goal and fab isnt an issue, why not go coils?

[bazooked]

i got some 14" airshocks you can buy hehe

[FC3892]

keep the pack u have an get a new main made!! that way u can get the pin in the right spot ( ford or back ), an get what length u want. i got two made for 80 bucks cheap an easy

Adam

[dank]

Far out who's your spring maker?

cheapest i got quoted for 2 mains in melbs was $200 . i must admit I only went to two places.

[FC3892]

ahhh really? just a place called Aus pring in tassie mate.

[mrRocky]

hmmm i do have a coily rear lux diff lying around.
Time is going to be a factor in the build as i think it needs to be done by early august.
maybe lux fronts and coil rear ?

[Zook_Fan]

as it has been talked about it another thread just recently, balanced flex is what you need to be aiming for. If you think you can match the flex of the coils on the rear with hilux fronts on the front end go for it, but more than likely you may make a car that the rear can walk around anything but the front will hold you back. Personally i would either do front and rear worked leafs OR front and rear coils

[ljxtreem]

If you are set on coils on the rear, a sway bar in the rear would force flex out of the front and balance the car.

Mock

[mrRocky]

I think if i put the coil diff in in standard configuration with all the standard gear and bars it should be on par with a flexy leaf front. perhaps ?
Really its all about a cheap, quick, flexy solution, the main purpose is for the comp but i would utimately like to do trips in it as well.

[Guy]

I think if i put the coil diff in in standard configuration with all the standard gear and bars it should be on par with a flexy leaf front. perhaps ?
Really its all about a cheap, quick, flexy solution, the main purpose is for the comp but i would utimately like to do trips in it as well.

SPOA and flex and the durability to complete comsp realistically is not going to be cheap.
You will need a good track bar in the rear and possibly one in the front as well. (braking from speed with big heavy rubber and very soft springs is SCARY as you caster does some very odd things)

I would look at coils personally amd at least spend the money only once

[Highway-Star]

hmmm i do have a coily rear lux diff lying around.
Time is going to be a factor in the build as i think it needs to be done by early august.
maybe lux fronts and coil rear ?

Usually coil lux diffs are wide track. which means it will not match your front diff for width. Just check it, and figure if you can deal with that.

[lay80n]

hmmm i do have a coily rear lux diff lying around.
Time is going to be a factor in the build as i think it needs to be done by early august.
maybe lux fronts and coil rear ?

Usually coil lux diffs are wide track. which means it will not match your front diff for width. Just check it, and figure if you can deal with that.

If you cant, get a wide track kit for the front end.

Layto....

[mrRocky]

Often wondered if wider rear track and skinnier front would go better in the mud, or make it unstable on angles, i will be running 3" wheel spacers for the comp only to try and keep me off my roof

[alien]

its been talked about before - the rear wheels wont ride in the front wheels ruts, which could be bad, but would also mean that theyre biting into fresh ground, which could be good =) but either way its not completely out of the path of the front, it'd only be out an inch or two so most of the track would overlap and negate any issues. there were a few stock vehicles that had wider rears from the factory with no ill effects.

[Gwagensteve]

You're not really going to want the rear wider than the front in a SWB car.

Mightymouse ran his feroza wider in the rear than the front for a while and it was apparently close to lethal. Thankfully, it wasn't actually lethal so he's around to tell everyone not to do it.

You'll notice that there's lots of car that are wider in the front than the back (GQ DX cab chassis, GU DX cab chassis, all new 70 series cruisers - by 130mm! Citroen DS too, by a lot)

but there's relatively few cars that run wider rear than front- and some aren't cars you'd use as a relevant example - like open wheel race cars or Porsche 930's.

Mightymouse has posted (somewhere - maybe on our club page) the ratios for track width vs wheelbase vs width. There's not much latitude in it.

I'm still kinda keen to go 100mm over stock width on the front of my next project, but I think I'll leave the rear stock WT. There's no big advantage IMHO in the rear.

Steve.