Rock Crawler Leaf Springs? do they last ect or wat does?

[Tim LN60]

Im up for new Springs for my live axle front/rear 84 4 runner I've heard bad things about the lifespan of most of the brands haha but i am wondering who has found they're springs not to sag particularly if u have rock crawler it just happens to be the spring im thinking of getting at the moment or they are just crap i dont know. I was looking at lovells till i saw the price so im after something under or around $1000 but wat ever your experience let me know

[Willy Hilux]

All depends what ya doing with the truck. For a day to day truck I would go parabolics. They should last for years. I had them in my LN106 and found them to be a great spring.

For rock crawling ya need to go standard rears up front (RUF conversion) but stick with stock as they have better steel than aftermarket springs. Just mix and match with old fronts till ya find what you are after. A few people put a extra leaf on the drivers side as it axle wraps the most.

Hope this helps.

Sorry dude just read ya post again. I was only talking about the front. For the rear go standard IFS rears with extended shackles. Put in a ladder bar to stop axle wrap and bobs ya uncle. This again is for rock crawling.

[Tim LN60]

thanx for the reply willy lux appreciate it but i already know all about most of the various set ups. Rear up front, ifs rears in the back which i currently have, and the rest. I'm after a simple 1 or 2 inch lifted spring for no heavy loads just every day and the occasional weekend away camping sorta deal and 4WDing of course to go with 50mm extended superior engineering shackles and I just want something quality i guess.

Also ive got a shitty settup i inherited from the previous owner, ifs rears with matched long shackles and 2 inch lift blocks (which im convinced are absolute shit without a ladded bar/torque bar at least) under the springs in the rear and the result maybe/maybe not all from that; broken gearbox, broken diff, bent U-bolts, lots of axle tramp/wrap and a rock hard ride (from really old sagged standard springs.? could be wrong shocks though) Dont get me wrong the ifs rears in the rear of a solid axle front car im sure can be good but not the way its been done in my car and i dont wanna go back that way for various reasons that arent really relevent to the question im asking.

[Willy Hilux]

Well you could get for the rear some new main and wrap springs made slightly longer and add these to the rest of the old standard pack and get them reset 2" higher from standard. The longer main and wrap will give you a better shackle angle and thus a smoother ride.

And again for the front go the parabolicss if ya have a desiel motor. A small petrol motor might not have the weight and could end up a bit stiff. I ran parabolics up front with a flexy rear and drop shackles all round and got mega flex.

Shock angle is another thing to look at.

[Towie]

EFS rear leafs
Took one of the uppers out & had reset
Works very very well in my 79 series without a longer shackle....

Last set were OME & must admit they were ok but loads destroyed them in 50K...

[AHF01U]

I have rockcrawler leaves in the front with standard in the rear minus a couple of leaves.
The front does flex quite well but a week after putting them in it sagged heaps on the drivers side.
Had them for a few months now and i think i might try EFS 3" soon.

[Tim LN60]

I have rockcrawler leaves in the front with standard in the rear minus a couple of leaves.
The front does flex quite well but a week after putting them in it sagged heaps on the drivers side.
Had them for a few months now and i think i might try EFS 3" soon.

cool thanx for the info so far to everyone im taking all you guys say into account but i have to ask u AHF01U did u have your torque bar adjusted corectly and an adjustable torque bar/rod in the front (i forget the tecnical name) fitted? just gotta make sure.

And Towie glad to see u have a set up ur happy with so far at least. Thats the impression ive gotten from the OME from what ive read on sites like this. Do u have the efs with the interleaf friction pads? And how come u got one leaf resett i dont think i've heard of that before

keep the input coming guys ill post some pics up if i can ever figure out how to down size pictures or whatever ya need to do to get them to work on here

[Tim LN60]

[Tim LN60]

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This is how it looks at the moment, 2-3inch suspension lift and 2 inch boday lift soon to be removed

[Tim LN60]

dont be fooled its incredably lop sided and rock hard in the rear

[Towie]

Thats very cool Tim but that front shackle is alittle verticle for my liking, think i would want it more like below that will make the off road ride alot more comfy


Sorry mistake! i took both reaf leaf packs out & removed an upper leaf, then took them to have reset higher & replaced leaf pack... pack was 10 leafs now 9..
Not sure how far they can be rest? I know a few mechanics and ex 4wd compers who swear by EFS so figured id try em but its only been a few months and have been great with alot of testing to thier limits.....
The Elite shocks helped alot also...