Suspension Over sprung CJ5

[BMK84CJ572]

I recently bought a '72 CJ5 for off-road use. The previous owner installed Rough Country replacement leaf springs (8006 in rear and 8005 in front). These leaf springs are on Rough Country's website as 2.5" lift springs for Jeep CJ5 (1955-1975). In my opinion they are way too stiff and the Jeep feels over sprung to me, but I'm also unfamiliar with how these old Jeeps ride. Any thoughts on how to get a better ride would be appreciated. Mostly I'll be driving 20mph and under on a deer lease in SW Texas.

 

[Manic Mechanic]

You try removing a leaf and using a softer shock

Sent from my E7110 using Tapatalk

 

[Belizean]

Everything I have ever heard about that brand of spring, I have heard that the best description is in the name. I have had Rancho 2 1/2 inch springs for over 30 years and a lot have said they are stiff also. I guess I’m just use to them. I just don’t go fast over pot holes and other obstacles. There are definitely far better springs out there.

 

[BMK84CJ572]

@Manic Mechanic I haven't tried anything yet. Though it looks like it should be pretty easy to remove up to 3 of the shortest leafs. Maybe I'll give that a shot before just switching them out. I think the shocks are good and not contributing as much to the stiff ride as the spring itself. I'll let y'all know the outcome when I finally get around to working on it!

@Belizean I've heard similar things about Rough Country, but what I don't understand is why leaf springs from one supplier would be worse than another. I'll continue my research to see what I find. I'm hopeful I can modify what I have, but I'm not against just replacing them either.

 

[Manic Mechanic]

If you don't feel comfortable doing your own spring work there are places that still do it.

As far as the shocks go I mentioned them because some shocks have different weight ratings and there for are stiffer especially if they were purchased due to the previous owner carrying a ton of on the Jeep.

The other thing to check is tire pressure. A lot of people are running to high of tire pressure for how light a Jeep is.

In my case my 31's I run 30 psi and my 33's I run 25psi. Our Jeeps didn't weigh much from the factory and newer off road tires are LT (light truck) and designed for a vehicle twice the weight

Sent from my E7110 using Tapatalk

 

[Belizean]

Like MM said check your tire pressure. That could easily be a problem. I usually ride around on 20 psi. At 25 and higher it can be harsh. I’m not trying to get 40K miles out of my tires. It’s all about softening the blow.

 

[Rick1956]

I gained a lot in ride quality by changing the Skyjacker shocks on mine from Nitro (gas charged) to Hydro and that helped a lot.

 

[Manic Mechanic]

You could always spend the dime and get a YJ spring conversion.

Sent from my E7110 using Tapatalk

 

[Petescj]

You could always spend the dime and get a YJ spring conversion.

Sent from my E7110 using Tapatalk

Your such a tease.

 

[BMK84CJ572]

Thanks for all the replies. I was at the lease over the weekend and aired the tires down to about 15 psi. I didn't want to go much lower for fear of unseating the tire from the rim. From looking at it you could barely tell I took any air out of the tires at all. Actually, I think if someone didn't know I had taken air out they wouldn't have noticed at all. I would say the ride was a little smoother, but I still think it's over sprung, so I'm going to take Manic's advice and remove a leaf, or a couple, from the springs eventually. But for now I've got bigger fish to fry, like what I suspect is a busted clutch. I'll start another thread for that though!

One other thing I noticed after airing down is it was a lot harder to make sharp turns. I'm assuming it's because the tread was grabbing a lot more than normal from being aired down. Is that y'alls experience as well or should I be looking into other issues? If it is from airing down that much then I guess I'll just have to play with it to find the sweet spot for comfortable ride and ease of steering.