stiffer springs without getting a lift for JKUR?

[cfeastside]

hopefully someone here has already gone down this path and can share their insight. I am adding a aev premium front bumper and zeon 10 s winch and a mopar 10a bumper to the rear to a stock 2016 rubicon 4dr. i would like to install stiffer front and rear springs to accomodate the added weight. The catch is i'm not really looking for a lift, just an increase in spring rate. The offroad world seems obsessed with specing springs by lift increase rather than spring rate/stiffness. my current oem springs are 18 fronts/59. The stiffer springs front and rear would be nice as when we are all loaded up with dogs and gear for a day of exploring i'm riding a little lower. the new bumpers and winch isn't going to help! lol.

I have done quite a bit of research on using this forum and others. Seems people like the synergy 1" springs. So as of now thinking of going with those or maybe the OME springs. Again don't really want to go any more than 1" lift with new springs if I can avoid it. we mostly use the jeep to explore with and daily driver. Thanks for any recommendations or real world experiences you can share!

 

[rubicon91]

If you go and read my thread before i lifted my Jeep I added some rear coil springs due to the weight I was running. Worked perfect for me. It may help you. Some pics and info. I put in some rock krawler 1.5 triple rate coil springs.

http://forum.expeditionportal.com/showthread.php?t=169057

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[cfeastside]

Thanks!

 

[TrailBadger]

@cfeastside

We've done some research with the help of Wrangler Forum (while I was an active member there) via this forum post:

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/figuring-out-the-spring-rate-code-119003.html

FYI: Just so you know whom is whom on the forum page, I'm Guest 1386570


I offered my insight to this topic only to learn that with the introduction of the Rubicon Recon, the spring rate codes changed again. I think if one just wanted to stiffen the ride without adding any height, one needs to find out what coils that currently have on their jeep.

Here's a for instance, We've checked our coils and found that the fronts are 17AC (AC representing the most current version or update to the coil) & 56AA rear coils.. At the time of delivery, the jeep drove very stiff, but over time the rear of the jeep seems more bouncy than normal. In this case we're opting to upgrade the coils to either the 10th anniversary or the Rubicon Recon coils.

The 10th anniversary coils would offer us a 3/4 +/- lift while the Recon coils would offer us a 1 inch lift or better without altering or making any other adjustments. granted you're asking about stiffing the ride without lifting. So it would be best for you to check what coils you currently have and upgrade these x2 numbers above the what you have.

Let's suppose that you have 17AC (Front) 56AA (Rear) in this case the max coils you can place on your jeep without technically lifting would be 19AC (Front) 59AA (Rear) Then a shock upgrade would be needed. I suggest the 19AC for the front only because if one upgrades the rear coils and not the front coils or leaves them 17AC the jeep would continue to have a forward rake or nose dive. Our current setup 17AC/56AA the jeep appears more level them other jeep's we've seen.

Pardon my rambling, but we've really studied hard on this subject and will soon make a selection for our jeep.

 

[cfeastside]

thanks trailbadger. I've been researching this for awhile as well. its quite confusing and no help from jeep! I have 18/59 springs from the factory. I'm trying to decide if I should go with the 10a front and rear springs or with the synergy or rock krawler springs. there was a good thread i had found on this site which spoke well of the synergy springs. http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/65830-Jeep-JK-spring-options-I-need-some-input
i know i'm going to need stiffer springs as they've softened up a bit in the last year and i've lightly bottomed the front out occasionally.

 

[NatersXJ6]

What restriction is keeping you from lifting? I got the AEV 2.5 for mine, and it rides beautifully with my extra weight, tent, rack, fridge, family, camp gear, winch, etc... I'm still running the stock tires and I think it looks good too. Getting the matched set of everything at once is certainly easier and I believe ultimately more cost effective than piecemeal construction with dealership parts.

 

[TrailBadger]

hey @cfeastside Thx for posting the factory coil numbers, I'm always interested in knowing what others have. But just wanted to clarify that I was referring to factory coils or shocks and not after market as the after market coils tend to go be a different set of rules. Knowing that you have the 18/59 setup.. this leads me to believe you might want to add a Terraflex leveling kits in conjunction with better shocks.. Perhaps a set which you can adjust on the fly. I'd be interested in knowing the out come of what you select as your shocks & coils in this respect.

I'm under the impression that by adding the Terraflex leveling kit, would compress the coil slightly. Then by adding an adjustable shock would stiffing the ride there after. Just wondering if the coils are listed as AA, AB or AC as the rear coil revision never changes. (AA) If you still have the factory AA or AB coils on your rig, I would look into upgrading them to a higher revision or the 10A as you suggested. But don't forget the Terraflex and or adjustable shocks GL

 

[cfeastside]

What restriction is keeping you from lifting? I got the AEV 2.5 for mine, and it rides beautifully with my extra weight, tent, rack, fridge, family, camp gear, winch, etc... I'm still running the stock tires and I think it looks good too. Getting the matched set of everything at once is certainly easier and I believe ultimately more cost effective than piecemeal construction with dealership parts.

we like to explore old mining roads which are steep, narrow, and off camber in places so want to keep the cg low and track width narrow. also want to keep the good highway mannors it has now. plus, this past summer/fall we came across a few down aspen trees which we just passed under. a lift would've been unpassable without chain saw! might need to start bringing that too! plus the fact we are vertically challenged! don't mind a 1"-1.5" but the 2-3" not so much i think.

 

[cfeastside]

18ac front/59AA rear

i'm hesitate to get the 10a springs as i've read comments that they are same spring rates as the 19/60 optional springs. I'd rather not go with the leveling kit as i don't really want to level the jeep when unloaded. i'm fine with the factory rake. with all the gear we bring for day excursions, that will level the jeep! i'd rather not go spacers as this just adds preload to the spring which if the spring is inadequate for the load will just make for a harsh ride. better to have appropriate spring rates than crank in preload. i come from a motocross background and have a little understanding of suspension/chasis setup. which is why this is a bit frustrating to find appropriate spring rates.

you're right about shocks. shocks need to be tuned (valved) appropriately for the load and spring rate. As i've read, going with multi rate springs like the synergy or RK springs ideally one should buy shocks which are appropriately valved for that variable rate spring.