italianjeremy

hey guys.

well i got my 97 xj and she was a bit sagging when i was carrying about 2000 lbs in my trailer full of firewood. i only had about 500 or so on the front of the trailer tongue and it would rub a bit on the plastic fenders when i would hit a good bump. i didnt want to spend 350$ on a 3.5" lift kit with an add-a-leaf , so i bought the extra heavy duty leaf spring helpers from jc whitney .

they were FULL length, when most helpers only connect to the worn springs behind the axle. the job wasnt too bad, but my springs are above or overslung so i had to heat up the U-bolts to get them off the axle and jack her up so these 2000lb capacity each springs could rest on the axle and support the old boys.

well worth it, i gained 3" from my sagging rear end (seems to look stock now)and under a decent load they jeep will only sag an inch. highly recommended and only 50.99$ for the pair! they made the ride feel like a jeep, but not too stiff. hey, it aint no lincoln!

heres the link, hope this helps someone http://www.jcwhitney.com/LEAF-SPRING...3426_10101.jcw

ol"blue

Did you give them a try and see how they are at flexing?

New2Jeeps42

i am also curious as to the flex and performance in 4wd

italianjeremy

well, again , i just put them on , and i only had them unuder about 500-600 pound tongue load hauling my wood trailer. it may have went down an inch, about it.
i dont know what else you would mean about flexing. they keep the stock springs about flat, and thats it .

i havent tried it in 4wd, since i dont go offroading, just have an xj for the snow and towing and sweet 6 motor.

if i can help in any other way, tell me. pics, etc.

New2Jeeps42

i would like to see some pics.

kidkodiak

italianjeremy

heres pics!

CHIF8008

needs a lift haha jk- do what you want with it, looks clean! nicer than mine :]

New2Jeeps42

looks good.

italianjeremy

thanks guys!

and thats with 11 northeast ohio winters! its not in too bad of shape. i just like how it didnt sag when i put on a lot of weight. the axle bump stops hit without these helpers!

Hylander

Jeep looks nice, Almost just like mine
However I do not like those Helper springs.
I have used those types in the past with not so good end results.
Notice in your pic how the leafs above the Helper are bowing backwards,
that is putting extra stress where it doesn't belong.
A full lenght AAL would be much better as it spreads the load over the whole lenght of the spring pack.

New2Jeeps42

yeah thats what i was thinking too, especially when using it on older springs like that. im wonder if theres a full (for real full) length AAL that isnt super costly.

italianjeremy

i agree, i wish they were the whole length. BUT , everything ive read with AAL's is that they last for a year of towing then thats it. i got these to support my back end while towing, not just for asthetics. i think these will hold up better than AALs for towing, JMHO .
theyre like 3/8" thick for petes sake!well see about long term. anyone who sees this post in a year from doing a towing search is welcome to email with a long term status update.


EDIT: if you REALLY wanted to , you can get these , get out your old 220v lincoln arc welder and extend the length to the end of the old leafs with a leftover piece of 3/8" steel ... badabing!

New2Jeeps42

im wondering how bad it would for me to use these. my tow hitch is crapped. so im not towing. my leafs are just ****e. i just dont want my wheels to be close to rubbing if i have a full load of friends in the car. AALs or replacement leafs seem ridiculously expensive.

i mean i dont plan to do much more than driving in the winter and with four people in the car, but i dont on the off chance like to take it on logging roads or something. i have already taken my jeep into like 2 off road locations and didnt experience any problems except when having more than 2 people in the car. like you i just want my rear end up some. considering im not gonna be stressing it with external hauls.

i should probably just replace my leafs.

italianjeremy

u can replace leafs for i think 200$ , or just get these. the way i figured it, its 62$ shipped, who cares. if you got the tools, put em on. if you dont, just get the heavy duty half leaf on that first link i put. you just jack her up off the ground by the frame, put the half leaf on the back, and your done. lot easier if you dont have an impact gun and such .

but ya, i paid 2k for the car, not going off roading, so this was the only way to go for me for the price, and im very pleased. rides like a dune buggy on rough roads, i like it !