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Tons of extra weight in the back

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Old 04-30-2014, 07:44 PM
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Default Tons of extra weight in the back

Alright so first off I apologize if this is in the wrong section. I'm not sure if this qualifies for technical or non technical, so I'm putting it here because it seems to get more views this way. Mods, please move this thread if it is in the wrong section. Secondly, I realize that I am probably the only person on this forum that has a setup quite like this, and I'm sure many of yall will think its dumb, but just try to be constructive and help me get my problem sorted out (suspension) without hating on my audio.

Vehicle is a 99 XJ. I lifted it 2 years ago with a Rough Country 3" lift, with full spring packs and all that good stuff.

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I have constantly been modding my Jeep, and I have always been into audio, from 2 15s to 3 8s to 2 18s...I've had it all. Recently I walled off my Jeep. For those who are unfamiliar, walling is basically fitting the biggest subwoofer box you can into your vehicle, sealing it up, and literally having a "wall" of subs. You'll probly think its useless, but to each their own. I have won many competitions and have gone on to get a job doing what I love with audio working from home so I can't complain. Anyway, this is the wall that I built for my Jeep.

The rendering. It is for 4 Obsidian 15" OA15's. Power is approximately 6k rms.
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Yes the box is massive. And all together, everything weighs about 500 pounds. Thats for the 4 15"s, the box (2x layer 1.5" thick birch), amps, and 6 extra batteries in the back.

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So, obviously all this weight is making my rear suspension sag. You can see a little bit of it in these pics. I don't have any good recent pictures that show exactly how bad it is, but I'd say it is about 1.5-2" lower in the back.

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I need to lift the rear up. My VA state inspection is coming soon, and my tires aren't going to pass, so I ordered some new BFG AT 32x11.50x15 tires tonight. Right now I am running 31s, but I want to get back into the offroading scene so I want to lift higher and fit larger tires under. The front shouldn't be an issue...I already have pretty good clearance and I'm only adding a 1" bigger tire size. To compensate, I was thinking about doing a spacer puck in the front spring? Thoughts about that idea?

The rear suspension is where its gonna be tricky. Its already sagging a lot, so I'll have to do some work to bring it up to level, but I will also be adding more lift to clear the larger tires. Will a simple shackle relocation kit do the trick? Or would I need new spring packs with extra springs to compensate for the added weight? Keep in mind I have 500 pounds of cargo in the back. I won't be doing much offroading at all...I can't with all the equipment. But I want something that looks good and even with the front. I don't care about ride quality, it already sucks with everything in the back anyway. I just want it to look nice. What do yall think?

Last edited by Trey H; 04-30-2014 at 07:46 PM.
Old 04-30-2014, 07:54 PM
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Well...... ummmmmm........ :bitingtongue:.

If you are trying to off road with that big heavy box in the rear you are asking for carnage.....
Old 04-30-2014, 08:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Trey H
Alright so first off I apologize if this is in the wrong section. I'm not sure if this qualifies for technical or non technical, so I'm putting it here because it seems to get more views this way. Mods, please move this thread if it is in the wrong section. Secondly, I realize that I am probably the only person on this forum that has a setup quite like this, and I'm sure many of yall will think its dumb, but just try to be constructive and help me get my problem sorted out (suspension) without hating on my audio.


Vehicle is a 99 XJ. I lifted it 2 years ago with a Rough Country 3" lift, with full spring packs and all that good stuff.



What do yall think?
What do we think? Do you really wanna know? LMAO...First of all, kudos to you for wanting to put it in the right section...this is a good choice as to where to put it. As far as hating on your audio, Yeah...kinda not my style, but whatevs brah...however I will hate on ya for the RC crap...LMAO...I commend you on your work, looks like you put alot of time and effort in it.... BUT...If you wanna carry that much weight in the back, you are probably wanna have some custom leafs made for your situation. RC can barely handle "normal" usage, let alone all that. BTW, do you live in Watts? LOL
Old 04-30-2014, 08:16 PM
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wear a respirator to run a little chicken **** saw, but play music that blows your ****ing ear drums out........
Old 04-30-2014, 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by roninofako
What do we think? Do you really wanna know? LMAO...First of all, kudos to you for wanting to put it in the right section...this is a good choice as to where to put it. As far as hating on your audio, Yeah...kinda not my style, but whatevs brah...however I will hate on ya for the RC crap...LMAO...I commend you on your work, looks like you put alot of time and effort in it.... BUT...If you wanna carry that much weight in the back, you are probably wanna have some custom leafs made for your situation. RC can barely handle "normal" usage, let alone all that. BTW, do you live in Watts? LOL
I live in Lynchburg VA

Originally Posted by odgreen89on35s
Well...... ummmmmm........ :bitingtongue:.

If you are trying to off road with that big heavy box in the rear you are asking for carnage.....
Im not worried about the box damaging the Jeep. I don't do any serious offroading, but for what I do my box is extremely, if not overkill, secured. I would not DD my Jeep if I wasn't 100% sure it is safe... imagine getting in a wreck at ~50 miles with an unsecured 500 pound box flying into the back of your head haha. Box is secured with 8x 5/8" steel rods going through the box, floor, and frame.

Last edited by Trey H; 04-30-2014 at 08:31 PM.
Old 04-30-2014, 08:29 PM
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Good advise cruiser...

You're going to have to go with a heavier duty leaf pack to carry around the extra weight. I'd suggest the HD Old Man Emu spring pack that has the correct lift amount to get you back even. You could also do a bastard pack from S10 or Dakota if your budget is lower. RC has a bad wrap but if you're just cruising around blasting them subs it'll do just fine.
Old 04-30-2014, 08:45 PM
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I'd get rid of that box, I don't even get the point of putting a big box with two 12" subs in the back of a cherokee since it takes away all the cargo space.
Old 04-30-2014, 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted by unidentifiedbomb
I'd get rid of that box, I don't even get the point of putting a big box with two 12" subs in the back of a cherokee since it takes away all the cargo space.
I will eventually take it out. With the only reason being I am planning an even larger build in the near future... 6 18's in a B pillar 4th order wall haha. Cargo space is over-rated.
Old 04-30-2014, 09:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Trey H
Cargo space is over-rated.
Guess that depends on how much you value tools and parts in the event you need to fix something away from home.
Old 04-30-2014, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by unidentifiedbomb
Guess that depends on how much you value tools and parts in the event you need to fix something away from home.
Huh? I can't even hear if something's going bad with the sound system blaring. Keep on truckin' and rockin' Brah. It's all good.
Old 04-30-2014, 09:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Trey H
Cargo space is over-rated.
Guess that isn't a big issue when you build a mall crawler...if you want to do ANY off roading though, you'll wish your time was spent making room for tools and spare parts rather than blasting out the hoodrats in their Escalades...
Originally Posted by unidentifiedbomb
Guess that depends on how much you value tools and parts in the event you need to fix something away from home.
Here, here...however I think the biggest terrain this will see right now is the mall parking lot speedbumps....no offense
Old 04-30-2014, 09:14 PM
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Originally Posted by roninofako
Guess that isn't a big issue when you build a mall crawler...if you want to do ANY off roading though, you'll wish your time was spent making room for tools and spare parts rather than blasting out the hoodrats in their Escalades...

Here, here...however I think the biggest terrain this will see right now is the mall parking lot speedbumps....no offense
Huh? Wat? I've got a nose full of sawdust and my eardrums are blown out!!
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Old 04-30-2014, 09:39 PM
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I can dig in the audio, although that's extreme on the bass. I have one 12" alpine type r sub with a 500w amp and a mathematically correct ported box, 4 alpine type r speakers with a 300wx4 amp, and two tweeters. Sounds very balanced and kicks ***. I can do 80mph with all the windows down and can't hear any wind noise over the screamin system.

For your suspension, you will definitely want a HD leaf pack, probably with longer shackles and possibly relocation brackets if you want.

For the long term, you may want to look into getting your axles regeared for the weight and the tires. If a regear is out of your budget you might want to add a transmission cooler.

Last edited by XJlimitedx99; 04-30-2014 at 09:43 PM.
Old 04-30-2014, 09:45 PM
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Fortunately, low frequency is far less likely to cause hearing damage and I vaguely recall the point of audio over-kill. After all, I was young... once. One solution would be to install air springs to assist your leafs.

Here's a write-up on installing adjustable airbag spring helpers.

http://jeep-xj.info/HowtoAirbagSuspension.htm

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I like the "Red Zeppelin"... clever.

Last edited by F1Addict; 04-30-2014 at 10:00 PM.
Old 04-30-2014, 09:48 PM
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and for the love of GOD ditch the rear seat bottom! looks half-assed having it just sitting there.


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