3.5 rubicon express lift rides awful

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Nov 29, 2018 | 02:20 PM
  #1  
i put a 3.5 rubicon express on my xj and it rides absolutely terrible! Are there any springs i can buy to replace them for a better ride quality
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Nov 29, 2018 | 03:14 PM
  #2  
I have the same 3.5” lift on mine and yeah it rides a bit rough but I can live with it 🤪

I think the rear leaf packs are really stiff giving the rough ride but not sure if you could remove a leaf or two without sacrificing some ride height

For me these Kumo MT tires that are on it just doubles the rough ride even more
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Nov 29, 2018 | 03:28 PM
  #3  
It's not the springs it's the short arms (angles) and your shackle angle that are making the ride rougher than you expected. I assume you bought shocks through them too - those should be good. True you just installed Heavy Duty springs on your vehicle but that is why you bought them... isn't it? Unfortunately there is a lot at play when changing the suspension and you'll need to do more research on how to improve ride quality. Changing the springs isn't going to do much, fixing your angles will.
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Nov 29, 2018 | 03:54 PM
  #4  
I removed a leaf out of my RE 3.5 leafs and it helped a ton. I think it was the 3rd one up. Also helped level it out since the rear sat too high. I though the front rode pretty good though.
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Nov 29, 2018 | 08:51 PM
  #5  
I also have a RE 3.5 lift on my '99 and I did the same as 5-speed and removed number 3 leaf from and also 5 (counting from the main as 1). Also, I left the shackles loose with the vehicle weight on the suspension, then I tightened down the shackles. It rides much better with the 4 leaves instead of 6, I still have a good payload capacity.


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Nov 30, 2018 | 04:31 AM
  #6  
I love mine. I have angled fixed lowers and stock upper and it rides really smooth. Do you have stock arms?
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Nov 30, 2018 | 06:54 AM
  #7  
i'm surprised to hear this. i have rode with RE 5.5 extreme duty superflex kit with drop brackets for years and it rode just awesome. i eventually removed the drop brackets and control arms and replaced with staangs fab long arms. i didn't really notice a difference in ride quality. that's just how good the RE kit was, compared to long arms. i eventually removed the springs and installed 8 inch coils and 5.5 inch leaf packs (the 5.5 kit comes with 4.5 leafs and shackles) and 2 inch shackles.

i agree, loosen the bolts, let it sit on it's own weight, then tighten them up again.

my other cherokee has an RE 4.5 inch kit, and it rides great also. the rear is a little stiff, however. but swapping the shocks to bilstein would help tremendously.
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Nov 30, 2018 | 10:40 AM
  #8  
You need more weight up front or new springs, control arm drop brackets, shackle relocation boxes.

RE 3.5" springs like a lot of the 3" springs have a very high spring rate @~240lbs where stock was ~150lbs. RE is also known for giving more lift than advertised and making your control arms at a steep angle. Stock these arms are almost parallel. Shackle relocation is an upgrade to any XJ and dramatically improves the rears feel though it may take some adjusting to get it right.
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Dec 1, 2018 | 12:22 PM
  #9  
RE 3.5" coils are rated for 240lbs, I went with superlift 550s 4" lift with 160lb and the ride is much smoother and no more coils dropping out on the trail from too much flex
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Dec 3, 2018 | 03:29 AM
  #10  
Reason I thought it was coil springs I’ll hit a bump in the road and it feels like the front is riding on wooden blocks
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Dec 3, 2018 | 08:10 AM
  #11  
That is strange. I read your original post a few days before I installed my RE 3.5" Super Ride and was worried. But mine seems to drive fantastic. Although it could be because my old springs were inverted and causing me to have very limited travel. It would hit hard on every little pothole. Now I can aim for the holes and barely feel a thing.
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Dec 3, 2018 | 08:28 AM
  #12  
Yeah mine rides so stiff
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Dec 3, 2018 | 08:36 AM
  #13  
what shocks are you running? ive ran multiple sets of RE coils from 3.5 to 6.5 and never had a rough ride issue with them. in fact they have almost been to soft for my liking.
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Dec 7, 2018 | 02:18 PM
  #14  
I have the 3.5" RE lift & Bilstein shocks on mine. Rear sat up a bit when newly installed but settled in nicely. Ride has mellowed too. I think it rides quite well for a lifted Jeep.
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