xjmafia

I've heard people say they are fine to use others cringe at the word AAL. In all actuallity how long do they typically last? And when they do sag any other cure besides replacement? AAL ride like a leas pack would?
Let's here some input.

tornprince

ive got a 3in aal kit couple weeks ago. cant install till i get shocks a steering stabilizer, and rear leaf springs. seems like a good thread to start for people wating to know about AAL kits. mind if i stay tuned?

xjmafia

Welcome aboard lol. I know full packs are the way to go but I'd like to spend a little less. My jeep will be street driven and I might play a little off road nothing crazy.

tornprince

understandable. same as mine. just have to get replacement rear leafs. mine are shot, starting to bend in a "n" shape. after getting those, i'm installin the kit i got. came with 2 aal for the rear and 3in coils fer the front and all the hardware. shocks and stabilizer weren't included, i can't complain fer 100.99 shipped.

1996XJSport

I'm running a 3 inch Zone offroad lift with coils and an AAL. I've had it on my Jeep for almost a year now and it hasn't sagged at all. My leaf packs have a nice arch to them and everything has settled nicely. I wheel occasionally and flex my suspension out a lot and it still stays the same height. The only downside to my AAL is the ride, you feel every bump in the road lol.

ericfx1984

here is what I have noticed about AAL setups...

1.) People claim that they do not give the advertised height... and even then they are going to wear out fast

A.) Really? mine was a 3" Rough Country AAL... when mine settled I ended up with 3.25"... the AAL will only lift it's advertised height IF you have OEM leafs that are in perfect shape! (NOT SAGGING) If you add a 3" AAL to a set of leaf springs that are sagging 1.5" lower than stock then you might only get around 2-2.5" of lift... however that will be short lived because since your springs are worn out they are putting extra load on the AAL...


2.) People seem to think AAL ride like crap...

A.) not really... the reason most AAL ride like that is actually 2 reasons...

A. 1.) AAL kits NORMALLY come with NO or cheap shocks... come on people... if your Jeep had worn out shocks they are going to be even worse lifted....

A. 2.) when you use an AAL leaf gets arched but this pulls the leaf eyes closer together... this normally bring s the shackle angle at of near vertical with the ground... this POOR shackle angle causes the leafs to transfer bumps and shocks directly into the Jeep and therefor right to YOU!!!


3.) many people think AAL do not last

A.) again... it will only work as well as the original springs


4.) many people claim that you will not get crappy shackle angle with full leaf packs...

A.) you shouldn't... right? they leaf spring manufactures SHOULD increase the length of the leaf packs in order to correct the shackle angle AND increase flex... but do they do it? NO!


the truth is some guy, let's call him Jimmy Pottymouth, purchased a basic Rough Country 3" lift kit with 3" coil spacers in the front and 3" AAL in the rear, without shocks

Jimmy Pottymouth had close to 300,000 miles on his Jeep and the front was sagging 0.5" lower than stock, and the rear was sagging 2" lower than stock (due to wear)

Jimmy Pottymouth installed the lift kit and gained 2.25" in the front (most coil spacers are 1/4 of an inch shorter than they claim) and he gained 2" in the rear!!!

within a week the Jeep had settled... the rear was now at 2" of lift... and it rode like dog poopy!

then a couple of weeks later his rear got down to only 1" taller than stock... it still rode like dog poopy

Jimmy Pottymouth then got on the internet and started bad mouthing AAL setups... he did not mention the fact that he had used an old worn out set of springs... he did not mention he was using 300,000 mile old shocks... he also did not mention that he basically did noting over than throw on some pucks and an AAL...

after that people started to repeat his post... before too long EVERYONE on the internet was an AAL expert...

tornprince

^ that good sir is some serious info i needed. shock wise, what would be the best? not ezactly rich but what would be some shocks i could use that's not gonna break me?

ericfx1984

use JK Rubicon shocks... the red ones... assuming you are running 2-4" of lift

you can usually get them lightly used for around $30 a full set

OOdynamite

Yea AAL all depend on the condition of your current springs. I have brand new OEM replacement springs as of February of this year, so they obviously arnt sagging. So my AAL should last me just as long as a full leaf pack

White Elephant

I got a 2" AAL setup about 2 months ago and it gave me almost a 3" lift in the back and it still hasn't settled. but for me this is a great thing because it shows how long i can expect them to last. I originally was planning on getting AAL as a band-aid lift until I could afford a full leaf pack, but I will be riding out these AALs until they drop lower than 2" which will be due to my original leafs being dead anyway.

afbond03

Been running my aal since early 08. Just added a shackle to them as well. Try and go with a full length leaf and you'll be golden.

jmm0122

How many times do we have to answer the same questions about AAL?
The search option is a great thing.

xjmafia

If u don't want to read it then move on and don't reply those who want to chime in do. Others who don't that's fine. There is one in every crowd. Is it that big of a deal

xjmafia

Also people have new experiences with things and products and can pass on new info not found on a old thread

jmm0122

I did read it and I commented. It's called a search. But guess this is what you want to hear bc you find it difficult to search on a forum. Aal suck and will sag. Let the debate begin again.
These threads always turn into huge debates that don't answer any questions.