tactical40cal

picked up some leaf springs yesterday off of a 1995 dakota and was wondering about that 1/2 thick flat "helper spring". does it only start functioning once you put a load on the springs? will it stiffin up my ride alot by leaving it there? i do pull trailers and would like the extra support to keep it from squatting too much. thanks!

DeathWobble

im not an expert on leaf springs but i believe that is exactly what theyre for. they provide extra stiffness when the spring has added weight on it, but dont change the ride while under normal load

rich

Your next step is trial and error till you find the magical combo for yourself.

tactical40cal

Yeah that's what I've always been told too. I think I'm gonna put it on there

tactical40cal

I got 3.5" springs with 2" spacers for the front so I'll do that 1st. I'm gonna add all the Dakota leafs and helper spring to my XJ main leaf then use adj lowering shackles for a sliverado that my dad gave me to adj the rear height from there

atrueOG

ull get like 4.5 in the back with tht setup. i had 96 s10 leafs with the overload and got 4.5. with tht shackle ull prob get a little more

mdcmn7

I just put a dakota pack on mine and only got 3" no shackle

atrueOG

hmm i guess dakota leafs are different. i know for one thing s10 leafs are really really stiff. how are those dakota leafs

redneck1

I put 00 Chevy blazer spring on with their helper and got 3.5 and it had 4in long shackles on it so I'm sitting at 4 right now I'm trying to figure out if I should get long shackles or add more leafs to get 4.5 I want a good ride and good flexibility looking for advice

mentalbreakdown00

I dont carry loads. I took another xj main leaf, cut the eyes off of it and rounded it off. Added it under my main leaf with longer bolts. I have a 4 Inch from and a shackle reloactor and 1" shackles in the rear and it sits level. I was worried about stiffness, but just driving over logs itll flew decently and isnt stiff at all. My spring pack is still flat and has almost no arch...