DNNDRTY

Hi i have a 97 jeep cherokee with a 4 year old 4.5in rough country lift. About 2 years ago i had my stock leaf springs on blocks replaced with rc leaf springs and no blocks. Ever since replacing the leaf springs i have been getting a small to loud knocking sound from rear when i turn or flex the rear.

What could the sound be? Bad leaf springs? Or something else?

Thanks

DNNDRTY

Btw i removed the rough country shocks and added bilstien shocks 5100s all around recently, still has sound. Also when the leaf springs were done rugged ridge side steps were added.

JerrytheJeep

Whats your shackle angle look like? Also, take a look at the rear of each shackle box. There's a bolt from the stock bumper mounts that sticks in. Make sure your shackles not hitting that. There's nothing in your cargo area rolling around is there?

DNNDRTY

Nothing in cargo area. I will look at shackles today. Someone mentioned that it could be my tow hitch reciever or smittybilt beaver step that i keep in making sound but i am almost positive its not the hitch. I will remove that to see. The sound is extreme if i do a u-turn right and hit a bump with some speed

speedballin

yea what he said ^
also check to see if bolt from leaf to shackle isn't backwards that would rub the hitch if you have one, mine did and when i hit bumps or flexed i would hear it

JerrytheJeep

Yeah could be your hitch step too. I don't keep anything in my hitch unless I need it or the racket will drive me crazy. Definitely check those shackles.

speedballin

now reading that i put my money on beaver step mine rattles like crazy over bumps kachunk kachunk lol

DNNDRTY

not the beaver step. sound still there when turning hard and tight. what should the shackle angle look like? i took pictures but I dont know what to look for. the bolts look to be installed properly and nothing looks to be rubbing

JerrytheJeep

Rough country leaf packs hard at work!

Your shackle angle is absolutely terrible. But its not your fault, RC is notorious for selling leaf packs that are too short. They know it too.

You want your shakle to be angled in the other direction, in-between 30-45° is the optimum angle.
Here's what I would reccommend, shackle relocation brackets. I would not reccommend spending any more money with RC, go with some other company. Get a hold of Leadfoot, hes a member here. He sells relocation brackets that don't add any lift (gotta cut out the shackle box), and others that just bolt on but add lift.

DNNDRTY

Oh crap. Other than the sound i get is it bad to have short leaf springs with nad shackle angle? I will look into the shackle relocation bracket. For future what leaf spring brands are best. Thanks

JerrytheJeep

It probably doesn't ride very well, the reason you want the 30-45° is so that the leafs can compress (they get longer as they flatten out), and extend (they contract as the load is lessened). If you limit the possible movement of the shackle it makes it much harder for the leafs to articulate.

The best brand? That's a tough one. Everyone has an opinion. The thing is, if your shackle angle is good, then you probably won't notice the springs. As long as your geometry is sound, then your shocks are really the main contributor to ride quality. That being said, I don't mind my pro comp 3" springs, some others would be Rubicon express, zone off-road, and deaver are just the ones I can think off the top of my head. Rubicon express is made for bumper ridden vehicles with lots of weight, they are often a little taller than advertised to compensate for the extra weight. Deaver is a competition type spring company, they'll custom make a leaf pack to fit your needs, but you gotta pay to play with them. A quick search on Google will do you good if your interested, check out the thread "all lift and tire questions go here" there is quite a lot of information to sift through though.

DNNDRTY

Thank you JerrytheJeep!! I know there are people who enjoy their Rough Country products, but I have been more than disgusted with every product I have bought from them. The adjustable track bar, the shocks, the lift kit, and now of course the leaf springs. I guess with jeep parts you really do get what you pay for.

JerrytheJeep

No problem! Just giving back some of the information I've learned from this forum, couldn't be where I am (which isn't very far haha) without the help of everyone here. Quality and price are generally pretty closely related, but I wouldn't trust a product with my life without hearing other people's opinions, reviews, etc. The thing you should watch for is customer service, a company that stands behind their product and is willing to go the extra distance to make sure you're satisfied is the company you should look for. So definitely research before you buy. And subscribe to that thread I mentioned, in a week you'll see more information than you can get from a 4x4 shop. Its good stuff.

Barrelmaker

Might also just want to check the bushings in the leaf spring.
I have rc packs and mine are shot giving the same sounds you describe.