prdgyair

EDIT: solution found for factory weight truck see #25


okay, i tried getting help from the vendor i bought the springs from and after asking twice, they responded twice, and did nothing to address my issue. Basically I put 3" OME medium duty springs and 3" front coil spacers in my XJ with Pro Comp ES3000's all the way around, sized for the 3" lift. the ride is AWFUL and i think in large part due to my shackle angle which is pretty much straight up and down. I've settled down in the rear to a bit over 3" of lift, but the ride still sucks. SO, shackle relocate? remove overload spring? remove a different leaf? this is a 2wd truck i just wanted it to look good and ride good as my DD. stock weight truck, no bumpers or gear or anything like that. my 97 will be a different story, but i need to get the 2wd sorted out before i start on the 4wd.

also, not sure if anybody else has had this, but when i installed the rear springs, even with the stock shackle all the way forward, i had to pull on the spring with a ratchet strap to get the bolt holes to line up... ???? I'm starting to wonder if i actually got genuine OME springs..?? anyone?

4WD4EVER

I don't believe OME makes a 3" med. duty leaf for XJ's but in any case I wouldn't recommend removing any leafs. Based on your description it probably is the shackle angle. When you say the "ride is awful", can you be more specific. Is the compression harsh, bouncy, etc. Does the wheel "hop" on rebound?

You need to be a little more specific to determine what changes you need to make to achieve what it is you're expecting. Also, the year and model and what accessories, if any, you have.

toasterknight

OME adds an extra leaf from the factory and reccomends removing it for lighter vehicles.

4WD4EVER

Understood. That may solve the OP's problem then, but without knowing what the OP means by "harsh", it may not. Thanks for pointing that out.

toasterknight

Completely understand. Just trying to add all the knowledge to the conversation.

XJPat

I struggled get my ome leafs in as well, I would suggest now that they have settled loosening the shackle and main bolt and then tightening them with the vehicle weight on the ground.

V69_XJ

I would get a set of HD no lift shackle relocators. Even if you remove a leaf your shackle angle is still going to be bad.

sreeb

I would suggest better shocks. Either Bilstien or OME. If that doesn't make you happy, then try relocators.

Tsaani97xj

Medium duty springs + light duty XJ + incorrect shackle angle + cheap shocks = a horrible ride. I would go with shackle relocators first. They will effect the ride the most and dramatically. You will likely need to get some extra weight in the back to compensate for the higher spring rate of the medium duty springs. You can also take a pound or two out of your tires to improve the ride. As others have said then invest in some quality shocks. Bilsteins are a big improvement over "white bodies".

toasterknight

Arb reccomends pulling a leaf on lighter vehicles using these springs. You can do that rather than add weight to soften the ride.

Fred/N0AZZ

"Overload Springs" that would be the first thing to go, in fact why are they even there? That would cause it to ride like a Lumber Wagon.

HS00XJ

Also if you decide to get reloc., factory shackles don't work with most brackets.

drhoward1988

I would recommend a better shock than those pro comps as well if ride quality is a concern.

prdgyair

THANK YOU GUYS!!!
all confirming what i was already thinking. in response to what i mean by "awful", basically, it almost feels like i have a rigidly mounted axle, and no springs at all. I swear if i ran over a pencil i'd feel it. I'm sure cheap tires don't help, but new tires are happening once i get all the suspension bugs worked out. going to tackle it in this order: shackle relocators, remove overload, remove "extra leaf" ( the third leaf from what i've read) and then better shocks. I've been a mechanic for 20 years, but i'm an engine guy, not so much a suspension guy. the vendor i bought the springs from originally kept making the most idiotic suggestions, or not addressing what i asked them about at all. I really expected more from them.
I'll have to measure ride height and see how the math works out so far as zeroing in on 3" of lift while changing springs and such to decide if i need the no lift relocators or the standard ones, which i THINK will net me another 1/2" of lift or so. Removing the overload would make that equal to zero (i'm guessing??) but not sure how much removing the extra leaf with effect the ride height if at all... the research continues!

4WD4EVER

You may want to reconsider removing the extra leaf (I'm not talking about the overload spring. I would remove that) and work on the shackle angle then see how it rides.

While I would agree with another poster that the Pro-Comp's are not optimal I would suggest the aforementioned items first and if it seems you're on the right track, consider some Bilstein's at minimum, depending on your specific needs/expectations.