Best Rear leafs? who makes them?

[sprinksbeme]

Out wheeling today and broke one of my WH 3.5'' 11 pack springs. I was pretty happy with flex and ride so I could just buy new ones there. What I want to know is who has the best springs and who manufactures them? So that I can shop comparing apples to apples. I use my Bronco mostly offroad but like to drive it to the trails. I think my WH springs were National? but not sure they are about 4 years old.

 

[Mach1Bronco]

i was kind of wondering the same thing , i need to replace my 3'' blocks before i brake another drive line my bronco has some serious axle warp

 

[SaddleUp]

No matter what answer anyone gives to this no one can say any particular spring is best. This is a "very" subjective question and for each person the answer will be different. The best anyone here can do is to tell you what they are using, what they use it for, and how it works for them. Keep in mind that the best spring for use on the street will not perform as well off road and the best spring for off road will not be the best for on the street. The ones that are in between (which is what most of the EB vendors seem to be putting out) will sacrifice from both to give a spring that works well (but not exceptional) for both. The leaf springs I run are the Cage springs which have excellent off road characteristics (They flex really well) but on the street they have more of a tendacy to have some body roll in the corners. For me it is acceptable but for others it may not be. (I'll sacrifice a few MPH in the corners for better flex offroad) The soft spring also means they are more susceptable to spring wrap than a stiffer one (Not as much as blocks are though) and they also are not the best spring to use for towing.

 

[toddz69]

Out wheeling today and broke one of my WH 3.5'' 11 pack springs. I was pretty happy with flex and ride so I could just buy new ones there. What I want to know is who has the best springs and who manufactures them? So that I can shop comparing apples to apples. I use my Bronco mostly offroad but like to drive it to the trails. I think my WH springs were National? but not sure they are about 4 years old.

WH used to use National once upon a time, but switched to Betts some years back. Nationals used to be the cat's meow but fell out of favor due to poor customer service. The new owners are trying to put things back on track.

Saddleup pretty well sums up the various trade-offs of the various designs. As for current manufacturers, I like Deaver springs. They're sold by BC Broncos and JBG and probably a few others as well.

Todd Z.

 

[Mach1Bronco]

so you think the ones that WH sells now are good quality

 

[sprinksbeme]

Thanks for your anwsers.
Since I sometimes tow a small trailer and carry a fair amount of gear it sounds like the cage springs are not what I am looking for.

Todd69 How do you use your EB, rocks, sight seeing? Do the Deavers give good flex off road and a stable ride on highway?
Marty

 

[Cactus killer]

Betts springs are made in Mexico and can be bought very cheep wholesale and marked up a lot but don't last but a few years. Deavers and national are made in PENN. (the one off's are made in house) and hold up for many years even when used for racing but they cost alot more wholesale.
Hope that helps some.

 

[Debs70]

Betts springs are made in Mexico and can be bought very cheep wholesale and marked up a lot but don't last but a few years. Deavers and national are made in PENN. (the one off's are made in house) and hold up for many years even when used for racing but they cost alot more wholesale.
Hope that helps some.

National Springs are made just down the road from me here in Santee, Ca. Deavers are made about 100 miles away in Santa Ana, Ca.

 

[broncnaz]

I've broken a stock set and a Skyjacker set of rear springs currently running BC rears ride is way better than stock and just slightly stiffer than the Skyjackers. I dont notice any roll with them but my front springs are fairly stiff and I only have a 2.5in lift. The BC's also flex very well and seem to carry a load good as I tend to load the backend up quite a bit havent towed a trailer with them yet though.

 

[BroncoMark]

Can you buy from Deavers direct?

 

[Skuzzlebutt]

Some of the Bronco houses have their own set of specifications that they have the manufacturers build to. So two shops may have their springs made by the same company, but they aren't selling the same springs.

 

[Debs70]

Can you buy from Deavers direct?

I believe you can but their website lists their distributors so maybe that's the way they do it at present.

I just got a set of Deaver 11 leaf 3.5" lift rear springs from JBG - weird that I can order them from a company in Michigan cheaper than I can get them for here in Ca.

 

[toddz69]

so you think the ones that WH sells now are good quality

Yeah, I think so.

Todd Z.

 

[toddz69]

Can you buy from Deavers direct?

You used to be able to, I'm sure you still can. However, as with most things in the retail world these days, if you're buying their standard, off-the-shelf product, you can often buy them from one of their distributors for less $$ and less hassle.

I'd recommend BC for them myself.

Todd Z.

 

[toddz69]

Thanks for your anwsers.
Since I sometimes tow a small trailer and carry a fair amount of gear it sounds like the cage springs are not what I am looking for.

Todd69 How do you use your EB, rocks, sight seeing? Do the Deavers give good flex off road and a stable ride on highway?
Marty

I use my Bronco for "medium" trail duty, no hardcore rockcrawling, no towing, a lot of street and highway miles, and a ton of fast desert work. However, I should clarify that my truck still has a saggy set of 12 year old Nationals on that I bought back when they were considered the cream of the crop. I plan to replace them though within a year with a set of Deavers. I will either buy a set from BC or since Deaver sponsors the race truck I ride in, I might get a set through the race connection - I don't know yet. In any case, I like the Deavers and feel they give a good ride and good flex.

If you're towing a lot or carrying a lot of gear, I'd highly recommend getting a custom set of springs from Deaver. Doug Schulz in our Bronco club (AZ Classic Bronco) had a custom set built last year because he hauls a lot of gear and tows a 14 ft. tent trailer with his truck. He can't say enough good things about the ride, flex, and load handling of the springs.

Jason summarized the mfg. locations of the spring manufacturers very well - good info!

Todd Z.

 

[blazinchuck]

I got BCbroncos 3.5"-11 leaf,really nice...but I have done anything major with the bronco yet. Just a trail ride and daily driving. Hope to change that here soon...April'06. Chuck ;D