Ride Quality with Wildhorses Springs

[mavman427]

I'm wondering how many of you guys are running Wildhorses Rock Crawler coils or 11-pack rear leaf springs? What kind of ride quality do you get with these on your rig?

I'm running the Wildhorses 3-1/2" lift coils and leafs and they seem to be fairly stiff. Although admittedly, I still have some various suspension and steering problems to sort out such as bump steer, torque steer, worn out shocks, etc. So, those factors can definitely be contributing to the ride quality.

 

[Bundy]

I have both and on the street they are super soft... like a wheel is going to come up when taking a hard corner... on the trail they are AWESOME.

 

[SSDDBRONCO]

How new is the suspension? If they are kinda new then they have to break in and settle. Is it a daily driver? If it is not in will take time to soften the suspension. The PO of my bronco put on a new suspension and then sold it. At first it was really stiff but after time it got better, but it did take awhile because it was not my daily driver.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

 

[68Olblue]

I also have the WH 3 1/2" coils and 11 leaf pack and they are really soft. Before I put the shocks on I drove around the block and it was hard to control. I could get the truck moving like a boat, front to back, gas/break admitting it was fun but there was no way I could drive it without shocks. I put the shocks from the kit supplied by Wildhorses and I am VERY happy with their performance on the road and on the trail.
I'm kind of puzzled as to why yours would be so firm because the 3 1/2" coils are the softest ones they sell.

 

[BRONCO26]

I have 5.5 coils and leafs in frt and back the rear is stiff. I called wh and talked to Justin and he said it would soften up the more I drive it and it has. He said to find a articulation ramp and bury each rear into the fender well and that will help to stretch the springs and make the work. I am very happy with wh springs.

 

[fungus]

3.5" rockcrawler coils and 3.5" 11 packs out back w/ Rancho 9000s on all 4 corners. Love my WH lift both on and off road! I've got their 5.5" lift going on the crawler.

 

[Bronc-n-Bird]

I have the WH 5.5s rear leafs and they are very soft. Great for wheelin! I need to get some new shocks to make it more drivable on the street. A lot of bounce!

 

[broncoitis]

I have the WH 3.5 11 leaf packs and they are/seem to be pretty stiff on mine as well. Hopefully they will soften up!

 

[mavman427]

I haven't put many miles on mine, but the ride quality makes me think of a covered wagon haha. Haven't taken them offroad yet, but it makes me wonder if it would be an ugly situation.

 

[Idaho Slim]

I have the 5 inch front coils and 5.5 11 pack in the rear. Been running them since 2003. I drive my EB alot, and after break-in the ride is superb both on and on road. I went with rancho 9000 adjustable shocks and regularly change the settings based on whether pavement or off road. I believe that is the main reason my suspension is so comfortable and functional based on what I am using it for.

One change I would have done is Not go to the double front shocks, the RS9000 is one beefy shock and can handle everything I throw at it. Unless you are a strictly hardcore off road extremeist, One RS9000 on the front would have been sufficient IMHO.

I chased a LOT of steering / ride issues, and none of the issues had to do with the WH's suspension; rather it was steering box, steering column, Tie rod & drag links, Trac bar and bushings.

 

[mavman427]

How many miles do you think you need to drive to properly break in the springs?

 

[Dano 407]

How many miles do you think you need to drive to properly break in the springs?

Jump about five sets of railroad tracks and you will be about settled.


Seriously, though. I have had nothing but good things to say about the WH stuff. For road manners, I strongly suggest a sway bar, such as the Hellwig unit available in the vendor forum. Yes, it is a few bucks, but you will get a dramatic seat of the pants improvement in ride while on the street.

How much does your rig weigh? If you have a stripper with fiberglass everything and no tailgate, the ride will be MUCH different than the winch, doors, glass, hardtop, exocage, loaded for the weekend crowd.

 

[mavman427]

Jump about five sets of railroad tracks and you will be about settled.


Seriously, though. I have had nothing but good things to say about the WH stuff. For road manners, I strongly suggest a sway bar, such as the Hellwig unit available in the vendor forum. Yes, it is a few bucks, but you will get a dramatic seat of the pants improvement in ride while on the street.

How much does your rig weigh? If you have a stripper with fiberglass everything and no tailgate, the ride will be MUCH different than the winch, doors, glass, hardtop, exocage, loaded for the weekend crowd.

I've never weighed it, but it's fairly light. Soft top, roll cage, not much of an interior, no bumpers as of now although it will have some monsters on it later including a PTO in the front.

Aside from that, the springs just don't seem to pass the old "push test." I'm not a small guy and I don't think I can even compress any of the springs an inch by hand, even without shocks installed. They feel extremely stiff. Personally, I would rather have a softer spring as Broncos aren't meant for high-speed cornering.

My gut feeling is that the spring rates are way too stiff for a good offroad or even all-around spring. I don't see how cycling the suspension is going to significantly change the spring rates.

 

[mavman427]

I have to eat a little crow on this one. I removed all of my old crusty shocks and noticed that the coil springs were actually fairly soft, not bad. The leafs were still pretty damn stiff though. In the end, it might be just about right as I'm going to have a steel plate bumper with spare tire mount, etc.

 

[muskrat]

I have the 2.5" WH springs with the 11 pack in the rear. I think they ride really well. Soft, but the rear still has a jolt over really uneven pavement. I also got the shocks from WH's.

My question is the shocks. I was not familiar with their shocks that don't provide a positive charge, meaning once they are pushed down, they don't pop back up. You can move them in and out (up and down) without the pressure.

Are these rock crawling specific?

Just wondering.

Overall, very happy with the suspension set up.

 

[BajaFresh75]

What color are they? I heard the Red ones are a lot softer then the Black ones.