i have an 88 xtra cab that i want to SAS in my chassis fab class coming up and i wanted to know what is better. i like coil overs cuz they have more flex and i think its a better ride but i see a lot of yotas with leaves in the front, and all the 1st gens. so which should i use?

 

Simplicity - Leafs - They work good and are fairly simple to do and cheaper
Everything else - Coil-overs & links - more difficult but more adjustable and way more expensive

Your call!

 

This is leaf, and whole lot easier to dial in...

Coils do ride better, and I believe flex, but it is a whole lot harder to dial in...

And not as cheap...

 

yea i was talkin to a friend at school today and thats stuff he was sayin. i am probably going to go with that. what can i get a front axle off of?

 

preferably an 85 they have the best stock gussets but i belive any solid axle yota will do the job.

 

can i use the front drive shaft off the '85...bolt right on? i heard i can use my existing one but with a lil modification

 

There is no "dialing in" leaf springs. You get what you get, and that's typically 100+ yr old technology.

You can make links perform however you like, and you will NEVER have wheel hop or axle wrap.

IMHO, having done both, links are no more difficult than leaves from a fabrication point of view. Yes, there is a bit more work, and definitely more time in front of the computer refining the design.

As for expense, they are more comparable than you would think depending on what you do for springs/shocks on the link setup. Go with some super-bling coilovers, and it will get spendy quick. Stick to separate springs/shocks from the Jeep TJ parts bin and you'll not be much more than a good set of leaves.

 

^^^ yessir...I'm going links with coils front and rear... keeping it low, on 37-40s.... i did a sas on my last truck, used leaves, worked awesome, but links are wayyy better, along with coils, tons and tons of coil options also and no axle wrap...wheelhop can become a problem, mainly in the front with a radius arm setup tho...

 

i would go with leafs. leafs work great for DD and a weekend wheeler, they are cheap reliable and they work pretty damn good. coils are without question better but i would want it as my DD. my moms jeep on 35"s 4" lift with sway bars in is really wiggle around corners lol hard to explain but its like if you were sitting on jello haha its weird and i hate it. might just be those so called jeeps but idk. if you are going to wheel it alot and be hitting the really hard rocks then go coils, like what they said ^^^. i would do coils too if its wasnt my DD and i had the money and time to build a working soild setup. leafs might be an old design but its a damn good design and i have seen tons of leaf trucks preform very well offroad thats my .02 good luck bud

 

I plan on leaf springs. How much would a 3" leaf 2" body lift setup probably cost me?

 

Wiggle as described won't happen with properly designed trackbar/link setup. Also, seems the short wheel base of the tj makes it worse. If i had the option I'd go coils any day. Read read read, and don't even consider "short" arms if you go with coils!

 

Compare a 40 or 60 series land cruiser to a 80 series. Coil springs are always going to be better. More complicated than carriage suspension ;-)