[kdalton]

on my sj70 I have lift leaf springs and standard shackles..when driving on the road very bouncey.when driving on beach it feels every nook and cranny.very harsh .any tips to make suspension a lot softer.cheers

[Bruce]

What brand?
How many leafs?
What tyre pressure you running?
Have you taken out a load leaf?

[kdalton]

I don't know what brand they are theres 6 leaves.run 20psi.and havnt taken out any leaves yet.

[kdalton]

file:///C:/Users/Public/Pictures/car003_zpsdfd1e815.jpg

[5ierra]

Remove 2-3 leaves to begin with, especially the short thick flat one from the bottom. 6 leaves on a sierra is ludacris.

Also try running 10psi (offroad, not on-road). You can run lower but with every psi under 10 you run the risk of rolling a bead. 20psi on road seems roughly right. I think most would run around 24-25psi.

Thats should help alot.

[cairns27]

Bouncey on road ???...I can't see how removing springs will fix this..I'd be looking at shockies.

Bye

[Gwagensteve]

Springs with a high rate will give the result the OP is reporting.

So will shocks with very stuff valving, but it makes sense to approach the leaves first as 6 leaves is excessive.

[MrRocky]

No less than 10 psi offroad ???
Ive run 6psi for years its totally dependant on tyres and rim combo.
45* shackle angle will be smoothest

[alien]

Yeah, i ran about 5-6psi on sand with 215/75r15's and with my 31's i run about 8psi offroad. I've gone lower but the tyres tend to flex too much and i hit my rims on stuff =)

Just something to note though - you have pretty much described the handling/ride of a sierra. lol

[5ierra]

MrRocky wrote:

No less than 10 psi offroad ???
Ive run 6psi for years its totally dependant on tyres and rim combo.
45* shackle angle will be smoothest

Never said no less than 10psi, I just said you run the risk of rolling a bead. Which you do.

[kdalton]

20psi on road 20psi on beach.its just the hard sand were its very harsh and on road you can feel a cigerete butt..i have a hilux but got the sierra so don't have to let tires down and pump back up after going fishing on beach. I do like the sierra goes through the sand no problems. is it the shocks or not. cheers

[J--A--C--K]

6 leaves is to much fix than and then you'll know if it's also the shocks.

[Gwagensteve]

Take the shocks out and take it for a drive. You'll soon know. (Yes, I am serious.)

[kdalton]

I was wrong.the front has 4 leaves and the rear has 5 leaves.

[alien]

Also just a point of note - buying a sierra so you don't have to let the tyres down is a bit of a farce.. not only will it be far less capable, you'll be ripping up the tracks too.

[kdalton]

really

[alien]

I'll assume you're being sarcastic?

[kdalton]

are you sure gwagensteve.take shocks out and go for a drive.i have 2inch lift springs with standard shackles.how do I measure up the shocks to buy the right ones.. cheers

[Gwagensteve]

Yes, I am sure, I'm so sure I even said "yes I am serious" at the end of my post.

2" lift springs with standard shackles means standard length shocks - the shocks from any aftermarket bolt-on suspension kit for a sierra will fit - the 2" lift is irrelevant.

However, sierras don't need much shock at all. Many aftermarket shocks are "heavy duty" - they have a very stiff rate. If you take the car for a (short) drive with the shocks out and it feels quite plush, then the culprit is excessive shock valving. If it's still very stiff and bouncy, it's the springs.

4 leaves should ride OK, but if they are thick leaves and/or highly arched then it's not uncommon to have a very harsh ride. You could consider removing a leaf to soften the spring rate. You will loose some lift height, but that doesn't matter at all.

As for shocks, if they're the issue, then maybe consider some OME shocks - they're relatively soft.

Do remember though that a Sierra won't ever ride like a hilux, for a number of reasons. They can be made to ride quite well, but they will always pitch and feel choppier than a hilux, as much as anything because of the shorter wheelbase.

Oh, and let your tyres down. My own car is coil sprung and rides really softly compared to a leaf sierra but it's unbearable offroad at road pressure. (18-20psi) I drop straight to 5 psi whenever the car is in 4WD. I have beadlocks to allow this without an issue, but 20 psi offroad is always going to feel bad, even with the best springs and shocks money can buy.

Steve.

[kdalton]

file:///C:/Users/kdalton/Pictures/car004_zps35488315.jpg.heres a photo of the leaf springs

[kdalton]

thanks for your advice steve.

[Gwagensteve]

Sorry, can't see files on your hard drive.

[kdalton]

[url][/url]file:///C:/Users/kdalton/Pictures/car004_zps35488315.jpg

[kdalton]

sh t im looking like a total nob here cant even put a photo up.

[Gwagensteve]

You'll need to use a hosting service like photobucket. There are a few threads on how to do it.

[kdalton]

http:http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/kdalton1/car006_zps2a63b5bf.jpg//i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww230/kdalton1/car003_zpscf46354a.jpg

[Marko_SJ]

To post these pics

write a square bracket like this [ then put "IMG" inside it then close the bracket ] copy/paste the "direct link" from photo bucket more brackets [ end it with a / close brackets ]

So it looks like this [img]your%20direct%20link%20goes%20here[/img]







I'd also remove that swaybar, too.

[Gwagensteve]

Huh? They're pretty unusual springs- the eyes are reversed like the TT bonz-eye springs. Can anyone recall the manufacturer of these?i recall someone taking about these springs some time ago.

Steve.

[alien]

Lovells used to be like this (I had them on mine)

[Gwagensteve]

I completely understand why this idea works well for a SPOA application where the idea is to increase rate and lower ride height, but I can't imagine what the reversed eye is achieving in this application. It's only going to worsen the ride.