What makes Alcan Spring The Best & Other FAQ's

We are asked this question every day and it is hard to provide a one-size-fits-all answer.  Here are the issues:

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Axle wrap (unwanted deflection or bending of a spring caused by torque to the tires) is more often a problem with spring-over setups than with spring-unders. Axle-wrap can be major or minor to fix, depending on numerous variables such as lift-height, spring flexibility desired, vehicle weight and load, engine power, and gearing.  We have made changes in our spring design to help stop the bending of the springs without hindering flexibility or compromising the ride quality.  But if you have a torquey V8 and low gears, you may have more of an axle-wrap problem than the springs themselves can handle, and you may need to install a torque rod of some type.

A spring-over setup is going to articulate easier than a spring-under mostly because the spring-over is flatter so the main leaf can roll up on its side (twist) easier. The spring-under setup in a 5&#; lift or higher will not articulate as easily in a light-weight vehicle. But, for example, a spring-under Wrangler with 300 pounds of extra weight in the rear and a bumper and winch on the front could do as well as a spring-over (just with less ground clearance). 

We are also finding problems with spring-overs on stock weight or lighter vehicles that are used for rock crawling. When the vehicle is put in a very steep uphill climb, it puts all the weight of the vehicle on the rear axle. In most cases, this will bend the front half of the rear springs.  We have made some design changes to help with this problem.

Orbit-Eye bushings are a great way to improve articulation in either spring-over or spring-under setups because the main leaf does not have to roll up on its side (twist) as much as with stock bushings. The lengthwise twisting action of the spring when articulating shortens the life of a spring, so the Orbit-Eye bushings help with that problem, too.

We build as many spring-overs as we do spring-unders and we find that the issue is not which setup is right or wrong or better or best; it is what best suits your needs, the specific rig you are outfitting and how it will be used.    

arctictraveller

Senior Member

Join Date: Mar

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Quote:

Mr.Anderson

Originally Posted by

@arcticTraveler - you have the RIP kit as well, but you still replaced the rear leafs with custom springs from Alcansprings - is that correct? did you keep any of the stuff from the RIP kit on the rear or just use their front suspension upgrade? !

Over time, the fronts began to sag again, and the rear's did too, enough that they were formed around the lift block. I wanted to get rid of the block, (to reduce axle wrap) so all new springs were the answer. In addition, the new springs are far more progressive, with more, thinner leaves, and plastic slider pads between each leaf, resulting in a better ride, and a bit more lift. The new fronts ended up being a bit taller than I'd hoped, but I've only put on about miles so far, so I'm hoping it will settle a bit more. Meanwhile, I added a one inch spacer in the rear to level it out a bit. So, I'd recommend you do John's springs and shocks in the front, and rear shocks. As for rear springs, Alcan builds a pack somewhat comparable to Dever's (more leaves, more progressive) for about half the price and 1/3 the wait. If I'm not mistaken, John's springs, (and WeldTech's too) have fewer, thicker leaves, making them a little less progressive. Interestingly, both Agile and WeldTech's springs are built by the same guy. Let us know what you decide.

I've got an Advanced conversion,not Quigley (well, actually I have both, but that's another story) so I've got leaf springs in the front. When Ramsey was first offering the RIP kit, it was based around coil springs, but he still helped me with my leaf set-up. He cycled the suspension and discovered that my original shocks were restricting the available amount of droop. We added his (longer) Fox shocks front and rear, re-arched the front springs, and added a leaf in the rear. The new shocks were a huge improvement in the ride, while the re-arched springs lifted the front about an inch and a half, so I ended up with a whopping 2.5 inches of bump travel. Prior to that, it hit the bump stops over small pebbles. The add a leaf in the rear lifted it a little, but mainly leveled the van due to the stock springs being a bit sagged. With the RIP kit coil springs in front, I'm pretty sure you will see a very noticeable improvement in the ride.Over time, the fronts began to sag again, and the rear's did too, enough that they were formed around the lift block. I wanted to get rid of the block, (to reduce axle wrap) so all new springs were the answer. In addition, the new springs are far more progressive, with more, thinner leaves, and plastic slider pads between each leaf, resulting in a better ride, and a bit more lift. The new fronts ended up being a bit taller than I'd hoped, but I've only put on about miles so far, so I'm hoping it will settle a bit more. Meanwhile, I added a one inch spacer in the rear to level it out a bit. So, I'd recommend you do John's springs and shocks in the front, and rear shocks. As for rear springs, Alcan builds a pack somewhat comparable to Dever's (more leaves, more progressive) for about half the price and 1/3 the wait. If I'm not mistaken, John's springs, (and WeldTech's too) have fewer, thicker leaves, making them a little less progressive. Interestingly, both Agile and WeldTech's springs are built by the same guy. Let us know what you decide.

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Arctic Traveller
KC6TNI
GTRV
Advanced 4wd
Agile Ride improvement package

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