[tuxj]

Hey team,

I just noticed this while the Jeep was on the lift getting exhaust work done. My new leafs seem to be arching over the axle to form a “W/ Mustache” shape, as opposed to a “U” shape. (This is a drive-on lift at the shop, as opposed to a frame lift, so it sits as it would on the road).

It’s IRO 3.5” packs, IRO 1.5” Boomerang shackle, Iron Man Shackle Relocation Brackets.

I reached out to IRO and they think it’s caused by the relocation brackets and recommended removing them.

Only thing I realized during installation is I installed pack onto axle first, then lined up front and rear bushings. Would installing ends first, and then securing to axle be any better?

Here are some photos.

Thanks!

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[tuxj]

Here is a photo of the shackle angle with the relocation brackets.

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[tuxj]

The other thing IRO brought up is weight. I’m not sure what would be considered a lot for an XJ, but I have an empty roof rack, IRO gas tank skid, and cargo area has 33” spare and a collection of tools, Jack, fluids, etc.

I didn’t think that would be enough to do this to a brand new leaf pack.

Guess I’ll be emptying the Jeep and pulling the relocation brackets just to determine if there’s an issue with the spring packs. Which sucks, since the brackets were a pain to get bolt holes lined up with tow hitch and skid plate.

The ride is excellent right now, but I don’t want to let it go like this if it’s going to fail or cause issues eventually, since I doubt IRO would be much help after much time has passed after installation.


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[tuxj]

OK, now for my 2 cents. First I will tell you that I used to design and build lift kits from scratch in the 70s, until Rancho put me out of business with Chinese stuff. I have also worked briefly in a spring foundry. So here it is.

I see two things wrong here. First the middle of the spring is not supported enough and all the bending is there. Eventually, this spring will sag as it will loose the temper there from being bent too far.

Second, I am going to trash some internet conventional wisdom. It is a popular thing to put the shackle at the angle you have there, and you obviously bought a kit for that purpose. However the reason they soften the ride is that they make the spring bend exactly as you have shown here (Thanks for the pics on this). The spring bends in an unnatural way and only bends on one spot instead of all over so the ride is "softened". Now I can find probably a hundred guys on forums that will disagree with me on this, but the proof is in the pics.

Thanks for your thoughts. What would be the remedy for the leaf spring support issue you mention?

Perhaps moving the shackle back a bit on the bracket may help then. That’s easy to experiment with.


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[tuxj]

Am I crazy, or does their website photo of these springs also have a slight inversion to them in the center?

XJ 3.5" Leaf Springs - Iron Rock Off Road

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[tuxj]

Yup I think so too. This just means they use an adjustable table that doesn't have a good center adjustment. However I still stand by having a shorter leaf added to the center. That bottom leaf is too long IMO

Would you be talking about something like a short add-a-leaf?

Rusty's Add-A-Leaf - 1.5" Short (pair)

Rusty's add-a-leafs are an inexpensive way to add lift to your vehicle. These leafs are positioned within the existing spring pack and add more arch to the springs. They also help restore ride height lost from sagging springs and bump up the spring rate to handle the additional weight from a...

www.rustysoffroad.com

What would be the pitfalls of running springs like this in the event IRO doesn’t play nice? That add a leaf is a cheap thing to try. Otherwise I’ll just have to run them until they sag enough to replace with BDS or something of better quality.


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[tuxj]

What I would do, is instead of adding a curved leaf, which would stiffen your ride considerably I think, is use a flat tapered leaf about the length of the last leaf, then remove it and use the flat one. This would give you a two stage spring that should have a ride about like what you have now and the center would be supported

Any chance you would have a link of what you’re referring to? All I seem to find are curved add a leafs.

And what would be the long term theory of what would happen by running springs like this without adding anything?


Edit:
This is what IRO would have me use to add to my pack:

IRO 3.5" Leaf Spring Add-A-Leaf - Iron Rock Off Road

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[tuxj]

I understand what 4.3 is saying. That pack was assembled with ALL curved leafs. They are pressed together then the center bolt is installed. because the bottom leaf is so long and curved, it actually presses up on the leafs on top and this is what causes that wonky shape. If you remove the bottom leaf and replace it with one the same length, but flat. It will take out the wonkyness. Here is a leaf pack from clayton off road and you can see how flat the bottom leaf is.
View attachment 229691

Thanks for the photo, I see what you mean. Having trouble searching for a flat leaf to use. All my searches for flat leaf spring bring up endless forum results of people experiencing decades old leaf packs being flat.

I guess when it comes down to it, I really just want to know if this will even cause issues or if it just visually looks weird. The lift height and ride is stellar, so not totally eager to mess with it. On the flip side, I don’t want it to cause issue on the trail or totally sag in a month.

 

[tuxj]

I experimented with moving the shackles back one hole on the shackle relocation brackets. Not much, if any, difference in the springs or the ride.

Took some photos while leafs were at full droop and shackle bolts loose. Sorry for the dark lighting; had to start working on it at 4:30am to beat the triple digit heat outside!

And here is how it looks with vehicle weight on them, in the new position on the SRB.

I’m really torn about putting any money into these. I want a solid rig, but I also am happy with the ride and height. So if it’s not going to get worse or cause issues, I think I’d roll with it. I dunno. lol


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[tuxj]

The best place to get that leaf would be at a pick and pull. There are tons of them on rear springs in a wrecking yard, and they would be cheap. One off an S10 would be ideal and if you were local to me, I probably have some sitting in the scrap pile

Hey 4.3, in this picture of an S10 pack I would be looking at the flat leaf on bottom right?

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[tuxj]

An observation from a newb and hoping I'm not stepping on any toes here, or at least not too hard.

That compound curve in the leafs is wrong for a new buy / install. So far in this thread everyone agrees with that.

The OP lists this . . .
"It’s IRO 3.5” packs, IRO 1.5” Boomerang shackle, Iron Man Shackle Relocation Brackets."

The next line is from IRO saying what the problem is . . .
"I reached out to IRO and they think it’s caused by the relocation brackets and recommended removing them."

Only 3 items are on the list. The vendor's solution is removing the only product they did not provide.

Maybe a significant purchase shouldn't have to go thru multiple fixes, time, labor, and additional purchases to make it right?

I don't know about this stuff. Just seeing red flags I would see in any business transaction.

Cheers

Here’s the best part. On their website for the leaf packs, it stated that due to their springs being longer than stock they would require a longer shackle or shackle relocation brackets. Hence why I went down the road of the relocation brackets, especially after researching their advantages.

I pointed this out to IRO rep, and was told that was an old note that should have been removed, since their engineers have been noticing relocation brackets putting stress on the leaf springs and causing this issue. As a result we worked out an agreement that I’m good with, and they removed the relocation bracket portion of the note from their website.

Now I’m just waiting on a different company to get bushings in stock for them to ship out their leaf packs to me to replace the IRO saggy set.

Don’t want this to be an IRO bash thread, as I’ve had good experiences with them in years past, and am very happy with their other products on my rig (coils, long arms, armor, etc). Just wasn’t pleased with their leafs at all. Glad we were able to work it out in the end though.

Now hoping the next set I try will have better results.


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[tuxj]

I'm curious as to what product you replaced it with? I've done 4.5" with OME kits and older rubicon express, now I removed an overload leaf from my 3.5" OME kit and I'm around 3" with a bit flat overload leaf- and there is no curve or bend in these like the IRO, kind of curious

I went with BDS 3” pack, although their bushings are currently backordered so waiting on them to ship before I swap them in.


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[tuxj]

I already like how these new springs look in comparison. Hopefully they settle better once installed.

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[tuxj]

You have a fundamentally different spring here. This is a two stage spring as opposed to a single stage spring. They ride better, but can still support the weight as the bottom leaves come into play. I run a bastard pack that is set up like this and works well for me

Good to know. I’m curious to see the height comparison once installed.

IRO pack is 3.5”, but not sure if the sag issue changed that.

BDS is 3”. Not sure if they run tall or not, like RE does.


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[tuxj]

BDS springs look good to me!

Ride height is about the same as the other springs. The ride itself is much cushier and smooth, less stiff than the old ones.

So far, so good.

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[tuxj]

First scrap that axle and start over, way too much headache, dana 30 is weak and a waste of money. If tour gong through that much trouble just get a differnt rear end. Those are scrap .

Dana 30s are Front axles. If you’re thinking of a Dana 35, this is a Corp 8.25 axle. I’m good with it.

Not sure how an axle swap would remedy sagging springs anyway. ???



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[tuxj]

Hey, I just found this post and am currently with mostly the same problem, except it’s just their boomerang, and 3.5 leafs. Mine look exactly the same, only a couple hundred miles on them, and leaning about an inch passenger side low. Was wondering what came about with your leafs?

Rocky, they had me cut them in half and send a photo to deem them unusable so I could get a refund. It was either that or pay to have them sent back. Don’t know if that would be an option for you.

I went with BDS leaf springs, and they are doing better. Paired with the same IRO boomerang shackles I had initially installed.

Edit: For reference I believe I had their 3.5 leaf pack, like you. That’s what comes with their 4” lift I think, with the shackles for the extra height.

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