When its all said and done Jeep has tried several ways of getting the suspension on their vehicles “correct”. But is seems like they go with the “technology times” and not with what true Jeepers or off-roaders really desire. I started out with leaf springs, moved to coil springs, and may move to an IFS system in the future.
A lot of Jeepers would agree that Jeep has turned in a different direction in the manufacturing of its vehicles. Making more luxurious and smoother riding vehicles. Some guys still prefer to have a capable rugged vehicle that we beat and thrash over and over again and still run as good as day one.
So we have to wonder things like out of all the option they have what’s the best suspension for an off-road/on-road combination? Something that has insane crawling capability/flex while not having to compromise a somewhat good ride. In my experience with rock crawling and my friend’s experiences we all agree that it’s personal preference.
If you have a Jeep Wrangler YJ or a Jeep Cherokee XJ you may prefer the Leaf Suspension setup. But a Grand Cherokee, Wrangler TJ or JK owner may say a Coil Spring setup is the best.
WHICH IS BETTER?
It all comes down to budget and what you’re doing with your Jeep. Are you a commuter by week and a crawler by the weekend or are you strictly off-road? I highly recommend the leaf suspension for those who are on a budget and need something that won’t need very many extra parts to keep the frame lifted up.
While the coil springs look nicer in my opinion the leaf pack allows for more towing capacity and can offer more flex. If you just drive on the road and that’s all you do, keep the coil springs. They offer a smooth ride and in my opinion look a lot better under the vehicle versus the leaf packs.
In a perfect world however I would have a coil spring add-a-leaf combination. Which Jeep used on its early XJ model’s. I’ve owned several XJ’s before and have to say this is the best option for the combination we compared earlier. Offering awesome off-road capabilities while keep a smooth ride.
However, for you to make your own mind up, it may matter on these factors:
A. How much money you want to spend – coil springs are a little more expensive then lifting a leaf pack.
B. How much time you want to spend – replacing coil springs require you to remove a lot of the suspension where sometimes lifting a leaf spring with a block kit is easy to do.
C. Are you taking it off-roading often – then you have to decide which suspension setup is best for you.
D. Are you taking it on strictly road only – then maybe the coil spring setup is best for you.
