Leaf Springs - how many leaves to remove?
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 7:14 am
Just wondering what the thoughts are about removing one or more leaves from the front and rear leaf springs.
I'm looking for a bit more comfort and a little more articulation.
The 4WD club I'm a member of recently had a 'articulation demo'. This consisted of various 4WD driving one wheel up a 45 degree steel ramp until one wheel came off the ground.
Various 4WD got 400mm to 500mm up the ramp. I only got 200mm ! A old series 1 Land Rover got to about 500mm. His springs were soft and there was no stopping him!
So I started to examine my springs.
My MWB has 5 leaves on the front and 6 leaves on the rear. My LWB has 6 leaves on the front and 9 leaves on the rear. It looks like 2 leaves are fixed and go to the shackles.
So how may leaves can I remove to get a softer ride and increase the articulation?
I should add that my both Patrols won't be carrying any real loads, just 2 people, extra fuel and some camping stuff.
I think my previous MWB Patrol just had 2 leaves all round. It was fairly agile but I wasn't really comfortable that all the leaves were removed by the PO. I think they may have been sagging a little.
I'm looking for a bit more comfort and a little more articulation.
The 4WD club I'm a member of recently had a 'articulation demo'. This consisted of various 4WD driving one wheel up a 45 degree steel ramp until one wheel came off the ground.
Various 4WD got 400mm to 500mm up the ramp. I only got 200mm ! A old series 1 Land Rover got to about 500mm. His springs were soft and there was no stopping him!
So I started to examine my springs.
My MWB has 5 leaves on the front and 6 leaves on the rear. My LWB has 6 leaves on the front and 9 leaves on the rear. It looks like 2 leaves are fixed and go to the shackles.
So how may leaves can I remove to get a softer ride and increase the articulation?
I should add that my both Patrols won't be carrying any real loads, just 2 people, extra fuel and some camping stuff.
I think my previous MWB Patrol just had 2 leaves all round. It was fairly agile but I wasn't really comfortable that all the leaves were removed by the PO. I think they may have been sagging a little.