Ironman Leaf Springs

ffxcores

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Virginia
Your shackles seems to move smoothly.
Did you tightened to factory spec of 70ft lbs.
Mine hardly pivots with factory factory torque of 70 ft lbs.
Yep, torqued to spec with original shackles (scraped off the gunk during install) and I have the Ironman poly bushings installed with Prothane Super Grease.
 

ffxcores

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Virginia
Those who are running them, did you use a shim? If not any vibrations?
2 degree and no vibration. Steel roof rack, sliders, skids, and rear tire carrier though.

@C3NK0 we should do your rear ujoint before we put your bumper on just to see if that fixes the vibration.
 

ffxcores

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does removing the leafs affect the lift/ride height or just the load capacity/ride?
From what I’ve heard, it’s both. Somebody on Reddit just recently said they got 3” lift on a mostly stock truck, then removed 3, 5, and the overload and it dropped it to 2” and softened the ride.
 

SledheadX

Wheeling
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Rochester, NY
4 deg shims and slight vibes with no load. Added 250-300lbs of tools in back and all but gone. BUT........ I was stupid crazy and went full pack, - overload planks, + D-AAL to get 5" lift to match my TS up front. They do ride nice though.
 

ffxcores

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Yep, torqued to spec with original shackles (scraped off the gunk during install) and I have the Ironman poly bushings installed with Prothane Super Grease.
What shackles/bushings is everyone else running? I’m wondering if I should switch to greasable shackles at some point. The Ironman ones (@C3NK0 has them on) have a rusty finish very quickly so I’m hesitant to go that route.
 

mvshabeer

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At last mine arrived yesterday after 3 months.

Heads up!!

If your removing #3 , #5 and overload you will need new shorter center pin .
Ironmans U bolts are thicker - so you need a step drill bit make the holes larger.
Also get some polyurethane friendly grease.
 

mvshabeer

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Here is my initial impression with springs with 3, 5 and overload removed.
Using 1 inch lift shackle.
Front is 36 inch from ground with ironman coil spring.
Rear was 38 just after installation
After driving for 2 days with one of the leafpack in the cargo. dropped to 37 inch.

So at the moment there is no lift from the spring. May be 0.5 inch if the load is removed from the cargo.

Ride quality : It flexes well but I am not super impressed. The whole car still moves up and down when going over small dips and waves. I can feel the road.
I will wait 2 weeks for the spring to break in and may be lift another 0.5 inches with the shackles.
I had good plush drive with stock leaf and 1.5 inch lift shackles. I am trying to get that drive without bottoming out.

Another thing is I am not sure how tight or loose shackes should be with poly bushings

At the moment it is tightened to 70 ft lbs recommended for rubber factory bush

I will update
 
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TerryD

Total Tease
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Covington, Va
Ride quality : It flexes well but I am not super impressed. The whole car still moves up and down when going over small dips and waves. I can feel the road.
I will wait 2 weeks for the spring to break in and may be lift another 0.5 inches with the shackles.
I had good plush drive with stock leaf and 1.5 inch lift shackles. I am trying to get that drive without bottoming out.

These springs have a higher spring rate than the stock leafs. What you're describing is bad or improperly valved shocks.

Another thing is I am not sure how tight or loose shackes should be with poly bushings

At the moment it is tightened to 70 ft lbs recommended for rubber factory bush

The torque spec will be the same. You are tightening against the steel sleeve inside the bushings in either case.
 

mvshabeer

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These springs have a higher spring rate than the stock leafs. What you're describing is bad or improperly valved shocks.



The torque spec will be the same. You are tightening against the steel sleeve inside the bushings in either case.
I have their foam cell shock which is designed to work with these springs
 

mvshabeer

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yeah, I would definitely remove overload + 2 of them. @ffxcores knows which ones to remove.

If you don't you will have driveline vibrations. I am running on a 4 degree shim and still getting them. I didn't remove any since I am waiting for a bumper/tire carrier.

Edit: Never answered the question, ride seems to be fine for me with all of them intact except for the overload. I always had sport suspension cars stock or modified. Wouldn't know whats the definition of a comfy ride is
I removed #3 #5 and overload. I kind of have unstable pickup truck ride now. I tried loading the cargo with about 100 or more pounds which didn't helped much

I am thinking about putting back the longest #3 and removing #5 and #7.
I read from other forums un general to keep longer leaves and remove shorter leaves to soften
As per physics shorter ones will be stiffer than longer leaves.
 
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SilverbackPro-4x

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Pittsburgh
Hey guys new here, just bought this ironman heavy duty spring set, shackles and bushings.
I see everyone is saying to remove the #3,5, and overload. What is the overload? And if I don’t remove any I’ll just have a stiffer ride correct?
And I’ll get about 2” of lift in the back if I’m reading this all correctly.
 

SilverbackPro-4x

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Also, with no discounts or anything my bill with it shipped (leaf springs, bushings, shackles) was $820, wait. $755 I ordered an extra bushing set by accident. And it took about a week and a half
 

SledheadX

Wheeling
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Location
Rochester, NY
Hey guys new here, just bought this ironman heavy duty spring set, shackles and bushings.
I see everyone is saying to remove the #3,5, and overload. What is the overload? And if I don’t remove any I’ll just have a stiffer ride correct?
And I’ll get about 2” of lift in the back if I’m reading this all correctly.
The overload leaf is the HUGE solid straight one. I haven't heard anyone here keeping them on, and @ffxcores posted a vid of himself getting hung up on a trail with them installed. Do a search and watch it. I won't comment on pulling #3, 5 because I kept them and added more to the pack for a higher lift (5" total for a Titan Swap application). But if you aren't pulling a heavy trailer, the overload on that pack isn't needed.
 

ThatGuy

Need Bigger Tires
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Big Island
So is the general goal here to recreate a 1970’s Ford F-150 with straight axles and leaf springs all around? I had a 1983 Toyota pickup that I swear was a miniature copy and it was great. Guess I’m also a sucker for round headlights too as my X is 2002.
 

mvshabeer

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Does removing the overload has any affect compression and rebound.
The Ironman OL is very thick and heavy. I feel like removing it someway lighten the leaf pack. Does it cause wheel hop. Any expert advice?

Also considering the stock leaf pack was 3+1. Does it make even 5+1 way stiffer
 
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ffxcores

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Virginia
Does removing the overload has any affect compression and rebound.
The Ironman OL is very thick and heavy. I feel like removing it someway lighten the leaf pack. Does it cause wheel hop. Any expert advice?

Also considering the stock leaf pack was 3+1. Does it make even 5+1 way stiffer
No change at all. It’s there to prevent the others from inverting when under really heavy load. With how beefy they are, I don’t think it’s possible unless towing beyond the Xterra’s capacity. Since they’re under the axle they don’t affect height either.

Each overload leaf weighs 23 lbs, so yes you cut a bit by taking them out.
 

mvshabeer

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No change at all. It’s there to prevent the others from inverting when under really heavy load. With how beefy they are, I don’t think it’s possible unless towing beyond the Xterra’s capacity. Since they’re under the axle they don’t affect height either.

Each overload leaf weighs 23 lbs, so yes you cut a bit by taking them out.
Any idea what capacity will the leaf pack becomes after removing each leaf.
original is +660, What is the capacity after removing leaf 5?

I removed 3 and 5, There was 0.5 lift and the ride was not that great.
So I tried removing 5 and 7. Now there is no lift at all from the leaf unloaded ride is okay and ride with passengers is not that good.
I can push the X with my hands and it sways a bit. I am putting back 7 and add more weight to the truck and call it a day.

I just want to know how much weight do I need to add with these springs to keep it glued to the road. I also have 1.5 inch lift shackles, so it might affect the effective spring rate.

The below photo is with 2 leafs removed. IMO the pack arch is a bit on the flatter side. Shackle angle also a bit steep.

1661147281960.png
 
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ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
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Location
Virginia
Any idea what capacity will the leaf pack becomes after removing each leaf.
original is +660, What is the capacity after removing leaf 5?

I removed 3 and 5, There was 0.5 lift and the ride was not that great.
So I tried removing 5 and 7. Now there is no lift at all from the leaf unloaded ride is okay and ride with passengers is not that good.
I can push the X with my hands and it sways a bit. I am putting back 7 and add more weight to the truck and call it a day.

I just want to know how much weight do I need to add with these springs to keep it glued to the road. I also have 1.5 inch lift shackles, so it might affect the effective spring rate.

The below photo is with 2 leafs removed. IMO the pack arch is a bit on the flatter side. Shackle angle also a bit steep.

View attachment 24991
Unfortunately I’m not that knowledgeable. I only knew which leaves they recommended removing because of what they told somebody else.

They also sell an AAL and I wonder if that could work as a substitute for a regular leaf so you could get the lift you want without making the ride worse. If you wait until about 9am Pacific time they are very active on the chat on their website and may be able to help directly.
 

SledheadX

Wheeling
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Location
Rochester, NY
Any idea what capacity will the leaf pack becomes after removing each leaf.
original is +660, What is the capacity after removing leaf 5?

I removed 3 and 5, There was 0.5 lift and the ride was not that great.
So I tried removing 5 and 7. Now there is no lift at all from the leaf unloaded ride is okay and ride with passengers is not that good.
I can push the X with my hands and it sways a bit. I am putting back 7 and add more weight to the truck and call it a day.

I just want to know how much weight do I need to add with these springs to keep it glued to the road. I also have 1.5 inch lift shackles, so it might affect the effective spring rate.

The below photo is with 2 leafs removed. IMO the pack arch is a bit on the flatter side. Shackle angle also a bit steep.

View attachment 24991
I’m curious. Did you install the leaf pack full with just removing the overload leaves? Those overloads only come into play when there is significant rear end load like heavy cargo and/or pulling trailer with high tongue weight. Under normal conditions, it’s not playing a significant role. I don’t know the ratio of overload/main springs for the load capacity but try the pack in full. If too stiff or too much lift, then remove 1, maybe #3? As you found, removing 2 softens and lowers the ride, also which ones you remove change ride differently. Ironman should guide you to tailor what you’re looking for on top of what you’ve read so far. If you read my older posts I have full pack + daal - overloads = Extra height (+5”) but not too stiff. Oh yeah.... NO sway bars either, so that changes the characteristics. I have a little body roll but manageable. I off-road a fair amount so my config is different than a typical daily driver.
 

mvshabeer

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I’m curious. Did you install the leaf pack full with just removing the overload leaves? Those overloads only come into play when there is significant rear end load like heavy cargo and/or pulling trailer with high tongue weight. Under normal conditions, it’s not playing a significant role. I don’t know the ratio of overload/main springs for the load capacity but try the pack in full. If too stiff or too much lift, then remove 1, maybe #3? As you found, removing 2 softens and lowers the ride, also which ones you remove change ride differently. Ironman should guide you to tailor what you’re looking for on top of what you’ve read so far. If you read my older posts I have full pack + daal - overloads = Extra height (+5”) but not too stiff. Oh yeah.... NO sway bars either, so that changes the characteristics. I have a little body roll but manageable. I off-road a fair amount so my config is different than a typical daily driver.
No to get it right first time I removed 3 and 5 and end up in this rabbit hole.

Update: Reinstalled as recommended by others and removed just #5.
Now there is 1 inch lift from the leaf and ride is still stiff but feels good and supported than 2 leaves removed.

So my conclusion from the test is it's better to only remove 1 leaf even if stock. Removing 2 is softer but not in a good way.
I tried without 3 and 5, and then without 5 and 7.
Also as mentioned above either #3 or #5 can be removed.
Someone please contact ironman ( I am outside US) to check how each of those affects the ride quality so the information is complete for future users.

I will try the full pack sometime and see how it feels.
For now I will allow this setup to settle and add more weight to the vehicle.

I also like to try the original rubber bushings for shackles since the poly is translating more vibrations to the cabin.
 

mvshabeer

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Edit: Found out torqueing the shackles to factory spec was a big mistake. I loosened the bolts and just finger tightened. My shackles have nylock nut. It gets tightened just enough automatically when I drive.
It rides much better now. This discovery made my earlier springs setup tests invalid. The shackles were not moving as required.
 

mvshabeer

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Got info back from ironman. They recommend removing #3 first and #5 next.


1662273321923-jpeg.146807




Also here is the RELATIVE spring rate of each leaf based on approx. length. based on a online calculator.
Leaf #7 is 4 times stiffer than Leaf #3.

1662273722192-png.146808
 

mvshabeer

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Another update to save someones back from playing with the leafpack.

Removed #3 and installed back #5.

Even though theoretically #5 is stiffer than longer #3 it somehow made the ride much better. I have tried all the possible configuration.

This is the best one for light to medium load and is inline with the above diagram from ironman.

After more research, found out that longer leaves support the most weight.

Ironman pack is +660 That is 2760 lbs (Stock is 2100 lbs). Removal of the longer leaf reduce the capacity by about 15%.

It's not 15% of the 660, it's 15% of the 2700. That is why removing 2 leaves is really bad. So it will be more like 0 to 440 spring now.

@ffxcores, In your earlier post you mentioned to remove #5 first. It is only applicable if the X is significantly heavier. For the rest removing #3 will be much better.
 
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