Leaf spring help...Advice/Alcan specs?

[Sionnach]

Hi Guys -
My leaf springs on my 2000 have finally started to sag a ton.
I need to make some decisions about what to do.

I have AC shackles in the rear as well.
I already have a AAL pack but have not installed it yet.

Should I just buy a new stock pack and call it good and then later add the AAL when I do the rest of the SL?
Should I just add the AAL now and hope for the best?
Should I just do Alcan (and if so should I get it for 1.5" lift and use the shackles for the rest of the 1.5")?

If going with Alcan - does anyone have the specs needed to tell those guys?
e.g. center of hanger to center of hanger and frame width?

Thanks!

 

[drbandkgb]

I'd have the current pack re arched or buy a good aftermarket set..

I'll let others chime in

 

[Prime]

This raises an interesting question for me. Once I get the Shrock and some more armor the current AAL I have probably will not be sufficient to hold everything at the proper height.

If the current AAL supplies 1.5" of lift, after 1000lbs of steel, I imagine my leaves will need some help.

Casper, what AAL are you running? Being SASd you need more lift than the rest of us or no?

 

[NMTerras]

My 2000 with aal was sagging...had em re-arched and added another full leaf. 200 bucks. They're like new. Also removed overload leaf

 

[Prime]

Did you have the towing package from the factory? I did not, so my factory pack was only two leaves.

 

[NMTerras]

nope, no tow package on mine either. the pic shows an aal, and an additional full length leaf added by spring shop (I believe it was three leafs stock)

 

[Silver dude]

I have the alcans and personally wouldn't recommend them I don't know. I ordered them for 3" of lift once installed I got 2". Then the leafs were made to long for the stock shackles. So the shackles would flip up under the springs and get stuck. Upgrading to longer shackles fixed it. But, within a few years they sagged I ended up having to go with longer shackles again. The ride is great the flex is fantastic and at least they don't crack like the aal setups. They rust like super bad the coating must have been barely applied.

Ben

 

[metzican]

When I ordered my Alcans for the second gen they had all the specs already. I had to provide nothing but the lift I want and the weight over stock. Keep in min if you added skid plates, tire carrier, rear bumper, haul a crap in the back all the time you won't get the lift you ask for unless you provide how much more weight then stock you wanted. I would think they have the specs for the first gens, you could call and ask.

 

[Prime]

Did you deal w/ Alcan directly?

 

[metzican]

^^^^ Me??, If so yes. I called them directly.

 

[Prime]

See....now this has gone and done it. I get an idea stuck in my head about how to make the X better, and I can't let it go.

My current setup is:
Factory 2-leaf
Calmini AAL (2 Leaf)
Removed Overload Leaf
Factory Shackles

So far, by rough count it gives me just under 2" of lift from the factory configuration. Which was just two leafs plus the overload. After some quick googling, I've found X's that are running Alcan and Deaver leaf packs that consist of 9-10 leafs. Which is mind boggling to me. That just seems like it'd be so damn stiff and unusable. But, this means I need to learn more about leaf springs.

If I were to order a full custom pack (from Deaver or Alcan), and give them all of the factory specs plus say I wanted 3.5-4" of lift over factory and I include things like armor, bumper, tire carrier, rack, sliders, etc...to my weight, plus factor in gear, AND install the lift shackles for the rest of the 3" suspension lift....How does all of that factor into the way I order the springs? Do I specify the lift shackles as part of the order because they factor into ride height and the arch of the spring?

Too. Many. Variables.

/My head asplode

 

[metzican]

I personally would listen to casper since he as a lot of experience dealing with this. Alcans are not cheap. The reason I went with them is on the second gen the OEM are worthless. But it sounds like on the first gen they are a lot better.

 

[Silver dude]

Did you deal w/ Alcan directly?

Yes, I did they were honest he said that the priority is that we get it right the first time as these springs are very costly to mail back and forth. I took it that I would be footing the shipping bill. I ordered 3" with 250lb over stock. What I got was 2" and in my opinion a slightly softer ride. Hard to say with the overload leaf gone and installing shocks at the same time. Despite ordering them for my make and model of Xterra they did not fit properly. Do to the slightly longer arch the springs gave more shackle movement. I flexed the truck out in a ditch near me to check my added flex and it got stuck flexed. The shackles flipped up and locked in a bind till i could use a jack to take the weight off of the leafs enough for the shackles to flip back. I then ordered custom shackles that were shorter then the lift shackles but longer then stock. Then it sagged over time however that was probably a result of the added weight of a tire carrier. At the time of ordering I had no desire for a tire carrier. The springs are also quite noisy with the full military wrapped ends the wraps seem to drag on the leaf hangers. My hangers are becoming quite bent or dented at a result of flexing the truck offroad.

 

[Prime]

Sorry, forgot to check back. I'm running the longer of the two AAL's from Calmini. I am however SOA now with the SAS. I actually had to lower the rear once I went SOA because it was too tall, thus removing one of the two AAL's. this is also the reason I go through them every couple years as the X springs are not designed for SOA.

Honestly, I still think stock is best. No need to spend money on something else.

Cheers,
Josh

Sent from something, somewhere.

AH HA!!! There is the missing variable! I could not figure out how you were SAS'd and only running half of the AAL I am. SOA! Now it makes sense.

I have no desire to SAS yet So I will be staying SUA for the time being. That being said, I have concerns about the factory leafs w/ the AAL and lift shackles maintaining the lift once fully loaded with the bumper and all the other Armor as added weight.