Boxerdogs

2015 Rubicon, stock suspension, Rock Hard rear bumper with racks. I occasionally carry a heavy load and tow a trailer. I am looking for “heavy duty” rear springs, and I also need new front and rear shocks. I don’t want any additional lift, but a small amount would be OK. What would you suggest? (Besides not loading a little Jeep so much!) Is it OK to get stronger springs on the rear without changing the front? Would air bags or something like that be a better option? Thanks for your advice. JD

nthinuf

There have been a few posts about airbags semi-recently. Fairly favorable reviews from what I recall.

No problem swapping coils in only one end, you aren't looking for a large height difference front to back, just offsetting some weight. I haven't followed which mfg's carry 1.5" coils, but some of those might get you the right amount of height in the rear.

One specific mfg you could look into is OME. Most of their coils are marketed as 2", but if you download a catalog from their website you'll note that it lists the individual coil rates so you can get a better idea of load handling capability. This is something that few other mfg's seem to do, and might be useful to you. (And as a suggestion if you go OME, unless the rear of your jeep is very heavy, don't choose the HD coils.)

karls10jk

Air bags are a nice option if you're occasionally loaded. I had a secondhand set and they certainly make a difference with a trailer. But....They they secondhand so when the previous owner's abuse caught up with me, they failed. I was looking into relaxingr them and it seems the manufacturers were doing a good job of covering the original owner.

You mentioned shocks as well- Rancho has a promo currently where they're on sale. You could pick up a set of adjustables to firm things you when you tow and smooth things out for the daily ride.

rob_engineer

If the heavy weight is tongue weight due to the trailer, then do yourself a huge favor and get a weight distribution receiver. Do yourself and even bigger favor by pairing that with a smittybilt XRC rear bumper which makes the weight distribution much more effective because the receiver is so much stronger than the stock setup. I know first hand as I've towed a 5000 pound trailer with the factory setup and with the XRC setup.

yaak

I agree that OME Old man Emu has the coil springs for you. Built for extra weight without lift.

Aussiecrd

Airbags

I have airbags in my jk crd, installed by the previous owner. The brand is an aussie brand, we are very creative down here, the brand is 'the air bag man'

They work an absolute treat, in no way when I have no load and wheeling do they make any difference to my flex. They are mated to aev tuned 3.5 in bilsteins

When loaded the rear rides nicely, I have towed a 1.6t digger and buckets approx 2.3t and prevents the nose up attitude experienced when I have not inflated the bags

The airbags are plumbed into my underfloor storage with 2 tyre valves to inflate and deflate

1 negative, is when I flex up and wheel, the airbags then sit a tad out of shape inside the coils,

Hope this helps make a decision, I personally would not take away a reasonably comfortable ride achieved with coils, and install a hard coil, when a load is not always in place, I've had leaf springs before and did not enjoy it much at all

Good luck Fabs

Sunnysideup

My Dad carries 600 to 700 lbs in his JKU... he uses the OLD MAN EMU springs... and it handles the weight and doesn't sag after a lot of use. But empty they are stiff... Just depends … adjustable shocks help it ride differently under load but really don't have the ability to adjust to height loss due to weight. They will get ride of the "afterbounce" when your heavy.

any4xx

I’ll chime in with a vote for the air bags if your loading is only occasional. Stiff rear springs aren’t any fun for a daily driver that only gets loaded down occasionally. Air bags will go unnoticed until you need them.