ghetdjc320 Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 So I've been looking for something to help level the load when hauling without an add a leaf or new springs. I really like current ride quality with my bastardized 5 leaf pack but I don't have enough spring rate for hauling or towing. Ive been looking at doing an air helper spring and still like the idea but I do notice that it can severely limit travel as most bags only have about 6" of total travel. Then I came accross these guys: https://activesuspension.com I reached out and they said they didn't have anything that fits a Comanche but they agreed to let me send them all the specs of what I'm working with and see if they had a kit that might work from another application. Still not 100% sure if they have something that may work but I should know soon. My spring brackets are quite a bit different from the stock layout. Anyways, any thoughts on this system design from RAS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaman09 Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 I've seen advertisements for their helper spring setup before. It looks logical to me. Let us know if you get it sorted out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 46 minutes ago, pizzaman09 said: I've seen advertisements for their helper spring setup before. It looks logical to me. Let us know if you get it sorted out. It certainly has a lot of good reviews. The principle seems sound but I’m curious how it works in the long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchamakalit Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 Almost sounds like your wanting a car like ride with truck like hauling capacity. I'd say suck it up buttercup, trucks ride rough. Not much else to add, other than the capacity of the GS springs is real. My MJ will handle anything most half ton trucks will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted June 20 Author Share Posted June 20 21 minutes ago, watchamakalit said: Almost sounds like your wanting a car like ride with truck like hauling capacity. I'd say suck it up buttercup, trucks ride rough. Not much else to add, other than the capacity of the GS springs is real. My MJ will handle anything most half ton trucks will. Engineering is real I may still go air suspension but like the idea of what this company came up with. GS spring design is just not what I’d want to run again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 I say try it. (brought to you by: "Jeepers helping Jeepers spend their money", a division of You Got This Dude! enterprises) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 When I was researching load helpers for my Sierra, I saw these. The thing I don’t care for with these is it adds more items that will wear out/squeak, or rust. Airbags are simpler, andjustable and are a pretty sound design, many thousands if not millions of airbags cruise our highways every single day. Not to mention, your truck is already setup for airbags. Another thought to consider is doing a helper spring like the one ton trucks do, that is not active unless a load is compressing the standard spring pack a certain amount. Simple and effective, trouble free too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_SX4 Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 3 hours ago, Comanche SS said: Another thought to consider is doing a helper spring like the one ton trucks do, that is not active unless a load is compressing the standard spring pack a certain amount. I was also going to suggest this. Not sure how it would work on a Comanche with the springs under the frame though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 24 minutes ago, Eagle_SX4 said: I was also going to suggest this. Not sure how it would work on a Comanche with the springs under the frame though. There are two styles. On some trucks, the helper springs are separated from the main pack above the axle and the frame has bump stops that the springs contact when the main springs compress enough. The other style looks like the picture above. They are directly integrated into the spring pack. They have less arch than the main springs. As the springs compress and flatten out, they compress against the load springs and the spring rate is added to the main leaf pack. The second style is easy to install and is a good compromise. Unloaded, you don't compress enough to hit the higher spring rate. Loaded, the helper springs just automatically kick in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche SS Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 20 minutes ago, derf said: There are two styles. On some trucks, the helper springs are separated from the main pack above the axle and the frame has bump stops that the springs contact when the main springs compress enough. The other style looks like the picture above. They are directly integrated into the spring pack. They have less arch than the main springs. As the springs compress and flatten out, they compress against the load springs and the spring rate is added to the main leaf pack. The second style is easy to install and is a good compromise. Unloaded, you don't compress enough to hit the higher spring rate. Loaded, the helper springs just automatically kick in. Might just find an s-10 or ranger kit and make it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robfg67 Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 Never heard of it, but I'm interested. The P.O. installed a Rusty's 4" lift with new leaf springs. It rides fine empty or loaded down, but the rear drops down a lot with not much weight added. Please follow up if they have one and you install it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 4 hours ago, robfg67 said: Never heard of it, but I'm interested. The P.O. installed a Rusty's 4" lift with new leaf springs. It rides fine empty or loaded down, but the rear drops down a lot with not much weight added. Please follow up if they have one and you install it. Will do! If they don’t have a kit I’ll go with an airbag setup. I may fabricate an upper bracket to replace the bump stop as I really don’t like the J bracket that the airlift kit uses. Been looking at ridetech systems. I also just don’t want to loose the flex and on handling of the current system by slapping on some thick rigid springs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 Dave Chapelle from the Dirthead Shed on YT has done a lot of air bag rear suspension setups for rock crawlers. Not exactly what you’re after, but it might be worth looking into for some inspiration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 29 minutes ago, 89 MJ said: Dave Chapelle from the Dirthead Shed on YT has done a lot of air bag rear suspension setups for rock crawlers. Not exactly what you’re after, but it might be worth looking into for some inspiration. I’ve heard of that but hadn’t seen any of his work. Seen a lot of air bag work from Texas metal though. Will have to lookup what he’s done. Ultimately, I’d love to have some links installed along with airbags in the correct location to act as a complete suspension system, but I think that may be something I plan a ways down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_SX4 Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 8 hours ago, 89 MJ said: Dave Chapelle from the Dirthead Shed on YT has done a lot of air bag rear suspension setups for rock crawlers. Not exactly what you’re after, but it might be worth looking into for some inspiration. Here is the the walk-around of his Mazda truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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