Air Lift, Timbren, or add a leaf

[ducktapeguy]

Just wanted to see if anyone has any experience with any of these specifically the Timbrens for a CJ8. I'm looking to add a little more stiffness to the rear of my scrambler. I currently have a lift, not sure what brand or how high, but I'm guessing around 2 1/2" and a rear Hellwig swaybar. The jeep sits close to level, but the rear springs are a bit softer than the front which leads to some swaying when going over bumps. I have a 30 gallon aux tank installed, and will be installing a sleeping platform and other stuff in the back which is going to increase the weight a few hundred lbs. so I'd like to stiffen up the rear a bit.

I was going to put in an Air lift since I'll also be adding an onboard air compressor. I've used Air lifts before and they seem to work fine, but I was looking for other alternatives when I came across the Timbrens. They're essentially heavy duty bump stops that engage much earlier and work similar to an airbag, but without all the complexities. I've seen different reviews mainly from RVers which seem to be one of their bigger markets, but nothing specifically for jeeps. One of the main reasons I'm tempted to try it is because it's an easy install in place of the existing bumpstops and I wouldn't have to drill holes in the frame.

I also have some add-a-leaf springs I took off from another jeep I could install, but I don't want to raise the rear any higher than it already is, I just want more load handling, so that's kind of a last resort.

 

[barrys]

Maybe a custom spring shop(Alcan, National, Deaver,??)can make an add-a-leaf that will help with load carrying but won't lift the Jeep anymore than the thickness of the spring.

 

[mhinchliffe]

Hit up a local spring shop......they'll work to your wishes/wants. Just an idea

 

[ducktapeguy]

I think eventually new rear springs would probably be the best solution, but at this point I don't know exactly what I want or how much weight I'll be carrying. That is one advantage of going with airbags, I can adjust the pressure as necessary to customize the ride. There's another option called Sumo Springs, which are just like the timbrens but made of a different material. I'm tempted to give them a try because it's a 10 minute install.

I just remembered I have some spare YJ leaf springs in the garage, I thought about taking the main leaf and cutting the eyes off to make a full length add-a-leaf. If the curvature is the same it would stiffen the current pack without adding too much height.

 

[ag4ever]

I would add a leaf from another pack if you don’t want to replace with custom ones.

I don’t think I would recommend bags or urethane helpers on a scrambler.

 

[wm69]

I bought some Timbrens for my parent's 2008 Odyssey, along with new rear springs, but I haven't gotten around to installing them yet. They are the "go to" fix for sagging springs on that generation of mini vans, but for a Jeep I think I'd want stiffer rear springs. The Timbren will keep you from bottoming out, but won't help with the spring sagging until you get to that bottoming out point.

 

[ducktapeguy]

The only reason I'm hesitant to order custom springs because getting new leaf springs is always a shot in the dark, without some previous experience or other people's reviews it's hard to know what you're getting.

I would add a leaf, but all commercial add-a-leafs I find are for stock height, not lifted jeeps. I looked at the YJ springs that I have, and I think it's free arch height is somewhere between the stock CJ and 2 1/2" lift, so I'm not sure how that's going to affect the spring pack adding one leaf that is "flatter" than others. That might actually decrease the current lift I have on there now.

I've read reviews of the timbrens and sumo's and the main complaint some people have is that when unloaded (not towing), the ride is pretty rough. That's why I was leaning towards air bags again. But I started adding up the weight. 150? lbs for a hard top, 100lbs rear bumper, 80lbs spare tire, I'm already over 300 lbs over the rear axle without carrying anything in the bed. That's approximately the same as having the tongue weight of a 3000lb trailer all the time. By the time I add in some camping equipment I'll easily be over 500lbs. I found some knockoff sumo/timbren springs on Amazon for ~$80 that looks like I can modify to make work, which is easier to justify than spending $300 on sumo's for 2 foam blocks.