First of all, I do enjoy the solid front axle configuration that's available for the D-Series & other vehicles but I can't help but notice that no matter how you configure the front axle setup, it's always sprung over. I'm wondering if you guys, in the name of realism, could produce a "stock" version of the SFA that makes use of a spring under configuration, much like the rear axle when unmodified. Cheers, Someone who cares too much about leaf springs And a photo, just because photos are nice:
I've never dealt much with leaf springs so forgive for not knowing, but are there any advantages to a spring under axle setup? To me it just looks like less ground clearance.
That probably IS the reason, manufacturers these days trying to make cars too "safe" because of course if some idiot rolls it and dies especially at legal speed everyone would make way too big of a deal out of it and that of course would be bad for PR so instead manufacturers opt to make their cars completely useless by having them so low to the ground they bottom out on anything bit a proper road or relatively flat ground for the purposes of "safety" at least that's why I assume they do it. It would also probably be better for handling and stability. take what I say with a grain of salt though, Im absolutely clueless about what im talking about much like most people.
The typical spring under setup is much more stable than a typical spring over setup. Spring over setups are much more prone to axle warp than spring under and often ride worse without proper correction. People do spring over conversions generally seek more lift & more flex. I would like to see a spring under front axle just because it's just how nearly all leaf sprung front end vehicles are set up.
Ah... I thought it might have something to do with axle wrap. Just out of curiosity, is that what the fj60s like yours have?
Yeah my HJ61 is factory spring under both front & rear. It's not bad setup by any stretch of the imagination, but coils would be nice.
Spring over front leafs are quite common in factory form on 80s to 90s Dodge and Chevy pickups with SFA.
Maybe it is possible that the vehicle mentioned in this thread (http://www.beamng.com/threads/small-ibishu-4x4-suv-creation-the-sparrow.29017/) will have a spring under axle setup.
In traffic today I saw a stock-looking 80's Dodge pickup. Looked like it had IFS and a spring-over rear axle.
Well it was still possibly a modification done to it, not all aftermarket suspension has to have a significant lift, its quite possible with a truck of that age that the leaf springs had to be replaced at some point in time and the owner may have got a spring over axle leaf spring suspension thing(if it would even be possible to convert a truck to axle under spring without spending more than it would cost for another set of leaf spring stuff that's axle over spring)
Of course I considered that it might not be stock. It's totally possible that the truck was modified. Leaf flipping is cheap and easy. I have no way of knowing whether the truck was 100% stock, but in this case I doubt that it had a flip kit installed. A flip kit adds a good bit of height and this truck looked pretty normal in ride height.