I agree with ya'll, as a driver you have to be comfortable with your setup, whatever that might be.
I think the type of terrain you wheel has a lot to do with it also. The super long travel springs might be the ticket out west. I don't know, I've never been there. Me and the guys I wheel with run some of the toughest trails in the southeast and we have ran about every type of leaf spring setup possible. The rigs with shorter, lower lift springs consistantly performed much better in our area. The trails we run are generally slick rock ledges and creekbeds that offer very little traction and the lower COG rigs hook up much better on the slick rocks. The long travel springs tended to unload and axlewrap very badly, just because a spring has more flex doesn't mean that it's transfering more energy to your rig.
I knew that I would get a lot of negative comments when I started this thread. I was just stating some of the issues with leaf springs that I have had and seen on the trail. It just seems to me that a lot of people get too caught up with trying to get every inch of articulation that they forget that your leaf springs are the only thing transfering forward motion from your tires to your rig.
This seems to be a factor mainly on front springs because of weight transfer.
Think about this: for your rig to move forward, the tires get traction, traction from the tires = forward energy, forward energy is transferred from the tires to the frame via your leaf spring. So your axle is pushing against the spring, the spring is pushing against the frame, your rig moves forward. Simple. Or is it? Think about HOW this force is being applied to the frame.
With a lot of arch in your springs you are pushing against an arch and below the frame, this tends to make the springs "bow up" and makes the front tires run away from the truck. This is the reason you need so much slip on the front driveshaft. I have seen rigs that could max the suspension out on a ramp and the driveshaft would not come apart, but as soon as they started up a steep climb the front driveshaft would seperate because the front axle tried to run out from under the truck. The shackle angle also greatly affects this. With a lazy shackle angle there is much more axlewrap than a more vertical shackle angle.
I'm not saying none of these springs work well, I've just noticed some issues that could be improved. Next time your on the trail with someone running Marlin, All-pro, trail gear, or rears up front, watch how the front springs behave when they are really hammering on it on a steep ledge. Pay close attention to the distance the shocks will extend and how the shackle angle will change as more torque is being put on the springs even when the axle is not articulating. Also watch how badly the leafs will fan out on the shackle end of the front springs just from getting on the gas.
This is hard to explain unless you see it firsthand. Pay attention and you'll notice what I'm referring to.
