Rear Transverse Spring vs. Coil Over Shocks

[TheYeti]

Who's running which and why?

Which rides better? Which handles better? Is one style known for helping traction?

 

[TheYeti]

Preferably on a true 4 link, not hairpins.

 

[Flyer]

Transverse leaf springs look more traditional, that's their only advantage. No modern automobile maker uses them because they do not ride or handle as well as coils. Four-bars are likewise better than hairpins or split wishbones. Hairpins are easier to set up and slightly cheaper than 4-bars, but coil over spring-shocks are easier to setup than the transverse spring and are easier to tune.

 

[oldskoolguy]

Transverse springs are fine and look traditional. Most don't ride well because they are not set up properly. The trick with these is to get the correct shackle angles from spring to perch, and removing leaves until you get the ride you want. For me it was model A spring with only 4 leaves. Consider that in 1963 the Chevy Corvette began to use a transverse leaf spring setup on the rear suspension. Think of the concept of sprung vs. unsprung weight. If your car weighs 1800 lbs and your rear spring is designed to carry a 2000 lb. load, its gonna ride like shit. Most of the weight on a t bucket is on the front half of the car. Look at spring rates for coilovers on T buckets...typically 140lbs each.

 

[PotvinGuy]

I like my coilovers. But 2 shocks each side was too much. So I drained the fluid from 1 of them. I'd like to try air bags someday, or maybe just air shocks.