Thinking about switching from Clayton springs to something different...Anyone running Synergy 4" springs?

[Wet Willys]

I'm currently running a Clayton 2.5" Overland Plus lift with Fox 2.0's and a 1/2 spacer in the front. I'd like to get a little softer ride on the road, so I've been looking at upgrading to Falcon SP2 3.3's and trying out Synergy springs, since they're known to be a little more compliant on rough roads. I think I'd also like to get another 1/2" of lift all the way around. I'm trying to decide which Synergy springs to go with....I'm thinking 4" fronts and maybe 3" rear? Or 4" fronts with a 1/2" spacer and 4" rears? I don't want a lot of rake but I do tow a good size boat occasionally, and as you can see in the photo below I'm sagging a bit already when towing it. I also don't want to make my 37's look tiny.......

Thoughts?

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[WILDHOBO]

Tough to get all of those things. If you don’t want to sag when you tow, it’s best to have some rake when you aren’t towing or loaded up. I have a reasonably good rake when empty, which makes it perfect when towing. And to be honest, I don’t get the level thing most people want. Your departure angle is much better with a rake. I’m also thinking about raising mine just a little, but will add the same amount to front and rear to maintain the rake.

 

[obrianmcc]

Thought to get all of those things. If you don’t want to sag when you tow, it’s best to have some rake when you aren’t towing or loaded up. I have a reasonably good rake when empty, which makes it perfect when towing. And to be honest, I don’t get the level thing most people want. Your departure angle is much better with a rake. I’m also thinking about raising mine just a little, but will add the same amount to front and rear to maintain the rake.

.... 100%

 

[WILDHOBO]

I'm currently running a Clayton 2.5" Overland Plus lift with Fox 2.0's and a 1/2 spacer in the front. I'd like to get a little softer ride on the road, so I've been looking at upgrading to Falcon SP2 3.3's and trying out Synergy springs, since they're known to be a little more compliant on rough roads. I think I'd also like to get another 1/2" of lift all the way around. I'm trying to decide which Synergy springs to go with....I'm thinking 4" fronts and maybe 3" rear? Or 4" fronts with a 1/2" spacer and 4" rears? I don't want a lot of rake but I do tow a good size boat occasionally, and as you can see in the photo below I'm sagging a bit already when towing it. I also don't want to make my 37's look tiny.......

Thoughts?

By the way, where is the third picture? That looks fun.

 

[Wet Willys]

By the way, where is the third picture? That looks fun.

It's at Merus Adventure Park in Palo Duro Canyon. Definitely one of my favorite places to offroad yet.

https://merusadventure.com/

Regarding the rake, I do want to maintain some level of rake, just not as much as factory. I know it would help with towing if I kept it the factory level of rake, but I don't tow a lot, just short trips to the lake during boating season. More of a personal preference I guess.

 

[darkhorse13]

I'd like to get a little softer ride on the road, so I've been looking at upgrading to Falcon SP2 3.3's and trying out Synergy springs, since they're known to be a little more compliant on rough roads. I think I'd also like to get another 1/2" of lift all the way around.

I've personally run everything you mentioned in the post (sans the Fox 2.0s, I'm running Fox 2.5's currently)

Here's my take:
1) Falcon SP2 3.3's will not give you a softer ride. I had these with my Clayton 2.5" lift for 1.5 years and it's very firm combo. They are a digressive shock and don't soak up the small bump road chatter well. Off-road they can take the rough stuff at speed better.
2) Synergy springs are definitely a softer aftermarket spring. I currently run the 3" front and rear. They are a true 3" lift (in front) and looks "lower" than other 3" lifts that actually are closer to 4". Pairing the Fox 2.0s with the Synergy springs will be about as soft as you can get IMO
3) Synergy springs will net you a 1.25" - 1.5" rake. Trust me I have them now. I like rake and this makes Synergy the perfect spring for adding about an additional 500lb load to level out and still give the same ride quality

If you want to to get another 1/2" all around then go with a 1/2" spacer up front and your rear will still be slightly raked out.

My 2 cents...

 

[smlobx]

It doesn’t look like you have a weight distribution hitch for your boat. Might help a lot!

 

[bleda2002]

It doesn’t look like you have a weight distribution hitch for your boat. Might help a lot!

Very rare to see a boat with a WDH, the majority of the boats weight hangs off the back (the engine) so other than the big boy boats (26-27+ cabin cruisers or multi engine) they're usually just towing regular to try to keep the tongue weight in a reasonable range.

 

[Wet Willys]

Very rare to see a boat with a WDH, the majority of the boats weight hangs off the back (the engine) so other than the big boy boats (26-27+ cabin cruisers or multi engine) they're usually just towing regular to try to keep the tongue weight in a reasonable range.

It's also got surge brakes, so I don't think I can run a WDH even if I wanted to.

 

[darkhorse13]

Thought to get all of those things. If you don’t want to sag when you tow, it’s best to have some rake when you aren’t towing or loaded up. I have a reasonably good rake when empty, which makes it perfect when towing. And to be honest, I don’t get the level thing most people want. Your departure angle is much better with a rake. I’m also thinking about raising mine just a little, but will add the same amount to front and rear to maintain the rake.

^^ Exactly! ^^ Rake is a good thing and these aftermarket kits don't fit the bill for me with the "level" stance approach.

OP, you might consider air bags in the rear if you want level towing AND level unloaded stance.

 

[Wet Willys]

I've personally run everything you mentioned in the post (sans the Fox 2.0s, I'm running Fox 2.5's currently)

Here's my take:
1) Falcon SP2 3.3's will not give you a softer ride. I had these with my Clayton 2.5" lift for 1.5 years and it's very firm combo. They are a digressive shock and don't soak up the small bump road chatter well. Off-road they can take the rough stuff at speed better.
2) Synergy springs are definitely a softer aftermarket spring. I currently run the 3" front and rear. They are a true 3" lift (in front) and looks "lower" than other 3" lifts that actually are closer to 4". Pairing the Fox 2.0s with the Synergy springs will be about as soft as you can get IMO
3) Synergy springs will net you a 1.25" - 1.5" rake. Trust me I have them now. I like rake and this makes Synergy the perfect spring for adding about an additional 500lb load to level out and still give the same ride quality

If you want to to get another 1/2" all around then go with a 1/2" spacer up front and your rear will still be slightly raked out.

My 2 cents...

Great info, thanks for the post. Did you run the Falcons with Synergy springs, or just the Claytons?

 

[bleda2002]

It's also got surge brakes, so I don't think I can run a WDH even if I wanted to.

Have you weighed it to see what tongue weight you have compared to the trailer? You could just need to be running a higher hitch to shift some weight back on to the trailer and carry it more level. Also airbags wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[Wet Willys]

Have you weighed it to see what tongue weight you have compared to the trailer? You could just need to be running a higher hitch to shift some weight back on to the trailer and carry it more level. Also airbags wouldn't be a bad idea.

I haven't weighed it yet to see what the tongue weight is. I probably will go with airbags for towing.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Have you weighed it to see what tongue weight you have compared to the trailer? You could just need to be running a higher hitch to shift some weight back on to the trailer and carry it more level. Also airbags wouldn't be a bad idea.

It does appear the drop hitch is a little too low.

 

[darkhorse13]

Great info, thanks for the post. Did you run the Falcons with Synergy springs, or just the Claytons?

Yes I ran the Falcons with both springs.

With the Clayton's I had the shaft twist set to SOFT and the main knob always set to "1". Anything over setting "1" was just more stiff. I occasionally used setting "2" with the micro adjusts only on the trails. I played with setting "3" once or twice

With the Synergy springs I could actually feel the different Falcon settings (kept the shaft twist set to SOFT) and notice seat of the pants feedback due to the softer springs. I still liked setting "1" but got to play around with setting "2" and micro adjusts more on-road and off. There were a few times "rock crawling" that I liked setting "3" to almost eliminate head bobble side-to-side.

Overall, the Falcon's pair much better with a softer spring but they were still a little too harsh for me on-road with small bump compliance. Again, everyone's sensitivity is different but the Falcon's were just a little much for me. It's a shame because the price point and overall build quality is great. Fit & finish as well as the amount of up travel and droop are spot on for the JT.

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