The never ending debate on which is better for your truck; leafs springs or links. Everyone has their reasons for choosing one or the other and we hope to shed some light on to which is better for your vehicle.

Which way to go will have a lot to do with the budget for the project, and the amount of off-roading.. The overall design of the truck will come into play, as going one direction with the rear suspension may lead to more work being done than anticipated.

Leaf spring setups have been around for quite some time. They have been tried and tested in many different applications with proven success. Most pickup trucks now a days use leaf springs on their rear suspension, with some using it on the front as well.

Leaf Springs Replacement Using Factory Mounts

The benefit of using leaf springs is with the bolt on applications out it requires little to no other fabrication. Factory lift springs can be removed from the vehicle and the aftermarket ones can be installed the same way. The amount of lift and wheel travel, the amount the wheel will move up and down when the suspension is compressed and extended, can also be determined by the leaf pack.

Leaf springs come in many shapes and sizes. Leaf packs can have as little as three or four leafs to over ten leafs. The amount of leafs along with when curve of the leaf will determine the amount of lift and travel.

The comfort of the ride is retained close with leaf springs. There are add-a-leafs (AAL) that can be added to factory leaf pack to create more lift. The AAL are usually smaller stiffer individual leafs that get added to the bottom of the leaf pack to support the other leafs. With the AAL being stiffer, the ride in the rear of the truck is sacrificed.

The main benefit of using leaf springs is that you can retain the factory mounting locations as well as being able to use the factory shock location. Most people do not take into consideration that when you change the leaf springs the shocks need to be changed as well.

Shock location goes along with the amount of wheel travel that is wanting to be reached. Using the factory shock location may limit the amount of wheel travel but it will also keep the install bolt-on.

Relocated Shock Mounts With Leafs

The shock location can be moved to increase wheel travel. Making a bed cage or extending the shock location will allow increase in wheel travel. For example, if  a set of long travel leaf springs are placed on a vehicle while using the factory shock location only 15 inches of wheel travel may be achieved. Creating a higher shock mount on a bed cage can increase the total wheel travel to 20 inches.

Leaf springs do give plenty of flexibility with budget. The ability to use factory mounting locations, as well as the ability to change the design later using the same springs gives the owner flexibility. The design of the suspension can be set up initially using the factory locations and then later changed to extend wheel travel as the project gets more extreme.

Link setups can be classifieds as the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Link setups use like the name suggests, links or bars to support the rear axle along with springs and shocks to support the vehicle.

Link Setup From Rear of Truck

Unlike leaf spring setups where the leafs will support the side to side movement of the axle, in link setups the links are used in a triangular pattern to help keep the axle straight. Link setups use coilovers to support the vehicles weight and in some cases can use additional shocks to help soften the ride.

Going to a link setup requires much more fabrication and work done to do the setup correctly. It is not a bolt-on application. With links, the amount of wheel travel is dramatically increased. Link setups can get upwards of 30 inches of wheel travel with the correct shock setup.

With not being able to use the factory mounting locations everything needs to be setup accordingly. The length of the lower and upper links need to be determined in accordance with the vehicle. There are many more factors involved compared to a leaf spring setup.

Link setups do gain increase performance off-road but can suffer on-road. The amount of sway is dramatically increased with a link setup up, as going around a turn with one tire in the air is not uncommon.

If the vehicle is a toy or tow rig, link setup is the way to go with the increase of performance off-road compared to leaf springs. The amount of work that goes into creating the link setup will be greatly enjoyed off-road.

There is a reason that trophy trucks and many off-road racing vehicles have link setups due to the exceptional off-road handling. A link setup is not something that you will see done to a vehicle that does not have any other suspension work done or is just starting out in the build process.

Leaf spring and link setups vary greatly, with each having their own pros and cons. The debate will always continue on which is more practical as it really depends on the type of vehicle, and how much work the owner wants to take on.

If looking for something that can be installed in a weekend or in a long day, leaf springs are the way to go. On the flip side if the truck is going to be a future race truck or an extreme toy, a link setup would be ideal.

There is no right or wrong setup, as long as it is done correctly it can get the vehicle back out in the dirt. Which do you prefer? Tell us in the comments below.