Christian Hazel Says
Like anything, it's easy to base your opinion of something off of a poor example. Somebody who has eaten at Del Taco may think they don't like Mexican food, somebody who has had a rough flight with lots of turbulence may think they don't like airline travel, and somebody who has been to France may think that all French people, well, that's not a good example. Point is, when passing judgment on any given suspension design, you've really got to ride or drive a properly-executed example to make a real determination.
To borrow Cappa's penchant for percentages, I'd bet 95-percent of all off-roaders haven't driven or ridden in a properly set-up link-type suspension unless it's been in a totally stock, factory vehicle. For years, I've been watching poorly-designed link-type suspensions spit coils, induce axle chatter, break components, and nearly tip over at the slightest angle. I got hardened and made up my mind that anybody not running the Baja 1000 should have leaf springs and that's that. But that's not that
For most wheeling situations, there's nothing wrong with a leaf springs. They're simple, they work, and they're reliable. They're the lazy man's suspension and that's why they're my personal favorite. I always say if you run a locker(s), there's no need to keep all four tires planted on the ground all the time. But as my wheeling preferences shift from rocky trails to going fast, I'm developing an ever-increasing appreciation for link-type suspensions and what they can truly do. And while a coil or coilover suspension will never be as predictable as a leaf-sprung suspension with its progressively-increasing spring rates, I'll admit that a properly-designed link setup can run head-to-head with the leaf setup anywhere, and then some.
A correctly-designed link suspension will floor you with its abilities. When I say correctly-designed, I'm not only speaking of geometry, but shock valving as well. Regular coil springs are a cheap way to gain some good flex, but personally I'm into coilovers. Their compact design, flexibility, and capacity for outrageous performance draw me like a moth to flame. I'm getting less lazy about suspension design and building, as I bet most enthusiasts are. While a few years ago I would have scoffed at the thought of internal or external bypass coilovers and thought 18-20 inches of wheeltravel superfluous, nowadays I'm seeing there's more than just rockcrawling and mountain trails out there.
Pete Trasborg Says
Unlike some others here, I hate track bars. I've had more track bar-related problems with mounts torn off axles, frames ripped or cracked, seized bolts, wallowed-out holes, and on and on. Sure it works; and sure you get tons of flex out of it, but what a pain in the butt.
The alternative, of course, is a triangulated setup, be it a three-link, or four-link. You get rid of the track bar, but then it often seems like everything else under the Jeep is in the way of where the link arms need to be. Of course, that results in compromises with link length and frame-side link mount locations which then messes with your squat, anti-squat, and roll center. I've yet to meet or talk to a guy that's home-built his link setup and didn't want to change it after he was done the first time or first few times. Talk about being married to a Jeep, after you put all that time and effort into designing the system, you need to pull it all apart again (often many times) to nail down the way it should be. Or, the more likely scenario is that people will just train themselves to deal with the shortcomings of their setup.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not all doom and gloom on coil sprung/linked setups. They handle washboard and crappy highways like few leaf springs ever could, and if you could stick with the constant prototype loop long enough to get it nailed down it works great. The two major downsides that will keep me away from a custom front and rear link setup almost every time is the long road to having it be dialed-in, and the lack of feedback or "loose" feeling in off-camber slow-speed situations. If I'm building my own suspension, give me a leaf spring and a reciprocating saw any day and I'll see ya on the trail in a few months.
 Here's something you won't...  Here's something you won't need to worry about with leaf springs. As with anything, a link suspension is only as good as its weakest link. If we can hammer home one underlying idea it's that you shouldn't skimp on your build. Make your lower links at least 0.250-wall and do your homework regarding chassis design and setup. |  For something that does it...  For something that does it all, the lowly leaf spring truly doesn't get the credit it deserves. Build a main eye mount, hang your shackle, and the leaf spring will do the rest, from locating and controlling your axles to supporting your vehicle weight. |  Look closely and you'll see...  Look closely and you'll see another spring type we haven't mentioned up until now. Airbags offer a range of advantages, allowing increasing or decreasing ride height and load carrying capacity on-the-fly. However, their costs, complexity, and associated components do hinder their use on smaller vehicles. |