Thread: SLS to Coils

yep, i'm with tombie, i would rather take a 1/2 kilo rubber airspring spare with me than try carrying a coil spring around as a spare.

i am sure this fear of sls airsuspension is one of those urban myths that has grown out of nothing reasonable to scare all the kids around that get decent cars (D2 SLS), and then go and make pigs of them by retrofitting coils cos they are scared :P

When i removed the sls on my td5,i had articulation in mind,i used terrafirma springs (300-340 lbs) with d1 spring perches-seats,the main restriction for articulation(compared to my previous D1),is the trailing arms( similar to G-wagen and suzuki Jimny ones),they bind a LOT and not the airbags themself.
I also used dislocation cones but even with the shocks removed the spring didn't dislocate at ALL..
The field test showed that i lost articulation,cause the spring (compressed side) made things more difficult,maybe a softer spring would have helped,but it's a 7 seater so no coils for me anymore..
If i ever convert to the rear suspension classic 3 link or 5 link then ok..
I carry a spare height sensor,cause this the most serious damage can happen to the sls system,if it goes nuts,it deflates both sides, a porous airbag will give a sign long before - unless it goes bang..

Originally Posted by Rosscoe68

yep, i'm with tombie, i would rather take a 1/2 kilo rubber airspring spare with me than try carrying a coil spring around as a spare.

i am sure this fear of sls airsuspension is one of those urban myths that has grown out of nothing reasonable to scare all the kids around that get decent cars (D2 SLS), and then go and make pigs of them by retrofitting coils cos they are scared :P

dare I say it--
theres almost something toyotaish about it,,

Originally Posted by Rosscoe68

yep, i'm with tombie, i would rather take a 1/2 kilo rubber airspring spare with me than try carrying a coil spring around as a spare.

i am sure this fear of sls airsuspension is one of those urban myths that has grown out of nothing reasonable to scare all the kids around that get decent cars (D2 SLS), and then go and make pigs of them by retrofitting coils cos they are scared :P

So before your D2 with Airbags you always carried a coil spring in the back as a 'spare'? And by even having to carry a spare bag isn't that saying you know theres a higher chance of it going?
I am not trying to fuel the SLS vs Coil war, i am just exploring my options with different ideas. There is no need to go flaming people calling them 'kids' just because of an opinion

No... But with Airbags they don't sag like coils... This means they just keep working until the point of failure.

A coil sprung D2 just keeps sagging till it's below normal or noticeable to the owner.

On a hard core trip fully laden I would consider a spare coil especially if the springs fitted are new (flaws in manufacture unknown at that point).

With an airbagged D2 it's a well known service item - so for a long remote trip I would replace them before leaving and carry one of the old ones.

They have a working life - usually 80-100,000km then it's time to replace. Much like coil springs!!!!

I agree with Tombie in that if I was to embark on a remote area trip I would replace the bags before leaving if I didn't know their history, whether you carried a spare or not would be your own decision, everyone will prepare differently. If you had a doubt about the airbags then maybe you should have bought a coil model, the airbag models were designed that way for a reason, and now there are manufacturers copying the idea, just like when RR came out with coils back in the 70's. I'm sure there is other items on the vehicle that would be more prone to failure than the airbags.
Cheers Matt

yep, me too, when i got my D2 i put new bags in it qand kept 1 of the olds as a spare
simple, and makes sense.

It's probably not just bag puncture risk but the risk of other component failure in the system - compressor, height sensors. I like simple but that's personal choice for you.

Ps you don't turn a'd2 into a pig fitting coils. Far from it. Having coils front a rear is a nicely balanced system.