Thread: SLS Playing up

Where the plastic line goes into the push in fitting, the cut has to be square and without distortion to the circumference. A proper tool can be sourced from a truck parts outlet, cheaply.

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

coils only last as long as your load stays the same,, add a fridge or 5 people and coils no longer work.
Buy the bags, soon. Buy two. Keep the good one as a spare. Bags are considered a consumable, though a TEN year consumable,

Just Do It.

X2, buy the bags, I am the guy that is installing airbags! Too much variability with the coils and different loads.

Originally Posted by trout1105

I ran 2x fridges, enough tools to equip a small workshop and towed a 2t boat with my D2a from Geraldton to King Ash Bay and back on coils without any problems.
I did a further 100,000K's with tbe same load and towing much of the time and I NEVER hit the bump stops once.
Coils work just fine

and somewhere there is a railway carriage lying on its side with its undercarriage missing

Originally Posted by trout1105

....
Coils work just fine

Yep! sure do, but air can work so much better .. and as already mentioned can be reliable if looked after correctly.

As a side note: Have you had a peek under all the heavy haulage trucks in your area and did a count of how many still run with ye olde worlde suspension systems. My guess would be close to if not exactly 100% use air suspension on all but the steer axles.
And if you check the buses, you'll find a very strong likelyhood that all axles will be air suspended.

My brother's D2 had a half decent run on some coils, but they don't last forever as many seem to think they do.
My old RRC had a good run from it's coils, and again they didn't last forever.

So the comment that coils work 'just fine' can equate to quite a few variable meanings.
from 'at least they haven't yet snapped' (like in my RRC) too ... 'they haven't yet sagged to uselessness'(like on brothers D2) .. where the replacement coils made a startling difference to how the vehicle drove subsequently.

The advantage of airbags is that they either work or they don't .. so where coils may work just fine .. it may not be ideal like a air bag would be until it fails.

My guess would be that with 100K klms and all the heavy work you've used them for .. at least one the 4 coils will have degraded in some way. Maybe not much, and possibly not noticeable all that much, but will have an effect on handling, that air bag springs won't.

Originally Posted by AK83

Yep! sure do, but air can work so much better .. and as already mentioned can be reliable if looked after correctly.

As a side note: Have you had a peek under all the heavy haulage trucks in your area and did a count of how many still run with ye olde worlde suspension systems. My guess would be close to if not exactly 100% use air suspension on all but the steer axles.
And if you check the buses, you'll find a very strong likelyhood that all axles will be air suspended.

My brother's D2 had a half decent run on some coils, but they don't last forever as many seem to think they do.
My old RRC had a good run from it's coils, and again they didn't last forever.

So the comment that coils work 'just fine' can equate to quite a few variable meanings.
from 'at least they haven't yet snapped' (like in my RRC) too ... 'they haven't yet sagged to uselessness'(like on brothers D2) .. where the replacement coils made a startling difference to how the vehicle drove subsequently.

The advantage of airbags is that they either work or they don't .. so where coils may work just fine .. it may not be ideal like a air bag would be until it fails.

My guess would be that with 100K klms and all the heavy work you've used them for .. at least one the 4 coils will have degraded in some way. Maybe not much, and possibly not noticeable all that much, but will have an effect on handling, that air bag springs won't.

X2 ……..even though I don’t have SLS on my D2, if I did I would be very inclined to retain and maintain the system much the same as I have done with ACE which I wouldn’t want to be without.
I have Firestone Airbags in my rear coils and whilst they are not even a 1/2 way compromise for SLS they are an upgrade over coils alone.

Originally Posted by fourteen8

Thanks Shack.

How to remove the pipe with the push in fittings? Just pull or there is trick for it?

There is a little brass collar that the line goes into on top of the bag, push the air line and the brass collar in together, then hold the brass collar in while you pull the line out... Simple!

I've changed mine several times in it's nearly 20 years.
Have found Contitech brand outlast Dunlop but cost a little more.

Originally Posted by shack

There is a little brass collar that the line goes into on top of the bag, push the air line and the brass collar in together, then hold the brass collar in while you pull the line out... Simple!

and if it does not move?
The brass collar, looks like a nut?