Thread: Auto leveling suspension

I think just about all SLS owners speak highly of it, but it is a luxury. I would have rated it highly for towing also as a coiler owners. If you dont have SLS then there is the option for Polyairs though, except it is a manual adjustment.

Thanks for the information. It sound like SLS is the way to go if possible. The D2 is approx 4k cheaper than others I have seen with SLS and is in great condition.

I would be tempted to go for it if it is a really really good one. The SLS is nice, but coils are ok and one less thing to worry about. Another thing to be aware of is I think only the SLS ones have 7 seats. The coliers are 5 seat. (dont know if that matters to you?)

Coil will do the job but SLS is very nice. Essentially it gives the same ride and handling regardless of load. It was on the “must have” list when I purchased mine.

Originally Posted by sim_in_mel

Hi,
New on here potentially becoming a D2 owner. I have found a 2004 D2 classic but it has standard rear suspension with no leveling.

The plan is to tow a caravan, but currently with no intention of really going off road.

The question I have is " Is auto leveling suspension a must have option or can I get away with the standard set-up?"

Gday Sim we had the SLS in our Disco and after a failure we had it removed and heavy duty springs fitted, she tows the van beautifully now, it did tow well before but even better now. We are still in 2 minds for the polly air bags to be fitted aswell, iam staing to lean towards it because we use the rear seats and with the extra weight in the back of the car the bags will help just that little more.
We just came back from the Millerran camp oven festival and met up with another D2 owners with SLS, and he has had 2 failures with the sls system, 1 covered under wrranty and 1 he had to pay for, both where the same failure we had from towing the vans and that was the aircompressors control valve, nearly $1000 to repair and when i told him what i did he will be doing the same thing soon.

If your not using it off road and your not going to do a lot of towing then it shoudl be ok, it is great on the road for handling but I dont personally like to rely on things like that.

Ive always wondered what would happen if at that very moment that you really need it to work a bag goes or a valve, what would happen.

Springs are more reliable for that, you can see if it is damaged before it breaks normally.

Just my opinion but also my opinion is that if you could have a D2 body....with D1 300Tdi running gear then you would have a really good car but because you cant I think the D2 is a bit of a problem child but again, that is just what I think, you can have what ever opinion you want.

Hi Sim,

If the rest of the vehicle is exactly what you want at the right price - I wouldn't let the SLS or coils thing put you off.

My current DII has air - and yes its really nice (Then I haven't suffered a failure yet - my thoughts could change). My previous DII was coils - and to tow I added Firestone Coilrites - similar to poly airs ( I purchased them from Trucksprings in the USA at less than half the local price btw.)

You say your not planning to do much off road - so you may well just get away with heavier rear springs - but the coilrites give you the option - I wanted to keep softer spings for off road articulation.

So if you like the rest of the vehicle - personally I would go for it. SLS is more of a luxury than an essential.

You will love the DII great vehicle.

Mark

Well thanks for all the advice.

Well I have taken the plunge.

In the end I have bought a 2004 D2 Classic with a manual box and 5 seats so no SLS.

I just loved the manual over the auto ans so did the other half. I thought the auto was just to noisy.

Just waiting for the paperwork to come through.....
OMG what have I done, hopefully this won't be a heart over mind thing.