Switching to coils, anyone have regrets? and D1 vs D2 perches?

[KyleT]

I am heavily debating switching to coils when I lift vs. sls spacers. I know the general consensus is to switch, but is there anyone that regrets the switch? how is the ride? i am getting annoyed with the floaty feeling that the back end has over bumps, but I like the leveling ability as well as the extra clearance when I hit that button.....

if i switch, should I use the D1 or D2 spring perches? the d2 sits a little lower and would (i assume) prevent dislocation a bit sooner than the flatter d1 part. but the d1 would yield a 1/2" taller lift......


1999 D2 SE (no third row)

I dont tow much ever, but 2 or 3 times a year I load the back down with gear to head up to the mountains...

 

[expectthebest]

I am heavily debating switching to coils when I lift vs. sls spacers. I know the general consensus is to switch, but is there anyone that regrets the switch? how is the ride? i am getting annoyed with the floaty feeling that the back end has over bumps, but I like the leveling ability as well as the extra clearance when I hit that button.....

if i switch, should I use the D1 or D2 spring perches? the d2 sits a little lower and would (i assume) prevent dislocation a bit sooner than the flatter d1 part. but the d1 would yield a 1/2" taller lift......


1999 D2 non SE (no third row)

I dont tow much ever, but 2 or 3 times a year I load the back down with gear to head up to the mountains...

I don't own a disco but do have an air sprung classic. There are disadvantages I think if you are doing heavy rock crawling. But, for every day use with moderate off road, I like the air springs and have decided to keep them.

Regarding loading the back and trailoring - There is nothing that looks more rediculous than a rover going down the road with the back end bogged down and the nose sticking up in the air. Take a look at what you use your truck for. If it's heavy rock crawling, think seriously about making the switch to coils. If not, keep the springs and plan ahead for the possible issues one may have with air springs.

Ed

 

[BackInA88]

i am getting annoyed with the floaty feeling that the back end has over bumps, but I like the leveling ability as well as the extra clearance when I hit that button.....

Have you checked you shocks?
How many miles do you have on them?

 

[flyfisher11]

Keep the airsprings and prepare for inevitable failure. IT WILL HAPPEN EVENTUALLY. I use the DI rear perches on my DII 3" RTE lift etc. FWIW.

Oh and BTW I can load the hell out of my truck and pull a fully loaded 1.5 ton trailer and barely compress and inch or so. If somones lift is as the guy described above "nose in the air" he's probably running Big Blues!opcorn:

 

[p m]

FWIW - I've switched my 95 LWB to coils, just to get the rear back to airbags about a month later. Never regretted going back to airbags.

I am considering changing OME 762 rears in the Disco to RRC airbags (maybe to Arnott bags) as well. You can completely customize the ride, level, and (to lesser extent) travel of the airbag suspension.

 

[MUSKYMAN]

I have a HUGE regret...































I regret I didnt do it the day I bought the DII

 

[p m]

I have a HUGE regret...
I regret I didnt do it the day I bought the DII

Turning your D2 into a Scout?

 

[MUSKYMAN]

Turning your D2 into a Scout?

some day

the wife still daily drives it but just like the D1 every dog has its day

 

[jhmover]

I went to coils in my D2 after blowing an air bag about 50 miles in the Nevada desert, only regret I had was I put in the progressive OME's and should have put in the HD's. The progressives rode great on the street and OK off road with no load, but with 4 people and gear I did a lot of dragging the receiver hitch.

 

[flyfisher11]

FWIW - I've switched my 95 LWB to coils, just to get the rear back to airbags about a month later. Never regretted going back to airbags.

I am considering changing OME 762 rears in the Disco to RRC airbags (maybe to Arnott bags) as well. You can completely customize the ride, level, and (to lesser extent) travel of the airbag suspension.

Peter,

If you do a lot of different loading configurations you could alway stuff some of those "Airlift" bags inside the coils and have the best of both worlds.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[p m]

Mike, by doing this, you'll never get 10" of travel stock coils or airbags offer.

 

[KyleT]

the springs I have are 764's for teh front and 762's for the rear and a 1" spacer if needed to level it... shocks are the DAP special procraps that I got a heck of a deal on. I am not ready to drop 220 a pop for the blingsteins and I dont know if i want 10 or 12 travel ones. I want 12 but dont know if i NEED 12's.

Mileage is 140k all around. original shocks and bags as far as service records and the way they look goes...

Truck is expedition use, very very light rock crawling. i like stuff like black bear pass ect... 4 people and a load of gear in the back. I liked it not dragging the butt and the extra clearance by hitting the button. Less wear and tear for a 99% street truck.

 

[KyleT]

I went to coils in my D2 after blowing an air bag about 50 miles in the Nevada desert, only regret I had was I put in the progressive OME's and should have put in the HD's. The progressives rode great on the street and OK off road with no load, but with 4 people and gear I did a lot of dragging the receiver hitch.

did you blow the bag or the fitting?

 

[Steph]

The peace of mind alone is enough to justify it. I had a pump failure here at home in the dead of winter, and couldn't justify replacing it and be nervous about a failure when away from home, like a ski lodge 2-3 hours from home. So I switched to the OME 2 inch lift with medium springs and shocks, and can honestly say that it rides just as good as it did with the SLS. It's true however, that with the lift, I installed 265/70-16 General grabbers AT/2, which could have very well help in the ride plushness dept.

 

[p m]

you don't need a pump or valve body or computer to run airbags. All it takes is besides the bags is a few feet of line, a few fittings, and schraeder valve(s).

 

[mcrogers1]

If it gets very cold the air springs will fail as mine did twice during winter. Put the coil springs on and you will never regret it.

MR

 

[SDD2]

springs don't need fittings, or valves ... they don't rely on a compressor not failing ... they don't care if it's cold or not ... they don't leak and lose functionality ...

if you like simplicity and reliability, you get springs ...

 

[expectthebest]

springs don't need fittings, or valves ... they don't rely on a compressor not failing ... they don't care if it's cold or not ... they don't leak and lose functionality ...

if you like simplicity and reliability, you get springs ...

If you like simplicity and reliability, buy something other than a Rover.

I would keep the air springs and plan for the worst when on the trail. That means replacement air bags, good preventative maintenance of the system, and the means to inflate the bags if a serious issue were to happen. After reading what you've said, it sounds like the bags are useful to you and that you personally like them. So do the extra work to keep them.

Springs would be more reliable and something that you would not need to think about. Just install and forget. If giving up the air bags for these reasons outweights the benefits of the bags for you, replace them with springs. That's my advice for whatever it's worth.

 

[SandMan]

I swapped both the RR and the Disco.
But I had other reasons for doing it (failure rate and parts availability).
Here in the desert, rubber tends to dry out and rot fast. Tires can only be on the vehicle for 5 years (mandate by law). So the bags did fail rather often. The valve body would always get dust in it and fail.

Heck, I swapped the air ride on the RR and my wife never noticed! Not that that means anything !

Just like a GPS missile, do it-and forget about it! No regrets!

 

[SDD2]

If you like simplicity and reliability, buy something other than a Rover.

I expected someone to come up with a dismissive comment like this, but many projects on rovers are bent toward improving simplicity and reliability ... it's part of the fun ... cdl linkages because we don't like or trust TC on it's own, getting rid of abs ... and junking the flaky air spring system ...