Wil Robinson wrote:
> "Exit" <exit@nomore.com> wrote in message
> news:qXpJa.6084$%L.3199@news-lhr.blueyonder.co.uk...
>> Wil Robinson wrote:
>>> "David Ward" <dsward1@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>>> news:gyjJa.7801$C83.746320@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
>>>> "Wil Robinson" <dangerdanger@republicansnearby.com> wrote in
>>>> message
>>> news:iacJa.161900$eJ2.140975@fed1read07...
>
>>
>> Coils are better than leaves, Land Rover Defenders have had coils
>> all round since 1983 including the 1 ton pickups like this one:
>>
>> http://www.aidventures.co.uk/vehicles/story32.htm
>>
>> Manufacturers continue to use leaves because they are cheap and
>> people will buy them, but coils are the better answer.
>>
>> --
>
> amazing that coils cost more than leaves. Look at the amount of steel
> in each! The leaf springs on my truck could probably be
> remanufactured to make several coils. But I'm also probably missing
> something there as well! It would seem that the big limitation to IFS
> is the springs then? Like torsion bars versus coils? My coils vastly
> outperform the torsion bars I had on past Nissans.
Yeah, it's not really the cost of the coils - with leaf springs you just
attach a damper and bolt them to the chassis. Even with a simple coil setup
like on Land Rovers you need leading arms and a panhard rod up front and
trailing arms and an A-frame at the rear because leaves not only provide
springing but also locate the axle which coils do not without help. Over
here in the UK we call leaf springs cart springs as that is all they are
good for these days. Their biggest problem is the internal friction between
the leaves which can be avoided by using parabolic leaf springs with gaps
between the leaves and leaves which are parabolically shaped with tapered
ends which are much more flexible and popular for off-road work, but still
not as good as coils.
Independent suspension is another thing entirely - torsions bars are
efficient but not good at axle articualtion. The best option for axle travel
unless you want to get very complicated (like on the new Range Rover and
Hummer) is solid axles front and rear with soft long travel coil springs and
firm dampers.
--
Julian.
----------
General Melchett from Blackadder describing
his regiments coat of arms:
". . . .two dead Frenchmen atop a pile
of dead Frenchmen. . . . ."