Outer Limits 4x4 Board

KING
DOBINSONS
TJM
OME
OTHER

leafs - custom

coils - ???

coil overs - ???

emullsion shocks(sp) - ???

What colour do you want them ??

Probly one of the major differences.

You might get more of a reply if you make a Poll.

Cheers

P.S. i run leaves so i cant help

Mate just fitted Lovells 3" lift and extremely happy with them.

spring steel is spring steel.... only diffrence is the rates they come in and the colours there painted. now i know someone is going to say im full of it and state that such as such spring is the best coz they can walk down the speps out front of their house like a slinky and still support their rig 10ft off the ground...

but yeah not a hell of alot to them that your going to noitice anything really. just get the springs req for your purpose the harder they are the less they will flex but the less there likly to sag you get the idea.

you tend to not notice THAT much difference with coil springs. the big difference is the shocks.

KING Spring

I disagree. Coils aint coils! It all depends on your specific application. Ive got an 80 which is week end use only, with all the extra add on weights - Bars front/rear, racks, winch, 3 batts (you get the point) and for instance I wanted a softish ride with a lot of articulation and about 4 inch lift, so rather than go for a HD raised coil which would have made my cruiser handle more like a brick than what I wanted, I opted for a "soft rate" Dobbinsons, and added the spring packers to gain the height I wanted and still keep the soft feel. Just all depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Jooga

but that comes down to the spring rate of the springs you are looking at. dobinsons have the softest springs because they are not rated as high. you can get most springs softer and harder to what you want.

Its all in the rates and free lengths.

we fitted 3'' dobinsons springs 1 year ago to our gu patrol and are really happy with them they flex enough for us.

Spring steel is not just spring steel. Some springs are made out of S*** recycled spring steel which sag very quickly. Other brands come as a 3 inch lift and are only actually 2inches. I would be buying Dobinson coil springs if it was me.

LudaCris

thats what i've got, 6'' dobinsons,

will be putting them in next week, maybe

i have black dobinson springs in 75mm lift bugger all sag compared to the king springs i fitted first

yeah, these are blue, so i hope they hold up for a while,

ludacris wrote:Spring steel is not just spring steel. Some springs are made out of S*** recycled spring steel which sag very quickly. Other brands come as a 3 inch lift and are only actually 2inches. I would be buying Dobinson coil springs if it was me.

LudaCris

From when i first got my 80Ute going i used Dobinsons (RED) 6" lift springs 280lb/in front and 300lb rears. I went through 3 set of front springs and 2 sets of rears in about 2 years and was getting pissed as they would just sag real bad and loose they ability to carry the weight ( lost there guts ) being sick of buyin new ones and getting rid of the old ones at the local metal scrap bin a got a set of EFS springs of the same spring weight 280's up front and 300's rears with 6" lift. The springs were completly different design. The EFS springs had about 40% more coils han the Dobinsons and this gave them less pitch and those springs are still going now 2 1/2 years later and have not moved/sagged at all. My theory is that the spring deflection is shared over more coils compared to the Dobinsons springs so is not getting distorted as much so its probable not getting to the yield point of the material so is lasting longer. I admit i work the suspension real hard as i like to go wheelin fast but what im doin in the bush has not changed since replacing springs. The springs may be made from the same material to the same spec yet the design is very different.

Wally

my troll has dobbinson 6 inch coils. 2 years old and still measures exactly 6 inch lift. handels awesome and flexes well (as well as the wagon body will let it). also has big bore tough dogs tho wich do make a big difference.

people who say that spring steel = spring steel does that mean the 4 inch lift kit for a patrol i saw on ebay at 600 new (shocks coils and castor bushes) is a good as the dobinsons coils that are 500 a set in coils alone
throw them in your truck and tell me if the have sagged and or still handel in 2 years time let alone the week after you bought them

hope i get that good a run out of mine,

i'm running raw bigbore shocks in the back and adjustable 3 way raw shocks in the front, works good at the moment,
just going bigger coils in about a week,

shocks are long enough for 6'' coils, as they are suited for a 6'' lift,
but only have 4'' lift at the moment, with spring retainers,

So what do the differnt colour's represent ? blue for soft, red for hard etc ? - in Dobinsons . Where in Mel are they sold.

Your quality coils made by Dobinsons, Kings, Lovells and others can be enhanced if oversized steel is used and then machined back down to the desired thickness accurately. The reason this is of benefit is because then there will be no weaker thinner point in the steel which would be the point of sag over time.

Of course they will cost more money. I don't know anything else about them but I 'think' Dobinsons make them and I 'think' they were silver. If you want to find out more about them just send me a pm and I could get some prices etc.

Fancy expensive springs aside.
If good quality steel is used and the guy on the job does his bit right then in my opinion you will get the most out of your coils by choosing the appropriate spring rate for what you want to achieve. Do not have too few turns as they will break. Also, too many turns and your coils bottom out before your bump stop.

Shane

The best coils are Cold rolled springs. Unfortunately most springs on the market are Hot rolled. The difference is obvious but when they are Hot rolled they tend to change the temper in the spring steel more then when rolled cold. The problem there is Hot rolled tends to lose it's spring rating quicker (sag) due to the heat process. When they are under constant harsh conditions they lose there temper strength & fade earlier. Cold rolled springs are more expensive & have a more consistant rate in there designated categories.
The best springs are Eibach (cold rolled) ABT4x4 sell them & give Sean a call & he can better explain & point you in the right direction.
As for Hot rolled springs I think that Dobinsons are great for the money & tend to last in most conditions as long as the more expensive King & Lovells.
For most general offroad use the best thing to concentrate on is getting the correct spring rating to suit your overall needs as unless your only using your 4wd for 1 specific terrain it will always be a comprimise.



brooksy

i've been running EFS springs and shocks for about 6yrs now with some brutal treatment and they have not let me down. They're HD springs and don't compress the best, they create a bit of a harsh ride too, but the shocks soak up everything. I've driven a few other raised off-road 4by's and find that the stiffer, harsher ride is best and most controllable.

Too soft=too much recoil=bounce=DANGER on gnarly rocky hills

Loanrangie wrote:So what do the differnt colour's represent ? blue for soft, red for hard etc ? - in Dobinsons . Where in Mel are they sold.

Call Dobinsons in Sydney. 02-4647 8295

so it depends on the thickness of the coil

Thickness of coil is probably the most important factor, then there is the number of turns in the coil and the free height it is set at.

ill mix it up a bit, im goin tough dog best when mixed with a big bore shock, but they are an extremly strong spring and i love them

cooki_monsta wrote:ill mix it up a bit, im goin tough dog best when mixed with a big bore shock, but they are an extremly strong spring and i love them

Tough Dog use King springs



brooksy

80UTE wrote:

ludacris wrote:Spring steel is not just spring steel. Some springs are made out of S*** recycled spring steel which sag very quickly. Other brands come as a 3 inch lift and are only actually 2inches. I would be buying Dobinson coil springs if it was me.

LudaCris

From when i first got my 80Ute going i used Dobinsons (RED) 6" lift springs 280lb/in front and 300lb rears. I went through 3 set of front springs and 2 sets of rears in about 2 years and was getting pissed as they would just sag real bad and loose they ability to carry the weight ( lost there guts ) being sick of buyin new ones and getting rid of the old ones at the local metal scrap bin a got a set of EFS springs of the same spring weight 280's up front and 300's rears with 6" lift. The springs were completly different design. The EFS springs had about 40% more coils han the Dobinsons and this gave them less pitch and those springs are still going now 2 1/2 years later and have not moved/sagged at all. My theory is that the spring deflection is shared over more coils compared to the Dobinsons springs so is not getting distorted as much so its probable not getting to the yield point of the material so is lasting longer. I admit i work the suspension real hard as i like to go wheelin fast but what im doin in the bush has not changed since replacing springs. The springs may be made from the same material to the same spec yet the design is very different.

Wally

spring rate is a function of wire diameter x wire length. If the EFS springs had more turns for the same rate they were using a larger wire diameter. Also critical is the rest of the process, eg Shot peening, scragging, heat treatment, etc. Generally speaking you want the least # of turns to minimise coil bind yet what you say re deflection and yield is probably a very valid point. It then comes back to the material used and the way it's made. Spring steel aint spring steel.

As Brooksy said, the best springs are made by Eibach (and Hyperco, and a few other producers in Europe and the US)
They use mostly chrome silicon wire (IIRC, all Aussie springs are silicone manganese) gernerally have far more wire diameters availble to choose from, are cold wound below around 5/8" wire diameter, use the appropriate wire diameter to get minimal block (coil bound) height, etc, etc, making them vastly superipr to most all Aussie made springs.

Just a comment about using the least amount of turns to reduce coil bind. Although coil bind is something to watch for, if there isn't enough turns, the coils will work great for a while but they are far more likely to break.