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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
March 2003
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Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Wed, 20 April 2005 08:11
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Hey all
In the not toooooo distant future i want to put an LSD diff in my ke25 and was wondering if anyone knows anything on converting the rear from leaf to coil spring rear??????????
costs involved???????
suggested donor parts from what car??????????
any help would be great.
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Location:
MELBOURNE
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Wed, 20 April 2005 09:36
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Hey
I dont know to much but I know that would be really damn hard in my opinion. I am most likely wrong but Good luck to you man! 
Thanks
Troy
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
February 2005
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Wed, 20 April 2005 09:42
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First what diff do you intend to use, with original ke25 diff i dont think you can get lsd centres. Is it a banjo diff or a borg warner? i dont really know many options that you will have, but you can always use coilovers and use the original leaf springs for locating the diff, or you can fabricate a whole 4-link setup and get very costly. What budget do you have? is this for the track or as a daily driver? why dont you want to keep the leafs? Maybe give some more info on the cars intended application and someone can enlighten you some more.
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Location:
Kilsyth, Melbourne
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Wed, 20 April 2005 10:37
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can someone tell me the benefits of coilovers? is it their adjustablility factor? and would having then with leaves would that ruin some of these benefits?
Cheers, Calvin
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Location:
MELBOURNE
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Wed, 20 April 2005 21:06
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| hokey wrote on Wed, 20 April 2005 20:37 |
can someone tell me the benefits of coilovers? is it their adjustablility factor? and would having then with leaves would that ruin some of these benefits?
Cheers, Calvin
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First of all, no sorry I can't.  Ditto calvins question.
Thanks
Troy
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
March 2003
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Wed, 20 April 2005 21:35
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Havent decided fully on the diff yet, but was thinking something along the lines of VLT diff or hilux diff. Car is in the process off a 4agte conversion and ill be using it for a bit of drag and maybe track, want to remove tramp as much as possible. I had a ca18det bluebird wagon at one stage and tramp was a pain in the arse.
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Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Wed, 20 April 2005 23:09
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I have a KE25 with 4AGTE running leafs and experience no axle tramp at all.
I run mine down the strip at WSID and around Wakefield when I have time. Leafs are not ideal but mine do a pretty good job.
Specs for mine:
Leafs reset several inches lower than standard.
Extra leaf added.
Bilstein shock absorbers.
All new bushes.
Commodore LSD.
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Wed, 20 April 2005 23:42
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| hokey wrote on Wed, 20 April 2005 20:37 |
can someone tell me the benefits of coilovers? is it their adjustablility factor? and would having then with leaves would that ruin some of these benefits?
Cheers, Calvin
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Leaaf srpings have a few downfalls:
The individual leaves rub aginst each other causing friction and the actual weight of the springs can be a problem (realistically diffs are bloody heavy already, but, every bit helps).
The biggest problem is axle location, as the springs bend and twist, the rear axle moves all over the place causing inconsistant handling.
Lateral location is an interesting one, if you don't have a watts link or a panhard rod, leaf springs locate laterally a lot better when they are compressed than they they are extended. So, you wind up with yet another variable there.
The only way to really avoid most of the downsides of leaf springs is to run them really low and stiff (like ke382TG is), then, they won't be that horrible. The you need to run the front really stiff to avoid horrible oversteer.
With coilovers and a 5 link, you can run the rear a lot softer, which means you can have a much more comfortable car and still have a lot more mechanical grip than a leaf car.
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Location:
Kilsyth, Melbourne
Registered:
September 2004
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Location:
Kilsyth, Melbourne
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Thu, 21 April 2005 00:17
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yeh but still what is so good about coilovers?
My Current setup in my ke30 is an upside down landcruiser right below the top one. the handling is pretty good maybe a tiny bit more oversteer than understeer but that is pretty good. the only thing i don't like is that we can't get the pieces of metal that hold the pack together to fit around all the springs now so we have variable rate but it is ok. the front springs are standard stiffness aswell. the tyres on the back are a bit wider than the front and i have 14's on the rear and 13's on the front. eventually i want to max out my handling capabilities and take advantage of the corollas lightness and potential ability to go around corners really quickly  .
(sorry if i hijacked abit)
-Calvin
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
January 2005
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Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Thu, 21 April 2005 01:07
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| Quote: |
The only way to really avoid most of the downsides of leaf springs is to run them really low and stiff, then they won't be that horrible. Then you need to run the front really stiff to avoid horrible oversteer
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Very true, my car is pretty damn stiff in the suspension department. Handling is neutral, tending towards oversteer when pushed. I run height adjustable coilovers in the front end (Eibach springs/Bilstein shocks) and my whole setup was done all at once by a rather knowledgeable suspension workshop in order to produce a relatively balanced package that wasn't too expensive (relatively speaking).
It performs well but is bloody stiff on a rough road and long trips can be rather annoying if the passenger is trying to sleep.
The main benefit of adjustable coil-overs is their adjustability and tune-ability. A wide range of spring rates and shocks often becomes available once you do the changeover. You also knock off a small amount of weight over a conventional coil-over setup that usually utilises a much larger and heavier spring.
Oh and most people don't realise that ANY suspension system that runs a spring (coil) over shock setup is a coil-over (full correct term being "coil over shock") setup.
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Location:
Canberra
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Thu, 21 April 2005 01:23
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A friend has an Escort rally car with single leaf rear springs which are basically dead.
The rear sits so low that it's got about 1" of travel to the bump stops. It actually handles better with virtually zero rear suspension than working leaf springs...
Those are 13's on the back and he's braking hard in that picture.
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Location:
BRAY PARK BRISBANE
Registered:
March 2005
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Re: Leaf to Coil Conversion????????
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Thu, 21 April 2005 01:25
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Cut the floor out of another simular sised car and transplant into your car, this gives you availability to factory parts insted of custom made parts.
sounds drastic but easier in the long run.
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