[Vash]

Hi fellas,

Newbie to 4WD so go easy, but whats the difference between the coily and leaf sierras, in real world 4WD conditions?
Sorry for my ignorance but i can't find a 4WD faq to learn this stuff without bothering someone for advice!

Looking at a 1996 Sierra and keen to know why people say avoid the coilys.

Thanks
Jake

[tanshi]

coilys are ok depending what you want from a 4x4, the same as Vitara's have their place.

They tend to have really bad standard suspension setups on the front end.
Lack of after market parts for them is a big thing. i.e no heavy duty axles. no locker for the front diff. weak front and rear diff housings.

they are more expensive to start with than a leafie, and most people who want a tough offroad sierra wont spend the extra money for a pretty car just to destroy it.

[Built4thrashing]

They didnt really get any better when the swapped from leaf to coil. They actually got worse. After market parts just are not there for them like the other suzukis. There are prob more bits for GV and jimny's than Coilys.

If you dont intend on doing any serious offroading or if its a 2nd car just for the missus to go shopping in then they are fine.

Ive never owned a coily but from what i see and read here they seem alot of trouble to modify. Leafy sierras are just so much easier to mod and are a cheaper base vehicle to start with.

[Gwagensteve]

Coil sierras have poorly designed suspension. Unfortunately, the problems are in the location and design of the components, so changing springs and shocks don't fix the problems (in fact, they often make them worse)

Other than that, all of the major components are different. In fact, it's easier to list the parts that are shared between a leaf and coil sierra:

The rear diff centre
The gearbox.

that's it. It's possible some other stuff like the steering box, rear wheel bearings and brakes etc might swap, but all in all, it's stuff all. Importantly, it means that heavy duty parts and offroad specific parts can't be swapped between the two, so other than a rear airlocker, there's not much you can get for the coiler as a bolt in.

There are solutions - like swapping in a leaf transfer case so you can fit aftermarket transfer gears, as an example, but everything is harder and more hassle than in a leaf car.

Even the motor is subtly different, although it is interchangeable with a leaf motor, a number of parts on the motor aren't.

They are smoother, quieter, and steer better than a leaf sierra in stock form. That's why suzuki built them. Once modified, there's little to split between the two on road but offroad the leaf car quickly becomes the superior car due to the easier to work with suspension and availability of upgrade parts.

Steve.