I have owned and driven dozens of different types of utes in my time. 2WD, 4WD, Single Cab, Dual Cab, Leaf Spring, Coil Spring, IFS, Solid Axle, Petrol, Diesel and various combinations of everything in between. What I have now in the Superior Engineering Coil-Converted 79 Series Landcruiser is easily the best combination of all the important factors for me. The coil springs and triangulated 4-Link geometry is superior to the factory leaf suspension in so many ways. It allows MUCH more flex which equals a more capable vehicle off-road. I’m not a “ramp queen”, this in real life means less stress on the vehicle in tough situations leading to more reliability especially in possibly remote areas and ultimately increased safety. Having owned the same vehicle pre and post coil conversion means I can confidently vouch for the system’s load carrying capacity. When going bush I will easily load the ute to the GVM and possibly be towing a braked trailer. The obvious strength and integrity of the weld-in style system was very important to me as I did not want a failure in a remote location. I found that when loaded, the coil springs actually handled the weight better than the old leafs. This was especially evident when cornering as the leaf springs would get a real lean on and the smallest bump mid-corner could leave you unsettled as the leafs loaded up and unloaded. With the coils the vehicle is now much more predictable and again ultimately safer. The massive custom designed sway bar obviously does wonders for the handling but does not limit flex at all (as no correctly designed sway bar should). The improvements in handling are also equally applied to towing. I have towed 3.5T with both setups and again the coils are more predictable and safer all round. I started with the first version “short arm” conversion and thought it was amazing but things only got better when the “long arm” upgrade was installed. What I thought was normal body torque under load and hard acceleration was eliminated with the revised long arms (que photos of Patrols on 3 wheels going round corners haha). You can plant you foot on the throttle with a car trailer on the back and the car just squats evenly and puts the power down smoothly and predictably without torqueing the vehicle. Ultimately though, the most impressive improvement for me as a daily driver who has put 20,000kms on this conversion in under 12 months is the ride quality! In combination with matched shock absorbers it’s as smooth as any coil-sprung wagon. No longer do I dread long trips in an unlaiden ute down Queenslands highways. I was never much of a believer in improving my vehicles other than a bit of suspension lift and bigger tyres as I thought that the manufacturer spent millions of dollars on development for a reason… My vehicle is essentially still stock (and looks stock!) other than the improvements underneath that Superior Engineering have made but it is infinitely better than what Toyota put out of the factory. Comfortable, Capable, Reliable and Safe – This pretty much sums up what you have with the coil-conversion system!
