Hello everyone! two month ago I was looking to upgrade the rear suspension on my 93 80 series and found out that Dobinsons' springs were being sold here in the US. I was very interested in the 4" coils to replace my OME J springs. After talking to David from Dobinsons, I was set on the new 4" flexi coils part # C59-615V. I tried looking for information on the web about the springs, but couldn't find much for those specific coils. Anyway, I decided to give it a try, so I ended up getting them.
The reason I wanted to replace the OME J coils was that I was running DT 8000 "long travel" shocks and the coils were coming off from their bucket, so I had to custom fab a retaining plate to hold the spring at the axle. This set up worked well, but I was not 100% satisfied because of the noise that the coil made when re-sitting on the coil bucket after a full drop of the axle. The advantage of the flexi coils is that they are progressive coils and the free height is more than the J springs, therefore, they are always kept in compression at full travel while using the same extended shock length.
Packaging of the coils/shocks is nothing special, just the standard box. Shipping and order processing took two days from their warehouse in Miami, FL to my house in Orlando, FL.
The installation went smoothly, nothing different from any other set of coils. I didn't have to use a coil compressor, but I did need help pushing the axle down to get the longer coils to sit properly. If done by only one person, a set of coil compressors would be handy.
Dobinsons coil on the left and OME J spring on the right. Dobinsons free height is 570/580mm. Notice the progressive windings.
On the shocks, I went with the Dobinsons GS59-685 which are the 6" shocks to use the full potential of the coils. These shocks are 28.75" extended and 17" collapsed.
Below are both shocks at their full extended length. DT shock on the top, Dobinsons at the bottom.
One thing that made the shock particularly different to the standard AU shock is the built-in stone guard. I really liked that feature.
To run this shocks you will need a 3" bump stop extension so they don't get damage at compression. I was already using a 3" bump extension for the previous shocks, so that stayed the same. The extensions can be seen in the following picture with the coils installed.
Currently, I have a little over 2000 miles on this set up and I'm very happy with it. The truck feels more stable/planted on the road. The ride is stiffer, but not harsh. Off-road performance with the progressive rate coil is great and I have no coils coming off from their bucket.
Ride height from the center of the hub to the top of the fender (no flares) is 24 3/8" on both sides. The added weight consist of custom rear bumper with tire carrier and integrated receiver, 315/75 R16 spare tire, and about 100 lbs of audio/recovery equipment.
How the truck currently sits
Testing it out
The reason I wanted to replace the OME J coils was that I was running DT 8000 "long travel" shocks and the coils were coming off from their bucket, so I had to custom fab a retaining plate to hold the spring at the axle. This set up worked well, but I was not 100% satisfied because of the noise that the coil made when re-sitting on the coil bucket after a full drop of the axle. The advantage of the flexi coils is that they are progressive coils and the free height is more than the J springs, therefore, they are always kept in compression at full travel while using the same extended shock length.
Packaging of the coils/shocks is nothing special, just the standard box. Shipping and order processing took two days from their warehouse in Miami, FL to my house in Orlando, FL.
The installation went smoothly, nothing different from any other set of coils. I didn't have to use a coil compressor, but I did need help pushing the axle down to get the longer coils to sit properly. If done by only one person, a set of coil compressors would be handy.
Dobinsons coil on the left and OME J spring on the right. Dobinsons free height is 570/580mm. Notice the progressive windings.
On the shocks, I went with the Dobinsons GS59-685 which are the 6" shocks to use the full potential of the coils. These shocks are 28.75" extended and 17" collapsed.
Below are both shocks at their full extended length. DT shock on the top, Dobinsons at the bottom.
One thing that made the shock particularly different to the standard AU shock is the built-in stone guard. I really liked that feature.
To run this shocks you will need a 3" bump stop extension so they don't get damage at compression. I was already using a 3" bump extension for the previous shocks, so that stayed the same. The extensions can be seen in the following picture with the coils installed.
Currently, I have a little over 2000 miles on this set up and I'm very happy with it. The truck feels more stable/planted on the road. The ride is stiffer, but not harsh. Off-road performance with the progressive rate coil is great and I have no coils coming off from their bucket.
Ride height from the center of the hub to the top of the fender (no flares) is 24 3/8" on both sides. The added weight consist of custom rear bumper with tire carrier and integrated receiver, 315/75 R16 spare tire, and about 100 lbs of audio/recovery equipment.
How the truck currently sits
Testing it out
