Coil-springs/McPhersons for Gypsy

COUGAR · 20th December 2006, 05:35

Can i retrofit Coil-springs/Mac-Pherson strut type suspension sets on the rear of the Gypsy?

Recommendations from the Gurus here would be appreciated!

khan_sultan · 8th September 2007, 10:10

Cougar,

I have a Gypsy King and i know how the suspension feels..!!!! :-(

I don't think we can get retrofit Coil-springs/Mac-Pherson strut type suspension in Gypsy.

What i did was -- got wider profile tyres [215/75 - R15 MRF GP]. The ride quality increased exponentially.

Also having the leaf springs well lubricated -- using silicone lubricants, helps

veyron1 · 8th September 2007, 12:59

Mcphersons?? In a Gypsy? That too rear? Holy cow. The chassis would have to be cut & welded in paces that would flex the living daylights out of the retro'd suspension.

Not worth it. Coil springs, yes possible, but again, not worth it. Reduces the ruggedness of the chassis. You have to calculate the bracket angles, change the knuckles, fabricate the mounting plates, etc. Costs could vary anywhere between 35-50K for a proper job. For all four ends.

Get softer rated leafs, if ride quality is the issue. Else, plonk in a couple of sand bags at the rear. Helps a lot, & cheap, too.

anupmathur · 8th September 2007, 20:14

As suggested, broad radials and at least 350 kgs payload. Ride quality will improve a lot.
Used a Gypsy this way for 7 years and travelled (with family and 68 years old mother) the 'worst' routes Himachal and Kumaon had to offer.

ananthkamath · 8th September 2007, 20:30

Coil springs in the rear of a Gypsy has been done. I had the chance to see such a car back home. They put in a Toyota turbodiesel in it, and the stock diff ratio was too low (i.e. numerically high). The solution was to put in an Ambassador rear axle (with a 3.9 ratio I think), along with a four-bar linkage, panhard rod & of course, coil springs. I dont know who did the work though. What I did manage to see was that the lower links of the four-bar were mounted to the stock leaf-spring location.

Needless to say, there is a lot of cutting, welding & measuring involved. Unless you have the time, money & patience, don't jump into it.

khan_sultan · 8th September 2007, 20:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by ananthkamath

Coil springs in the rear of a Gypsy has been done. .......................
Needless to say, there is a lot of cutting, welding & measuring involved. Unless you have the time, money & patience, don't jump into it.

That's the reason to stay clear of this 'cutting/welding/aligning' project. Theoretically anything is possible.. but is it practical & worthwhile to even take this up?

Cheers,
-SK

ananthkamath · 9th September 2007, 00:13

Mr. Khan, you dont understand. This project is practical & it has been done, but it is for the owner to decide whether he has the time, money & patience for it to be done. What I mean is, its not a bolt-on job. There are many things to be done, & done properly for it to work.

gotzuk · 9th September 2007, 01:11

hi ananth,
yes, the coil spring conversion is practically
possible on the gypsy, provided you understand the
suspension geometry in detail and have an excllent welder who
knows his job..

if you are looking for a ready made weld on kit, then
try rocky road.. Suzuki Samurai coil suspension
it is a very off road biased kit and one of the draw back
is that they come with a lift of either 6 or 8 inches, so
you need bigger tyre /rim combo (unless u want it to look
like a gypsy on stilts..) which is great if the gypsy is to
used for hardcore mudplugging, but not too great on the
road... dont forget that you would need extended prop
shafts, brake lines and steering arm mods to acomodate
the extra lift.. plus the fact that the kit is made with
the swb suzuki samurai means a fair bit of ingenuinity
will be required to graft it on to our lwb samurai..
all said, it will be a tough install but if done properly,
would be a rewarding (and a very expensive

) project..

check out the original japanese samurai with factory fitted coils on the front
Coil Spring Suzuki Samurai
and another samurai with the rocky road 8inch lift kit..
Suzuki Coil Spring Install - Pictures & Photos - Four Wheeler

hope this is helpful
cheers

khan_sultan · 8th October 2007, 19:57

Folks,

Just heard that there was a Gypsy in this year's Raid-de-Himalayas that had a coil suspension job done. It was one of those white, radically modified ones..

However I hear that it broke an axle and was not able to proceed..

Maybe we can get info from someone who was part of raid-de-him this year.

Anyone there..???

Sparkie · 9th October 2007, 00:18

Hey if only ride quality is the only isssue then get leaf springs of a lesser spring rate. Where do you get them, sorry can't help with you that. If you know somebody who can design one, then atleast fabrication is a possibility.
And I am suggesting softer leaves because it is an easy option. By the way, it is not neccessarily true that your ride will 'definitely' improve if you have coils. Put coils of a higher spring rate on your Gypsy and the ride will be worse.

vinod_nookala · 9th October 2007, 15:50

Hi
I think the best job would be to remove a leaf or so, recamber the front suspension to increase the travel to avoid hitting the bump stops , and get the suspension lubricated. This would improve the comfort factor also reducing the tyre pressure by 2 psi should work.
Also one could try this-
1. place the leaf on the axle rather than under axle that comes as stock. This increase height of the vehicle and also would increase suspension flex. Some fabrication would require
2. Not recommended on narrow track old gypsy and theres a chance of roll over in high speeds
3. Try longer leafs for increased suspension travel, trial & error format.
4. You dont have to sit over coil spring to get the best ride comfort, both sumo & scorpio had leaf springs at rear and still quite comfortable. So, try softer springs at rear

anupmathur · 9th October 2007, 19:16

Cougar seems to have run away after starting this thread!
No response to any of the posts so far.
Gentlemen, we might be wasting our time. The thread was started 10 months ago!

nitrous · 10th October 2007, 18:27

The best easy way to enhance the ride quality of a Gypsy is to use a good set of tubeless tyres.

anupmathur · 10th October 2007, 19:13

Gosh, I said that in post #4. And don't forget alloys. And keep the profile large.

nitrous · 10th October 2007, 20:28

Quote:

Gosh, I said that in post #4. And don't forget alloys. And keep the profile large.

I dont see "tubeless" there!

20th December 2006, 05:35	#1
COUGAR BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Delhi Posts: 548 Thanked: 94 Times View My Garage	Coil-springs/McPhersons for Gypsy Can i retrofit Coil-springs/Mac-Pherson strut type suspension sets on the rear of the Gypsy? Recommendations from the Gurus here would be appreciated!
	() Thanks

8th September 2007, 10:10	#2
khan_sultan Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Noida/Bangalore Posts: 4,932 Thanked: 5,894 Times View My Garage	Cougar, I have a Gypsy King and i know how the suspension feels..!!!! :-( I don't think we can get retrofit Coil-springs/Mac-Pherson strut type suspension in Gypsy. What i did was -- got wider profile tyres [215/75 - R15 MRF GP]. The ride quality increased exponentially. Also having the leaf springs well lubricated -- using silicone lubricants, helps
	() Thanks

8th September 2007, 12:59	#3
veyron1 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,424 Thanked: 53 Times View My Garage	Mcphersons?? In a Gypsy? That too rear? Holy cow. The chassis would have to be cut & welded in paces that would flex the living daylights out of the retro'd suspension. Not worth it. Coil springs, yes possible, but again, not worth it. Reduces the ruggedness of the chassis. You have to calculate the bracket angles, change the knuckles, fabricate the mounting plates, etc. Costs could vary anywhere between 35-50K for a proper job. For all four ends. Get softer rated leafs, if ride quality is the issue. Else, plonk in a couple of sand bags at the rear. Helps a lot, & cheap, too.
	() Thanks

8th September 2007, 20:30	#5
ananthkamath Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mangalore Posts: 1,209 Thanked: 81 Times View My Garage	Coil springs in the rear of a Gypsy has been done. I had the chance to see such a car back home. They put in a Toyota turbodiesel in it, and the stock diff ratio was too low (i.e. numerically high). The solution was to put in an Ambassador rear axle (with a 3.9 ratio I think), along with a four-bar linkage, panhard rod & of course, coil springs. I dont know who did the work though. What I did manage to see was that the lower links of the four-bar were mounted to the stock leaf-spring location. Needless to say, there is a lot of cutting, welding & measuring involved. Unless you have the time, money & patience, don't jump into it.
	() Thanks

9th September 2007, 00:13	#7
ananthkamath Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mangalore Posts: 1,209 Thanked: 81 Times View My Garage	Mr. Khan, you dont understand. This project is practical & it has been done, but it is for the owner to decide whether he has the time, money & patience for it to be done. What I mean is, its not a bolt-on job. There are many things to be done, & done properly for it to work.
	() Thanks

8th September 2007, 20:14	#4
anupmathur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 3,095 Thanked: 311 Times	As suggested, broad radials and at least 350 kgs payload. Ride quality will improve a lot. Used a Gypsy this way for 7 years and travelled (with family and 68 years old mother) the 'worst' routes Himachal and Kumaon had to offer.
	() Thanks

9th September 2007, 01:11	#8
gotzuk BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi / Shimla Posts: 496 Thanked: 116 Times View My Garage	hi ananth, yes, the coil spring conversion is practically possible on the gypsy, provided you understand the suspension geometry in detail and have an excllent welder who knows his job.. if you are looking for a ready made weld on kit, then try rocky road.. Suzuki Samurai coil suspension it is a very off road biased kit and one of the draw back is that they come with a lift of either 6 or 8 inches, so you need bigger tyre /rim combo (unless u want it to look like a gypsy on stilts..) which is great if the gypsy is to used for hardcore mudplugging, but not too great on the road... dont forget that you would need extended prop shafts, brake lines and steering arm mods to acomodate the extra lift.. plus the fact that the kit is made with the swb suzuki samurai means a fair bit of ingenuinity will be required to graft it on to our lwb samurai.. all said, it will be a tough install but if done properly, would be a rewarding (and a very expensive ) project.. check out the original japanese samurai with factory fitted coils on the front Coil Spring Suzuki Samurai and another samurai with the rocky road 8inch lift kit.. Suzuki Coil Spring Install - Pictures & Photos - Four Wheeler hope this is helpful cheers
	() Thanks

8th October 2007, 19:57	#9
khan_sultan Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Noida/Bangalore Posts: 4,932 Thanked: 5,894 Times View My Garage	Folks, Just heard that there was a Gypsy in this year's Raid-de-Himalayas that had a coil suspension job done. It was one of those white, radically modified ones.. However I hear that it broke an axle and was not able to proceed.. Maybe we can get info from someone who was part of raid-de-him this year. Anyone there..???
	() Thanks

9th October 2007, 00:18	#10
Sparkie BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai-not at home now Posts: 101 Thanked: 2 Times	Hey if only ride quality is the only isssue then get leaf springs of a lesser spring rate. Where do you get them, sorry can't help with you that. If you know somebody who can design one, then atleast fabrication is a possibility. And I am suggesting softer leaves because it is an easy option. By the way, it is not neccessarily true that your ride will 'definitely' improve if you have coils. Put coils of a higher spring rate on your Gypsy and the ride will be worse.
	() Thanks

9th October 2007, 15:50	#11
vinod_nookala Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,737 Thanked: 430 Times View My Garage	Hi I think the best job would be to remove a leaf or so, recamber the front suspension to increase the travel to avoid hitting the bump stops , and get the suspension lubricated. This would improve the comfort factor also reducing the tyre pressure by 2 psi should work. Also one could try this- 1. place the leaf on the axle rather than under axle that comes as stock. This increase height of the vehicle and also would increase suspension flex. Some fabrication would require 2. Not recommended on narrow track old gypsy and theres a chance of roll over in high speeds 3. Try longer leafs for increased suspension travel, trial & error format. 4. You dont have to sit over coil spring to get the best ride comfort, both sumo & scorpio had leaf springs at rear and still quite comfortable. So, try softer springs at rear
	() Thanks

9th October 2007, 19:16	#12
anupmathur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 3,095 Thanked: 311 Times	Cougar seems to have run away after starting this thread! No response to any of the posts so far. Gentlemen, we might be wasting our time. The thread was started 10 months ago!
	() Thanks

10th October 2007, 18:27	#13
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 329 Times View My Garage	The best easy way to enhance the ride quality of a Gypsy is to use a good set of tubeless tyres.
	() Thanks

10th October 2007, 19:13	#14
anupmathur Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 3,095 Thanked: 311 Times	Gosh, I said that in post #4. And don't forget alloys. And keep the profile large.
	() Thanks