Leafs / Coils

[hatred]

What are the advantages of coils over leafs? My 70 has leafs, my 67 had coils and can't notice a huge difference.

Thanks,

Tony

[capev86]

i think the coil / trailing arm system rides a little nicer (and certainly looks a lot better). a leaf spring system doesn't need a panhard bar and is cheap, that's why GM went back to it on all their trucks in 1973. i prefer 2wd, but especially on this era with the coil springs on both ends....it just looks sexy and sporty!

[Longhorn Man]

coil pros
the coils do ride better
coils hook up when you put the power down
coils are easy to lower.

coil cons
coils are a b!tch to run nice exhaust around, esp if lowered

leaf pros
Leafs can handle being overloaded a bit better (mild overload, not grossly overloaded)
easier to swap in rear ends from other years/makes/models
stupid simple

leaf cons
leafs from this generation truck seem to be prone to cracking (my personal observations)
rougher ride
wheel hop when tires spin

[ChevLoRay]

I wish my '96 GMC had the same suspension as my '69 Chevy. I love the ride and handling that the coils provide. So too, did the NASCAR folks who adopted the suspension system for their racers.

So, that's a good reason for running the exhaust outboard of the frame rails and dumping in front of the rear tires....NASCAR style.