Thread: Puma Suspension

Originally Posted by dullbird

I have original springs in the back with firestone air bags to help with the towing. I have 130 HD springs in the front to accommodate winch and bar.

and I have Terrafirma 2+ big bore expeidition shocks all round....although could do without the 2+ but that was all on offer at the time

How are you finding the terraffirma shocks?

I have done two big outback trips in the last 4 years and on both trips people who had the Terrafirma shocks have had various failures after many hours of hard corrugations. I wonder if those failures are down to poor installation or product quality problems.

I've had a mate's father recommend the OME LTRs, he says that they've been in his TD5 since the factory shocks died at about 10,000 and it's done almost 300k ( or maybe even more ) now, but I can't seem to find new LTRs for my PUMA, is this because they're discontinued?
I'm inclined to take his advice seriously because he's a long time Defender owner ( at least 3 of them ) and does serious country and off-road driving touring and all sorts, and he's not afraid to tackle the hard yards ( he rolled the Defender prior to his current TD5, winched it upright again and kept on going ).

I've heard nothing but good things about the Koni Raid, with their large bore and high internal volume, they'd make an awesome shock for corrugations, part of me is looking for an external reservoir, but these might be the exception, however they are a hell of a investment.

One of my good mates runs Bilstein shocks in all of his 4wds, but I think his opinion is that they're cheap enough to replace when they break


But in all seriousness... are the OME LTRs discontinued?

Yes, Konis and Bilsteins both have good reputations.
Our Disco had TJM XGS shocks and springs and they were fine despite being flogged about for a long time. The BIL likes Tough Dogs.
As a non-expert, the issue for me is to make sure I get shocks with valving that matches the springs. How do I predict what would be right? Its a bit of a mystery to me.
I suppose the other question is whether the standard shocks need to be changed at all or are actually good enough for sustained hard use, if the vehicle remains at standard height. Could just put the130 HD springs in the front, maybe add rear airbags and keep the standard shocks? Would that work long-term?

On my 130 Puma with the Trayon I upgraded my suspension to twin Bilstien shocks, King Springs and airbag inserts in the springs.

When unloaded and the Trayon off I let the airbags right down and as I increase the load from Trayon on, me going away load all the way up to SWMBO fully loaded, I up the bags. I can go up to 40psi which is pretty hard.



This has made an incredible difference to the ride and handling both on and off road. Reducing body roll and bouncing when in dunes or lumpy off road conditions

I made the mistake of replacing seemingly worn out Koni's with OME's a long time ago, when I should have had the Koni's rebuilt. OME's are cheaply built rubbish IMO. Get Koni's or Bilsteins.

I notice in the latest Land Rover Owner International they were returning their 90 to standard height for competition so they fitted front springs which were the same rating as the standard rear springs, which are normally rated higher than the fronts. Then they added higher rated rears.
I think the fronts they fitted to the 90 might have been the same as the fronts on the 130, although it didn't say so.
So I suppose in my case that reinforces the idea that the fronts can simply be uprated to the same rating as the rears, and then I can add airbags to the rears if necessary.
Sounds like a cost-effective option.
Then I could separately decide if the standard shocks need upgrading.
It's great to have a vehicle which is so capable as standard that you have a choice of not even upgrading the suspension at all.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

So I suppose in my case that reinforces the idea that the fronts can simply be uprated to the same rating as the rears, and then I can add airbags to the rears if necessary.

The front of a 110 is +/- 180 lbs/in and rear +/- 300 lbs/in
The front of a 130 is +/- 225 lbs/in and rear is +/- 420 lbs/in

For a 110 If you increase the front rate to the same as your rear rate you will be very displeased about the harshness of the ride. I had 280lbs/in coils and I could throw a lifted Dfender 130 into corners as if it was a sedan.

The D90 uses the same rear coils as the RRC and D1 so they are not compatible to a 110. Also the LRO D90 is a product of promo for Britpart so take it with a grain of salt.

You are over thinking it. Fit D130 or D110HD coils to the front. Air bags to the rear. Leave the shocks as is until you know what you need and if traction is a problem invest in a rear locker.

MLD