Thread: Defender 110 suspension and tyre recommendations

Originally Posted by tc_s1

Recently went with new OME coils with Koni HD Raids and while I paid a bit dearly for them, could not be happier after ~500km. Will be doing a cross country trip in June and will report back should anything change, but for now I couldn't be happier.

Nice. You wont be sorry you went for the Konis.

OME coils are good, I’ve had them on my old Deefer. ... just the OME shocks that don’t last IME.

Originally Posted by Zeros

Nice. You wont be sorry you went for the Konis.

OME coils are good, I’ve had them on my old Deefer. ... just the OME shocks that don’t last IME.

OME coils are made for them by King Springs.
They use a very good Alloy to make them.

Originally Posted by Tombie

OME coils are made for them by King Springs.
They use a very good Alloy to make them.

That makes sense, they have been excellent for over 250,000km

The OP asked about suspension kits so I’ll share my experience. I am running a Terrafirma kit, the pro sport +2 inch. This kit has bigger springs and extended travel shocks so it’s essential to have dislocation cones and spring retainers. You can't just install the springs and shocks and move one. It was also necessary for me to have elliptical radius arm bushes to achieve some castor correction to keep the steering geometry correct. So, when considering a change in suspension height and a change in shocks, consider all the other things/expenses too, as it can quickly cost a lot more than expected. Good thing about Terrafirma gear is the range – they also have all those extra bits and pieces you might need.

I am really happy with how my defender performs off-road now, and it really does handle better than it did, much better. BUT my point of reference was a tired, 20-year old original equipment set up. At the same time, I also changed my wheels and tyres. So there are numerous variables. For the record, I run this suspension set up with 285/75/16 tyres and-25 wheels. It’s a kick ass combo, didn’t cost ridiculous amounts of money and hasn’t let me down yet. But the mud on the door handles gives me the ****s -so if you are away from the pressure cleaner for days at end you will wish you stuck to the 235’s and spent all that money on a rear locker!

As a quick follow up, the cooper discoverer AT's on the rear were nearly gone and as I went through all the posts on A/T3's vs BFG KO2's and 235's vs 255's vs 285's I decided to go with the BFG KO2's, staying with 235's. Put a little over 300km on them today getting into the mountains and will do some light ORV driving tomorrow on them, but the ride today was solid and smooth on hardpack. Seem a decent match for the County's new OME/Koni setup thusfar.

Since Tassie is full of bored miners with Patrols running 36"tyres my advice would be to go with a taller tyre and less suspension lift. Those wheel ruts can be killers, we had a situation on the Sawback Range track where we would have needed to winch into the hole to go any further. Consider whether you really need to do the Balfour track due to the abrasive nature of what you will be driving through. Having said that we would have done it a couple of years ago if it hadn't been closed by fires.
I've been running Hankook Dynapro MY3 muddies on the 130 and have been pretty happy with them but I'm only running 265/75-16

Regards,
Tote

Thanks for the advice everyone! Ended up getting some BFG KM2 255/85 second hand and have been loving them so far.

Now I'm ready to purchase suspension for the 110 (and a snorkel). Thinking 2" lift will be more then enough and most likely Dobinson springs. I'm unsure if I should get Koni or OME shocks and possibly getting rear internal airbags. I will be adding a draw system in the future, auxiliary fuel and water tanks but not before the suspension, so the airbags could help correct the ride height for when that happens? The car is purely used for touring and 4x4ing, I use another car for everyday use.

This is Pumba getting by with stock suspension at Lithgow.

PUMBA 🐗

Lithgow

Lithgow.jpg

Also the minister of finance has allowed one more upgrade/mod before our Tas trip at the end of the year, so what would you recommend?

- Rijidij rear wheel carrier (currently wheel is on the roof but can fit it inside too)
- JW Speaker Evo 2 LED headlights
- BAS engine tune, silicon pipes and intercooler
- Go all airbags for the suspension

Cheers,
Chris

I went to Tassie last November and had a ball.Pyengane Jeep track was awesome and Montezuma’s had been badly cut up, apart from that all we had time for were a few beach tracks up on the East coast.
i had a chat with another family 4WD touring(they lived on the West coast), we discussed the Balfour track and they suggested it was no longer worth it as too many went in with heavy feet on the accelerator, essentially fairly impassable and likely to damage your rig.

as far as suspension goes, we’ve now done a bit of the harder stuff and never been permenantly stuck. A thoughtful approach means I’ve been able to achieve the same result as those with lifts and lockers.
before I went to Cape York I fitted a winch, yes it provides peace of mind however it’s also proved a waste of money.
L.R’s motto of “Slow as possible, fast as necessary “ seems sage advice indeed.

Tyres;

modern tyres, particularly those mentioned previously are all fantastic. Particularly those with Kevlar sidewalls, amazing how resilient they are. I’m still on the original Goodyear MT’s and at 50k expect another 10-15k out of them(fingers crossed) never had a puncture.

enjoy Tassie!