suspension kits

[pushkin]

Hi guys,
time has come for me to replace the suspension/suspension bushes/steering damper on my 110 SW but the question is - what brand do I go for ?
I've had a few people swear by Old Man Emu gear, have also seen nice kits from Iron Man, Terrafirma and Tough Dog. How do Land Rover genuine parts stack up against the rest ? Will be doing a bit of touring so exepct to be carrying a good bit of weight, not really concerned about a 'rough' ride. What experiences have you had with various brands and what should I definitely NOT go for...
Any advice/tips would be great :)
Thanks!

[isuzurover]

Suspension bushes - SuperPro are the only bushes I will fit to my 110 now, learnt the hard way...

As for springs and shocks, I have King coils front, Firestone air springs rear, and bilstein shocks all round.

Personally I wouldn't touch OME or Tough Dog products. I have OME 110 rear shocks on the rear of my IIA, one of them started weeping almost from day one. Overall they are poor quality. Bilstein, Koni and DeCarbon are the only shock brands I would use.

[flagg]

+1 to what Isuzurover said.

[Marty110]

I had Ironman springs and shocks - the big bore foam cells - on my 96 Defender 110 for about 200,000k and never had sagging springs or a blown shock. I carry heavy loads in the rear (long range fuel tank, 80l water tank, 50l fridge, drawers full of tools and recovery gear, rear biased roof rack, etc) and tow a drill rig on a 6x4 trailer and most of the time off road, mainly in heavy sand with diff lock on doing surveys. The only issue was that the vehicle sat down a bit at the rear when I fitted them so I made up a 30mm spring spacer and the rest was history, never a problem. Also fitted longer brake lines to the rear to account for flex. I have only used rubber bushes due to the nolathane ones being very harsh - the age old argument about rubber vs nolathane!

[isuzurover]

I have only used rubber bushes due to the nolathane ones being very harsh - the age old argument about rubber vs nolathane!

There is no such thing as nolothane (as a material). Nolothane is a brand name for a particular brand of polyurethane bushes.

Many who knock polyurethane have never even seen a SuperPro bush. Superpro are extremely supple, unlike most other polyurethane bushes. IME they are very well designed, ride better, flex the same or better and will outlast rubber.

It is very hard to get good quality rubber bushes these days - even from OEM suppliers.

[pushkin]

Cheers for the pointers guys. :)

So when I do finally settle on a make should I be buying 'self leveling' or 'non self leveling' and what's the story with 'foam cell' ? I kind of prefer to spend a few extra dollars getting quality but are they worth it ? When you have changed/upgraded your suspension do you automatically change all the components ie dislocation cones, turrets etc ?

[PAT303]

I wouldn't use anything but genuine LR springs and bushes and a set of Koni shocks.I've done enough outback travelling to know LR have the suspension right from the factory,forget anything aftermarket,the springs you'll buy from ARB/TJM do nothing but bugger the ride and handling. Pat

[isuzurover]

Cheers for the pointers guys. :)

So when I do finally settle on a make should I be buying 'self leveling' or 'non self leveling' and what's the story with 'foam cell' ? I kind of prefer to spend a few extra dollars getting quality but are they worth it ? When you have changed/upgraded your suspension do you automatically change all the components ie dislocation cones, turrets etc ?

Ignore all the hype from ARB/TJM. Their products are IME mediocre and heavily marked up versions of products manufactured by others. Foam cell shocks are a gimmick IMHO.

I disagree with PAT about sticking with OE parts though. OE will cost a packet and will likely be inferior to the makes I have mentioned above.

I have not changed the shock turrets or shock mounts. My vehicle is set up for touring and the OE turrets/mounts are fine. It is worth laminating the rear trailing arms as they are weak.

[isuzutoo-eh]

You won't have self-levelling suspension, that's a Rangie and 80's One Ten thing.
You would end up with a very soft rear set up that won't carry weight.

[madoffroader]

I'm also looking at upgrading the suspension in my 95 single cab 130. Been looking at a terrafima 2inch lift, and replacing most of the bushes front an rear? Do I need to change radius arms, an trailing arms to suit? Anything else recomended when lifting a 130? Any help????

[PAT303]

On a '95 model I would replace everything,the bushes would be well past their best as would the swivel pin bearings. Pat

[uninformed]

Dont forget your A frame ball joint if it hasnt been done yet or for a while. M R Automotive sell a good greasable, adjustable ball joint.

[Dockstrada]

There is no such thing as nolothane (as a material). Nolothane is a brand name for a particular brand of polyurethane bushes.

Many who knock polyurethane have never even seen a SuperPro bush. Superpro are extremely supple, unlike most other polyurethane bushes. IME they are very well designed, ride better, flex the same or better and will outlast rubber.

It is very hard to get good quality rubber bushes these days - even from OEM suppliers.


The problem with urethane is that it is susceptible to climate change, when urethane products are produced they go through a rigorous curing procedure which involves a controlled environment of humidity and temperature.

I deal with Bayer and 99% of our product is some types of polyurethane being ether 75 shore hardness Urethane to 92 shore hardness Vulkollan. What works in Europe falls to bits in Australia , our climate has some of the hottest and driest conditions.

You have all seen the urethane that cracks itself to bits this is caused by overheating which dehydrated the urethane; once this happens it becomes hard and brittle, any high impact or compression will destroy it.

When all else fails we return to rubber full stop, natural rubbers are the best product for shock absorption full stop.

[Tombie]

The problem with urethane is that it is susceptible to climate change, when urethane products are produced they go through a rigorous curing procedure which involves a controlled environment of humidity and temperature.

I deal with Bayer and 99% of our product is some types of polyurethane being ether 75 shore hardness Urethane to 92 shore hardness Vulkollan. What works in Europe falls to bits in Australia , our climate has some of the hottest and driest conditions.

You have all seen the urethane that cracks itself to bits this is caused by overheating which dehydrated the urethane; once this happens it becomes hard and brittle, any high impact or compression will destroy it.

When all else fails we return to rubber full stop, natural rubbers are the best product for shock absorption full stop.

What Durometer Scale are we talking?

Superpro PU is cast in different durometers to suit different applications.

Its also well within the -10c to 100c operating range ;)

Urethane that is cooked will harden and crack, otherwise its only going to do exactly like rubbers do and 'take a set'. This is the nature of any elastomer when subjected to varying loads.

PU is not affected by oils, unlike the rubber compounds used in suspension bushes, and once cured is not bothered by water up to 80c...

[Dockstrada]

What Durometer Scale are we talking?

Superpro PU is cast in different durometers to suit different applications.

Its also well within the -10c to 100c operating range ;)

Urethane that is cooked will harden and crack, otherwise its only going to do exactly like rubbers do and 'take a set'. This is the nature of any elastomer when subjected to varying loads.

PU is not affected by oils, unlike the rubber compounds used in suspension bushes, and once cured is not bothered by water up to 80c...

We would be in the upper region of D for this application around 92 I would say , I know for a fact the Bayer are working on a 95 to 97 shore D as we speak .

[Tombie]

We would be in the upper region of D for this application around 92 I would say , I know for a fact the Bayer are working on a 95 to 97 shore D as we speak .

Cheers... Shore D is heading into the hardness of UHMWPE and other plastics... Definitely not suited to suspension :cool:

[Dockstrada]

Cheers... Shore D is heading into the hardness of UHMWPE and other plastics... Definitely not suited to suspension :cool:

Your right I just shot my mouth of to quick ,whet to check my notes, hardness 92 A which is driving and friction quality is around what we use , I have tryed it on my f250 panhard rod and its doing OK so far .

[Sheppie]

well, the technical stuff is a bit over my head but in the rally cars that we have had over the years, I always used the super pro bushes with bilstein suspension, love it although we did want as stiff a ride as we could get.
My puma is still under warranty so wont be changing anything to soon.
I havent heard anything about rancho shocks although 15 years ago they looked alright.
Anyone got any idea on these guys?

[rick130]

I wouldn't touch Rancho with your barge pole, let alone mine.

That blunt enough for you ;)

Re Super Pro and PU, I know nothing about the chemistry side, all I know is that stuff is cast here and has been for a very long time and the durometer of the bushes is appropriate for each spot and a good compromise between flex, NVH and life, unlike most PU bushes that are hard, hard, hard.

I've been using their bushes on a Defender for about eight years and over 200,00km and they are still fine, or in other words, they have lasted over double the distance that the OE bushes lasted (although I still have the OE axle rear trailing arm bushes in place. All the rest are now SP PU bushes)

The other big plus, as Ben has already mentioned is that IMO they are a much better design in most spots than the OE bush too.

[modman]

It's a shame superpro WON'T sell their products to me at a comparable price to importing from the uk
And I live less than a km from the melb office
I rang the office to explain this specific land rover issue and
They would not budge
I would cop +20% maybe for a kit but not when that exceeds $100
Dc

[isuzurover]

It's a shame superpro WON'T sell their products to me at a comparable price to importing from the uk
And I live less than a km from the melb office
I rang the office to explain this specific land rover issue and
They would not budge
I would cop +20% maybe for a kit but not when that exceeds $100
Dc

IME it is likely the retailers who are making the killing, not SuperPro/Fulcrum. The US/UK are likely working to higher turnovers and lower margins.

Either way the Fulcrum/SuperPro factory probably make the same $$$.

Maybe they even get trade concessions/credits if you buy from OS!!!

[disconoob]

Hi mate give john at opposite lock newcastle a call. He is an absolute guru when it comes to landrovers. I spoke to him about mine... Was there for 2hours...
He was recomended to me and I have no hesitation in recomending him to you! Couldnt be happuer with the service and knowlage.
Good luck

[modman]

IME it is likely the retailers who are making the killing, not SuperPro/Fulcrum. The US/UK are likely working to higher turnovers and lower margins.

Either way the Fulcrum/SuperPro factory probably make the same $$$.

Maybe they even get trade concessions/credits if you buy from OS!!!

The fulcrum office offered me a group buy discount that was still $100
Over the kit price delivered from the uk
Their Melbourne rep got a little cranky and said they shouldn't be selling
Parts That cheap!
I suspect the aus market is getting screwed because we usually pay and there
Is only little competition from other 'polyurethane' suspension manufacturers
If I can get a full superpro kit to suit the defender without caster correction or shock bushes for under $350 then I will go down that path
Dc