Suspension

[jake]

G'day All,

I know that suspension keeps raising it's head, but would like to ask our illustrious members their thoughts and opinions on the subject;

03>TD5 Defenders - Who has had aftermarket suspension fitted and what type of shock/spring combination are they running;

Those who have fitted aftermarket, did this involve a raise and to what point in mm were they raised.

Has this had an effect on their drive line, ie vibration or excessive wear and tear.

Those who are still running standard LR suspension, how do you find this.
and what sort of issue have you had if any.
Lastly what sort of KM have you had out them.

Your thought and opinions would be very much appreciated. I am sure I would not be the only one out their asking this.

regards

Jake https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[D110V8D]

Can we please put this topic and associated threads in the common threads area? 8O

I'm sooooooo bored. :cry:

No offence Jake. https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[noddy]

Jake

Everything is a compromise when it comes to suspension. Need to understand what you are going to use your defender for.

What is wrong with the standard config?
Is it for predominately touring?
What weights do you intend carrying? What accessories do you have fitted to the Defender? (ie, bullbar, winch etc)

'Kimba' is currently set up for touring. Because of the weight we lifted the front by about 35mm which has now settled back to standard with bar and winch and 50,000kms.

Rear is standard springs but fiited polyairs for the additional weight.

Replaced all shocks with Bilsteins. This was an ideal setup for touring, but if playing every weekend you would probably want softer springs and a greater lift, longer shocks, etc etc etc.

[crump]

Originally posted by jake
G'day All,

I know that suspension keeps raising it's head, but would like to ask our illustrious members their thoughts and opinions on the subject;

03>TD5 Defenders - Who has had aftermarket suspension fitted and what type of shock/spring combination are they running;

Those who have fitted aftermarket, did this involve a raise and to what point in mm were they raised.

Has this had an effect on their drive line, ie vibration or excessive wear and tear.

Those who are still running standard LR suspension, how do you find this.
and what sort of issue have you had if any.
Lastly what sort of KM have you had out them.

Your thought and opinions would be very much appreciated. I am sure I would not be the only one out their asking this.

regards

Jake https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

I'm with Jake, this question gets raised and half covered, why dont those with suspension mods all explain their set up in detail and the whys and why nots and then get INC to stick it somewhere, (you know what I mean INC.)

[MickG]

Originally posted by crump+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(crump)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-jake
G'day All,

I know that suspension keeps raising it's head, but would like to ask our illustrious members their thoughts and opinions on the subject;

03>TD5 Defenders - Who has had aftermarket suspension fitted and what type of shock/spring combination are they running;

Those who have fitted aftermarket, did this involve a raise and to what point in mm were they raised.

Has this had an effect on their drive line, ie vibration or excessive wear and tear.

Those who are still running standard LR suspension, how do you find this.
and what sort of issue have you had if any.
Lastly what sort of KM have you had out them.

Your thought and opinions would be very much appreciated. I am sure I would not be the only one out their asking this.

regards

Jake https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

I'm with Jake, this question gets raised and half covered, why dont those with suspension mods all explain their set up in detail and the whys and why nots and then get INC to stick it somewhere, (you know what I mean INC.)[/b][/quote]

Yep I agree, I am also trying to sort out my D2 suspension but it is a mine field of variying opinions. A detailed suspension section would be awsome.

My 2c, Mick

[DeeJay]

I might as well chuck in my pennyworth.
The only reason you would need to raise the vehicle is if you want/need larger tyres because you need the extra ground clearance and it follows- body clearance so they dont rub. End of story.
You would only want larger tyres if you get "hung up" when you 4wd. end of that story.
The way the tracks near Melb are heading my next vehicle will be a Unimog, I get hung up on 35" tyres, its a joke.
So it all depends on what you want to do, you can get plenty of tread variations in standard 235 or 16" configeration. Just raising the body will not give you any better off road ability, rather make the tip over angle worse.
For what its worth I got an ARB/Old Man Emu after market kit fitted they were 705mm front and 750mm rear, which is a small lift, they settled 10 mm after 500klm.
One shocker **** itself after (quite) a few circuits of the Landrover 4wd test track at the Wandin Vic 4wd show and was replaced at a half price to me as goodwill. The suspension has settled on one side too much now after 10,000 klms- 65% of which is hard 4wding as I get around in a company car usually.
Then again I have 200l of petrol and an 80Litre LPGas tank plus my 105 kg all on the driver side so I guess something has to give 8O
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ 8O

[DRanged]

Jake

Subsribe to a Land Rover magazine and read and keep reading. Drive as many different set ups as you can if you are in a club, talk to as many people as you can then make your own mind up. You might get it wrong the first time but thats life. The ultimate suspension set up is a compromise that you will be happy with. If it helps it took me 3 sets of springs to get it right (for comp work lots of atriculation but it had to be driven to and from).

Good luck

Regards Justin

[Slunnie]

Originally posted by DeeJay
I might as well chuck in my pennyworth.
The only reason you would need to raise the vehicle is if you want/need larger tyres because you need the extra ground clearance and it follows- body clearance so they dont rub. End of story.
You would only want larger tyres if you get "hung up" when you 4wd. end of that story.
The way the tracks near Melb are heading my next vehicle will be a Unimog, I get hung up on 35" tyres, its a joke.
So it all depends on what you want to do, you can get plenty of tread variations in standard 235 or 16" configeration. Just raising the body will not give you any better off road ability, rather make the tip over angle worse.
For what its worth I got an ARB/Old Man Emu after market kit fitted they were 705mm front and 750mm rear, which is a small lift, they settled 10 mm after 500klm.
One shocker **** itself after (quite) a few circuits of the Landrover 4wd test track at the Wandin Vic 4wd show and was replaced at a half price to me as goodwill. The suspension has settled on one side too much now after 10,000 klms- 65% of which is hard 4wding as I get around in a company car usually.
Then again I have 200l of petrol and an 80Litre LPGas tank plus my 105 kg all on the driver side so I guess something has to give 8O
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ 8O
Keep in mind that this is from a Victorian context, a region that seems to have a significant number of deeply rutted tracks. It most definately does not apply to NSW terrain. I've watched a number of 4WD's that have taken that approach to suspension setup, and have not been able to do some tracks (eg the bottom end of slippery Roc Rd) purely because they've just sat on their belly and lacked the ramp over angle. Lift beyond that required to fit tyres will increase offroading performance.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

Originally posted by jake

Those who are still running standard LR suspension, how do you find this.
and what sort of issue have you had if any.
Lastly what sort of KM have you had out them.

regards

Jake https://www.aulro.com/afvb/


<span style="color:blue">im still running the original shocks and springs......
the front has sagged a bit after almost 85,000kms.....but still going ok....

it does get used and abused when off road....and still gets me through in standard trim.....</span>

[tombraider]

Originally posted by DEFENDERZOOK
it does get used and abused when off road....and still gets me through in standard trim....

Your not trying hard enough then :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Cheers
Mike

4" lifted Defender Tombraider
Castor Corrected front arms
Re-aligned rear arms
LTR shocks
Custom springs

[Maggot4x4]

Originally posted by Slunnie+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slunnie)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-DeeJay
I might as well chuck in my pennyworth.
The only reason you would need to raise the vehicle is if you want/need larger tyres because you need the extra ground clearance and it follows- body clearance so they dont rub. End of story.
You would only want larger tyres if you get "hung up" when you 4wd. end of that story.
The way the tracks near Melb are heading my next vehicle will be a Unimog, I get hung up on 35" tyres, its a joke.
So it all depends on what you want to do, you can get plenty of tread variations in standard 235 or 16" configeration. Just raising the body will not give you any better off road ability, rather make the tip over angle worse.
For what its worth I got an ARB/Old Man Emu after market kit fitted they were 705mm front and 750mm rear, which is a small lift, they settled 10 mm after 500klm.
One shocker **** itself after (quite) a few circuits of the Landrover 4wd test track at the Wandin Vic 4wd show and was replaced at a half price to me as goodwill. The suspension has settled on one side too much now after 10,000 klms- 65% of which is hard 4wding as I get around in a company car usually.
Then again I have 200l of petrol and an 80Litre LPGas tank plus my 105 kg all on the driver side so I guess something has to give 8O
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/ 8O
Keep in mind that this is from a Victorian context, a region that seems to have a significant number of deeply rutted tracks. It most definately does not apply to NSW terrain. I've watched a number of 4WD's that have taken that approach to suspension setup, and have not been able to do some tracks (eg the bottom end of slippery Roc Rd) purely because they've just sat on their belly and lacked the ramp over angle. Lift beyond that required to fit tyres will increase offroading performance.[/b][/quote]

Yes and no, the shorter the wheelbase the lower you can keep the truck without having the ramp over problems.

In the Rangie 1 & 1/2" body lift and 2" Spring lift with 315x75x16's. Only ever belly out if I stuff up my line.

I think my truck looks in proportion, doesn't look too high and I can drive it on some crazy side angles with confidence.

With a defender you don't really have the option of a bodylift, but you don't need to go very high to fit bigger tyres either. If I had a defender I think all I would do is a 2" lift with some LTR's or MX6's and 35x12.5x15's and run the tyres around 25-30psi to adjust the ride comfort. The bigger the tyre the less presure you can run on the road.

[Slunnie]

I suspected that was why the Discos/Rangies were always set so low with 2-4" lift, yet the Patrols/Landcruiser get lifted 5-7".

[seqfisho]

In my first Fender I changed the front springs for a set of Ultimate heavier items to carry the ARB bar and winch with OME shocks, worked pretty well for all round touring and off road work.

Fender no2 had a full OME kit with 50mm lift was a better ride than the first and carried loads better aswell

Prob could have achieved better but with Maxi's articulation didn't matter that much as long as it was smoother over the corregations and didn't bottom out with a load.

[jake]

Thank you to all for your imput, greatly appreciated.

Jake