air suspension or new coil spring suspension?

[toaintamRR]

hi guys..

Just got my car not long and i got some problems with my EAS, i just wondering if i should fix it or converted it into coil spring suspension. My boss got the same car as me and had convert it in to coil spring and its felt more rough then the EAS. Can i get some feed back on it please and yeh if you know any place in melbourne that repair EAS or any place that do coil spring convertion for my 1996 hse range rover..

thank you....:D

getting my rangieeee converted into gas in a week :p

[wayneg]

You need to consider the costs and what you are using the car for. If you are going to do any sort of off roading I would go for the coil springs as you might have already found out driving the car with the suspension collapsed is no fun even on smooth tarmac. I once had one of the hight sensors clog up with mud which then caused the connecting rubber on the dog-leg arm to tear. This then shutdown the suspension all for a split rubber bush. You cant buy the bush ( a Dunlop part) so its was a new sensor for $$$$$ after a very slow and uncomfortable ride home. This was on a muddy field!
My current `93 RR has been converted to coils.

[onemore]

I have just been through the same saga with my '94 Rangie, had the compressor replaced, the ECU replaced and the things still wouldn't play the game. In the end cut my losses and put standard coils in it, I don't reckon the ride is as smooth, but it was off the road for so long while different Rangie specialists looked at it I will live with it.
One other thing I have noticed with the standard coils is the ride height, which I reckon is equivalent to the extended height of the EAS, so if anyone is reading this post that has any suggestions of what I can replace or do with the standard coils to lower the height it would be very much appreciated as my wife is not happy having to grab the handle inside to get a lift up into it.

Regards,
Mike

[onemore]

Hey toaintamRR, sorry for hijacking your post, I only realised it after I hit the send button, my apologies.
Mike

[wayneg]

One other thing I have noticed with the standard coils is the ride height, which I reckon is equivalent to the extended height of the EAS, so if anyone is reading this post that has any suggestions.................

Regards,
Mike
I agree the hight is increased, clearence is a good thing, buy the wife a step stool. problem solved.

[Rangier Rover]

Coils = Reliable. :D If set up well will ride as well as Air. Weigh car when has usual load( Pasengers and gear) then get coils to suit;) Then get shock damping to suit coils:)

[rofosixone]

totally agree with the above .what i found if you keep your old std shocks which are designed for air you bounce a little bit more than use too, but have been in rangie with bilsteins doesent bounce at all ,depends if you want to spend more money or not but now so happy with what have so not going to worry about it as it rides like my old 110 any way, cant ask for more on coils ralph.

[Surferjim]

Anyone know much about when the Valve Block + driver should be replaced? I am looking at a 170,000KM P38a HSE, bags were done in April, but am worried about the service life of the block - having had one fail in the middle of the Watagans. Made for a very uncomfortable and low ride home.....

I like the ride of EAS, but springs certainly leave less of a dent in the wallet.

[wayneg]

Anyone know much about when the Valve Block + driver should be replaced? I am looking at a 170,000KM P38a HSE, bags were done in April, but am worried about the service life of the block - having had one fail in the middle of the Watagans. Made for a very uncomfortable and low ride home.....

I like the ride of EAS, but springs certainly leave less of a dent in the wallet.

Why not give the block some TLC and some new seals.......EAS Valve Block (http://www.rangerovers.net/repairdetails/airsuspension/valveblock/photos.html)

[adm333]

Anyone know much about when the Valve Block + driver should be replaced? I am looking at a 170,000KM P38a HSE, bags were done in April, but am worried about the service life of the block - having had one fail in the middle of the Watagans. Made for a very uncomfortable and low ride home.....

I like the ride of EAS, but springs certainly leave less of a dent in the wallet.

The service life of the block is 10,000 years. However the service life of the rubber O rings is a lot less. Its quite a straight forward job to go through and replace them all. It was about a half day job for me, and I am pretty slow and meticulous. I also replaced the teflon seal in the compressor and the air dryer dessicant and all cost me about $150.

Check out www.rover-renovations.com (http://www.rover-renovations.com) where you can buy the full kit and download instructions as well.

You can also equip yourself with several different types of emergency over ride tools, which would mean that all the sorry tales you hear of people limping home on the bump stops can be avoided by carrying a simple device (assuming the air bags themselves are in tact). Its like carrying a spare tyre folks, if you get a puncture and don't have a spare do you drive home on the rim ?

Dave
(still a fan of air suspension - obviously a dying breed)

[dungarover]

Whilts I like air suspension and when it's working it's great, I just prefer the simplicity and reliability of coil springs but that's me. No more dodgy air bags or valve blocks to ruin your day. The ride isn't as good in all honesty but not horrendous.

Thge old mans 98 Rangie is still on air and it's been pretty trouble free for the last couple of years now although it's lucky to have done 10K in that time (had it for nearly 4 years and he's only done 32K in that time so maybe not a fair comparision to a daily driver).

Trav

[Surferjim]

Dave - what is the simplest and cheapest device of which you speak?

[JDNSW]

I look at threads like this and I can only shake my head in amazement. I have been driving Citroens with self levelling suspension since the early sixties, and in that time I have had exactly one suspension failure, in about 1964, due to a pump failure caused by excessive belt tension.

This is a system introduced almost sixty years ago, and it seems to be far more reliable than the much more modern Landrover system. What is the problem that they can't match the reliability achieved by Citroen over fifty years ago? (Citroen had their share of problems in the early fifties, but by 1960 they were pretty trouble free)

The difference of course is that we are looking at an electronic system, not an hydraulic one - is this another example of unreliability associated with electronics? Note that the problems are rarely the actual electronics, but are usually the wiring or the interface between the electronics and the real world (sensors, valve blocks etc).

John