Originally Posted by POD
) and let a couple of Tojo's and one Roll-Lux through. All were bouncing, roaring, sliding and carrying on like pork chops at a Bar Mitzva.
The other one is... you'll need the money for more repairs and preventative maintenance than for ToyoMitsans...
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I was recently chatting to John Pouros, the custom vehicles coordinator at 4WD Action. He absolutely loves his Rangie and raves about it. He has done similar to what you're talking about and fitted Landcruiser front springs to his Rangie. I,d need to confirm but likewise he was saying standard Landcruiser springs give a 2" lift and the wreckers can't get rid of them. Likewise the LC 2" spring then give 4" I'm not sure if he used standard fronts in the front and 2" fronts in the rear which should give a level 2" lift.
Likewise, it used to be a common modification with the LR classics (ie. RRC, D1, Def) to fit inverted Landcruiser shock absorbers also, but these need to be mono tubes, not normal gas twin shell or foam shocks as the gas ends up in the wrong part of the shock. Anyway, long travel shocks are easy to get now so you can run shocks to suit the springs and not be limited in the down travel after the lift
The reality however is that the ranges are sprung soft, but I really would debate that they have 50/50 suspension travel. They may do on the rear as Rovers have a lot of bumps top clearance here. The fronts however are a completely different matter, and even when new prior to spring settling hey only have about 2" of bump travel but much more drop. When you articulate the suspension the compressed side just sits on the bumps top while the other side continues to fall away. Lift it and you will get a travel balance closer to 50/50 if that's what you think is ideal. Personally, I think for a tourer you want a lot more than 50% travel in compression and as you become more hard core then it skews the other way tending to want more drop travel. The travel does not have to relate to ride height either.
Also re comfort, even with 2" lifted stiffer springs, you will probably find an increase in comfort purely because you're not jarring on the bumps stops when off road. I recall being in the desert in the disco2 with 2" lift and not long after designing up a 4" lift for it to increase bump travel and comfort. The next trip into the desert the suspension worked with absolute perfection - though shocks are also a big part of the equation. I'd not advise you go that far because it gets complex and expensive.
Reading that you want to fit 33" and 35" tyres immediately tells me that the terrain you want to play in is reasonably rough. The great thing about Rovers on 35" is that you very rarely hook up on the diffs cans will drive most things with ease while others are digging, winching, snatching and having multiple attempts. If you're looking at that type of terrain don't even think about running standard ride heights because you will also need the nose, belly and tail clearance. The ranges have a relatively low CofG and cope with lift better than most in my opinion. I think most of the ranges with 35" tyres have a 2+2" setup as you describe because its cheaper, more problem free and it works. Some over the last couple of years have been going to smaller or no body lifts and bigger spring lifts but again when you go beyond 2" in the suspension it becomes expensive and complex but admittedly you do get better clearance. To address the higher CofG many also widen the wheel track, mostly through offset wheels.
So, if you want to run 35" tyres on a budget, then I think absolutely with what you plan. With those tyres you'll also need to drive carefully and factor in driveline work.
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