Thread: Discovery 2 Suspension Advice

I have a 2004 D2a with stock front suspension with an ARB bullbar, winch and driving lights.
I have No problems due to the extra 100kg added to the front end even on rough tracks.
You can save 15kg-20kg by using synthetic rope on the winch instead of the steel rope

You won’t need extended brake lines or ABS sensor cables.
I suspect trout1105 may have had springs upgraded prior to ownership or may have a different opinion on tracks to others.
Std D2 suspension with bar and winch will bottom out in supermarket speed bumps.
Be aware that many shocks supplied for supposed lifted D2 are no longer than std and often reduce travel defeating the purpose of fitment.
I don’t know about TF but can say Old Man Emu are one such shock.
Personally I would check out King Springs and investigate carefully open and closed length of proposed shocks.
Suspension based on budget can be disappointing.

I suspect trout1105 may have had springs upgraded prior to ownership or may have a different opinion on tracks to others.
Std D2 suspension with bar and winch will bottom out in supermarket speed bumps.

I may have upgraded springs/shocks, I don't really know for certain I will ask Shane at Whyatts when I take the truck in for a "health check" before I head off up North But the truck definitely doesn't "Bottom Out" on speed humps or in potholes on the track.
I have No lift and am running 245/70/16 Yokohama Geolander AT's
I had the air suspension removed a couple of years ago and a new set of coil springs fitted But I am unsure of the rating of those springs as well But I have put about 200kg on the towball along with the truck being fully loaded up and still don't have a problem with the rear end "Bottoming Out" either.

Stay clear of the Terrafirma springs. Absolute rubbish paint finish on them. Mine started rusting within six months of being fitted. I’ve just removed them and fitted some Dobinsons. The finish and ride is remarkably better.

I would suggest not using the TF +2” shocks. I had them fitted for about 12,000Km three out of the four completely shot, the fourth partially shot. I replaced them with Koni +2” and they are still going strong.

I made a list of shock open & closed lengths here Discovery 2 front & rear shock length list

I found with the extra suspension droop with the TF and Koni shocks I had to fit +2” brake lines front and rear, pull through the slack on all four ABS sensor leads and space down the gearbox cross member to clear the front driveshaft on full droop.

Have a look at Les Richmond springs Spring Graph: Spring Height v's Weight Graph get your D2 axle weights once you have your bar work etc fitted, then use the graph to chose the best springs for your axle weights and required lift.

Somemore info on the LRA springs here For those with LRA coil springs - which colour are you using and what accessories?

Not sure what advise you want or are expecting? It sounds like an upgrade restricted and limited by budget. If it wasn't, my advise would be:

Les Richmond Automotive White Tiger for the coil springs - you can fit them and exchange them until you get the height right.
Source the parts and reinstall the SLS for the rear. Les Richmond will be able to provide you with the 2" spacers to suit.
Bilstein shock absorbers as well. Again can be sourced through LRA or other sources, but be careful to check that they are actually the +2" models. There is a dodgy mob in Queensland that like to pull that trick by supplying the cheaper standard units instead...

Alternatively, go with some of the big name brands in suspension and you should have an alright package - such as King Springs or Dobsons for the coils and Koni, KYB etc for the shocks. Personally I avoid companies like Ironman or Terrafirma that make EVERYTHING for the 4WD as usually lacks quality and specialty IMO...

As you said a million threads on this already. Do some searching and reading.

Originally Posted by Kent_P

Hi there,


I have a 2001 Discovery 2 with 306km. It originally came with air suspension but a previous owner converted it to springs. The rear has the stock shocks. The front suspension is completely stock.

............. I will be most likely replacing the suspension in the near future as the stock equipment is getting a bit tired. With the addition of the extra weight on the front of the car, I understand that to maintain safety I will need to get more capable equipment. I am also looking at maybe putting a 2 inch lift in whilst I am in there................

Cheers.

Hi Kent_P, A couple of things to consider. Firstly you've given no indication of the intended use for your 'new' D2, which out of the box is already a fairly capable 4WD What you'll undoubtedly find with your 17 year old D2 is that the springs have all sagged anyway and it may give a soft and wallowing ride. This is normal for this vehicle as described. I bought my current D2 V8 and replaced the front and rear springs with Kings standard springs and std. Landrover shockers. Kings standard springs have a +20mm lift over 'normal' out of the box and are made of thicker wire than the standard Landrover springs and have an extra coil as well. This resulted in a +40mm lift on the front and +30mm lift on the rear (or thereabouts) over the old sagged springs, do you really need an extra 50mm lift ?. The new std. shockers ensured a comfortable ride whilst retaining good off road performance. You may find that restoring the suspension to 'normal + 20mm' gives the result you require without the complications of a 2" lift, especially in a D2 . By this I mean additional strain on the already hard working DC joint in the front drive shaft, poor caster and panhard rod length issues as well as the inevitable harsh ride that comes with 'heavy duty' springs and shockers.

If you're after an all conquering serious off road 4WD then you'll probably want to go down this path but if you're after a good on and off road performer with a decent ride then you can save a whole lot of money and potential grief.

Similarly with the winch, do you really need one for your intended use ? Most of the time they're an expensive and heavy boat anchor hanging off an equally heavy bull bar and about as useful as the equally 'de rigueur' brightly coloured sand mats that adorn the roofs of many 4WD's these days. On my original D2a I had an ECB alloy bull bar fitted which was actually lighter than the factory plastic and metal bumper assembly, on my current D2 I have an alloy (also ECB ) nudge bar which weighs very little. If you can get away without a winch you can save a lot of money and weight here as well as better handling and ride especially on corrugated/undulating outback roads if this is your thing.

If towing or carrying extra weight the extra stiffness of the standard King springs fitted with internal airbags gives the option of selective spring rate/ride height which can be restored to 'normal' for day to day cruising.

Basically what I'm saying is that the D2, even without the centre diff lock (though yours may be there for manual use if required ) is still a very capable 4WD out of the box and may not need a 2" lift/steel bull bar/winch etc to do what you require of it. IMO spending money on a rear ATB diff centre is a way better 'bang for buck' improvement to the off road capabilities of your vehicle.

Deano

Don’t buy cheap suspension. Spend the extra $500 and be done with it and know you have the right gear.

My vehicle is heavily loaded - with King +2” standard duty front and heavy duty rear coils, the nose points slightly upward.

True +2” lift requires front crossmember to be spaced an inch from chassis rails so front prop shaft does not foul and mods/extentions to rear brake/ABS lines.

Some info here:
Bilstein +2" 994/995 - brake, ABS lines, bump stops etc