Is it possible to make the ride smoother?

[fender22]

Have a stock std 93 200TDI 110 wagon. The car handles well and rides pretty well with a few passengers or a bit of a load on board but with just me and the wife the ride is pretty rough on the road. Bone jarring over speed humps, potholes etc. Wondering if it's possible to make the ride a bit softer. Probably not something I could do myself. Would it be expensive?

[PhilipA]

Have a stock std 93 200TDI 110 wagon.

The 110 weighs about the same as a Range Rover/Discovery, the weight distribution is similar, so I see no reason that you couldn't fit springs similar to a Discovery , unless you have a Hydromat in which case you could fit RRC rear springs.

The load potential will be less but who puts 900 KG or whatever in their Defender?
Therer is a big choice of springs for Discos at primarily Les Richmond Automotive.
The running gear of a 110 is very similar to an RRC/Disco but I do not know how high you would want it , but AFAIK the castor settings are similar so you probably have the same axle to bumpstop height as a disco anyway.
Regards Philip A

[isuzutoo-eh]

Rear 110/130 Defender springs are a different diameter to rangie/disco/90 springs, keep that in mind when looking through spring catalogues.
This site has great LR specific spring info to help plan your suspension:
land rover spring specifications

[Tombie]

You're on the right track though Philip.

Les Richmond does a 270 or 320lb rear for a deefer...

Go the 270lb and see how u go.
If you need heavier Les Richmond do offer a change over in first few days...

[PAT303]

For the life of me I do not know why people buy LR's and then stuff them up buying aftermarket suspension.Original springs with Koni track rider shocks gives very good ride, comfort and handling in Defenders and Disco 1's. Pat

[GuyG]

See if you can get some out of a Puma where the owner has upgraded there springs, possibly due to many accessories. I was able to get a full set that MR Auto had second hand. They are a progressive rated spring also, if the details I have are correct they should be fronts 155/215 and rears 270/420. Although mine are still sitting on the floor waiting to be fitted, regardless they have to be better than what is currently fitted

[JDNSW]

A possible contributor to a hard ride may be that the various suspension bushes have been replaced with harder polyurethan bushes. Reversing this is fairly easy and cheap, refitting either the original rubber bushes or softer polyurethane bushes.

John

[stig0000]

i gota lift and the guy said you want HD springs then,, i said hell no,, i want very very soft lift, there tecnicaly 3' springs, but as there so soft they sag to about 2.5ish and give a perfict ride, just get the right shocks first up, iv swaped onto my 3rd set allready and finaly found my perfict ride,

[isuzurover]

If you want a VERY smooth ride, fit air springs.

I have air springs in the rear, and on the canning recently had an almost identical 110 along. Even though we were both heavily laden, the ride was much better in my 110. (he had soft coils and polyairs in the rear).

Rovercare, Hally and Rangierover all have converted to air springs all round.

[stealth]

Get a Disco or A RR. Defenders are workhorses and the ride is like that for a reason.