Suspension upgrade Defender 110 Wagon MY14

[vjvamp73]

Hi all,
First time posting on the forum, hoping for some guidance. Don't have much of a mechanical background.
I have done a few off road trips the longest being Victoria High Country in my Defender 110 for 2 weeks with factory fitted suspension and tires. I
have a Hannibal roof rack, side awning and RTT, drawer at the back , 60L water tank , TJM bull bar, rock sliders and winch. I have removed my rear seats.
I am planning to do the Canning Stock route mid 2019 and hopefully lots more trips around the country.
Did quite a bit reading in the forum with regards to suspension upgrades and got confused. I
think the suspension needs upgrading as the weight of the Defender with a full tank of fuel ( 70L - I will need to fit a long range tank) was 2.6T.

Any advise on the following is much appreciated:
1) Do I change both the shocks and springs?
2) Read in the forum that the Puma Defender doesn't handle well with suspension lifts?
3) Lots of mention of Koni and Bilstein in the forums, any personal experience related to off roading around the country?
4) Any place that I should head to for advise around Newcastle, Central Coast or Sydney? Looking to get a long range tank fitted at the same time as well - recommendations welcome.
Thanks guys.

[Vern]

May be speak to someone like Davis Performance Landies perhaps.
I would be getting each corner of the vehicle weighed, and choose springs from there. Speak to Kings or Dobinson springs.
As for shocks, i prefer koni over bilsteins, i just find they ride nicer.

[DiscoMick]

Welcome to Defender world.
Mine has the Long Ranger 120 litre tank, which is excellent, and gives a range of about 1000 kms. Strong too.
I have left the springs unchanged, but have added rear Airbag Man airbags so I can level up the back when towing. Keeping 10 lbs in the airbags also tightens up the rear body roll a bit.
Some people fit the LR HD front springs from the 130, which are the same as the HD front springs for the 110, and say positive things about them. I think the spring rate increases from 180 lb/ft to 220. I dont want to make the ride too hard, so I've left mine standard so far. Defenders are not sports cars intended to go around corners fast, theyre designed to give a comfortable ride over bad roads for long distances.
I have no plan to lift my Defender. It is already plenty high enough except for the most extreme situations, so lifting it would just make it roll more, for little benefit, I reckon. Going up over 50mm stuffs up the drivetrain and requires expensive upgrades.
My original shocks are on my list for replacement after 115,000 ks, but I havent decided which way to go. Konis and Bilsteins are said to be great, but a set is also twice the price of other options, such as OME, Tough Dog, Ironman etc. Are they worth the extra money? Only you can decide.
As for weight, I have an ARB bullbar, Ironman winch, rear drawers, a fridge, a solar panel on the roof and a long range fuel tank, and its all good.
Hope that helps.

[p38arover]

In Newcastle, try All Four x 4 in Kotara

https://www.allfourx4.com.au/epages/...Service_Centre

[Zeros]

Welcome... Defender suspension is simple.

Don't change springs
- Your Defender already has a one tonne payload.
- In my opinion, if a Defender is sagging at the rear, it is too heavy. ...If you really need more rear support put airbags in the springs.
- Defenders already have excellent clearance and you don't want to change drive shaft angles - potential problems with uni-joints and vibration.

Shock Absorbers
- Get the best you can afford. IMO either Koni or Bilstein. Otherwise standard genuine Defender shocks are good quality.
- Koni Raids are the best shock absorbers on the market, but they are expensive.
- OME and others simply don't last as long.
- Any suspension place can fit your shocks, or you can do it yourself if you're inclined.

[vjvamp73]

May be speak to someone like Davis Performance Landies perhaps.
I would be getting each corner of the vehicle weighed, and choose springs from there. Speak to Kings or Dobinson springs.
As for shocks, i prefer koni over bilsteins, i just find they ride nicer.

Thanks Damien. Will be in Sydney in a couple of weeks, so will check out DPL for sure.

[vjvamp73]

Welcome to Defender world.
Mine has the Long Ranger 120 litre tank, which is excellent, and gives a range of about 1000 kms. Strong too.
I have left the springs unchanged, but have added rear Airbag Man airbags so I can level up the back when towing. Keeping 10 lbs in the airbags also tightens up the rear body roll a bit.
Some people fit the LR HD front springs from the 130, which are the same as the HD front springs for the 110, and say positive things about them. I think the spring rate increases from 180 lb/ft to 220. I dont want to make the ride too hard, so I've left mine standard so far. Defenders are not sports cars intended to go around corners fast, theyre designed to give a comfortable ride over bad roads for long distances.
I have no plan to lift my Defender. It is already plenty high enough except for the most extreme situations, so lifting it would just make it roll more, for little benefit, I reckon. Going up over 50mm stuffs up the drivetrain and requires expensive upgrades.
My original shocks are on my list for replacement after 115,000 ks, but I havent decided which way to go. Konis and Bilsteins are said to be great, but a set is also twice the price of other options, such as OME, Tough Dog, Ironman etc. Are they worth the extra money? Only you can decide.
As for weight, I have an ARB bullbar, Ironman winch, rear drawers, a fridge, a solar panel on the roof and a long range fuel tank, and its all good.
Hope that helps.

Thanks Mick. Most helpful and sensible advice. Was thinking abt the Long Ranger tank as well.

[vjvamp73]

Welcome... Defender suspension is simple.

Don't change springs
- Your Defender already has a one tonne payload.
- In my opinion, if a Defender is sagging at the rear, it is too heavy. ...If you really need more rear support put airbags in the springs.
- Defenders already have excellent clearance and you don't want to change drive shaft angles - potential problems with uni-joints and vibration.

Shock Absorbers
- Get the best you can afford. IMO either Koni or Bilstein. Otherwise standard genuine Defender shocks are good quality.
- Koni Raids are the best shock absorbers on the market, but they are expensive.
- OME and others simply don't last as long.
- Any suspension place can fit your shocks, or you can do it yourself if you're inclined.

Keeping it simple seems the way to go. Cheers

[Baytown]

Hi fellas.
I was just contacted by ARB Innisfail, to advise that the new ARB Remote Reservoir BP51 shocks are now available for Defenders. They have an long travel unit as well.
May be worth considering when shocks are next required.
The benefit of ARBistheir support network should we need them.
Best wishes all.

Ken

[DiscoMick]

Thanks. Price?