Discovery suspension "down grade"?

[Eric SDV6SE]

Got this via an email newsletter from Rimmer Bros the other day, interesting, and reasonably priced too IMHO.

For those of us who have had enough of replacing airbags, overhauling compressors, replacing airlines, valve blocks and crawling under the car with soapy water chasing that elusive air leak.

Air to Coil Spring Conversion Kit -RD1423 - Dunlop | Rimmer Bros

Makes your Llams (if fitted) redundant though.

[dirvine]

I just wonder why you would fit this. fitting of this product would remove the ability to raise the car for off road. If fitted what would the cars ground clearance be? I agree it must be a down grade. I am interested to know how many people have had problems with air bags etc which would/could justify this outlay as being cost or operational effective.

[kelvo]

It’s fairly popular in the UK. The cost of D3 and early D4 is low, so the ‘ruff and ready’ types that had bashed up D1 and D2 then move onto D3/4. The trouble is they don’t have the knowledge or money to actually maintain them so they throw cheap pattern parts or used parts on, which don’t last. They then just rip out anything they can’t fix correctly.

The same thing happened with D2s with the SLS and ACE systems.

[DiscoJeffster]

Haha. Take the best thing about the thing and **** it. This sounds like something a government would do

[PerthDisco]

I just wonder why you would fit this. fitting of this product would remove the ability to raise the car for off road. If fitted what would the cars ground clearance be? I agree it must be a down grade. I am interested to know how many people have had problems with air bags etc which would/could justify this outlay as being cost or operational effective.

Take a look at the UK videos and anything under the car in a few short years is a lump of rust and basically unserviceable (compressor etc.) which would drive demand for this reduction in complexity. You still keep the nice interior and space.

Not the problem in Oz.

[PhilipA]

Even the bloke from LRO who toured Australia in a D4 had the suspension let him down somewhere out back. The article was pretty recent and about the new Defender with him doubting the decision to only have coils available on 90 using his Australian experience as an example..

Almost every trip I went on with the Range Rover Club of NSW one or another variety of air suspended car had a problem.

One trip they had to abort part of it when an L322 went down and the only dealer with test equipment was in Adelaide and they were in AFAIR Broken Hill.

The last big trip I went on had a RR Sport with it at Geehi Walls and the suspension went down. Luckily by then the club had bought a Test Book and was able to find and ID the problem and fix it. It was a missing bolt holding the air pipe on the LH front airbag.

I wouldn't go outback with a L322 D3 D4 RRS without a diagnostic tool and maybe spare airbag, pump, and make sure the dessicant is clean, yada yada spend spend.

I bought my D2 because it had coil springs and again I met a bloke out side of Mildura with a D2 whose ACE pump had died and he was stopping every kilometer to refill with fluid. Not air suspension but similar unnecessary complexity for the bush.

Although it can happen I have never seen a Land Rover in the bush with a failed coil spring.

My experience is that I can easily keep up with a D3 on a twisty road. A D3 may be ultimately better when lower rounding curves but by then my arm is being squeezed and SWMBO feet are hitting brakes. If buying a D3 I would probably go for the S with coils and just fit a lift kit. After all you can usually only do 100Kmh in the bush. And of course you can then have 17 inch rims if it doesn't already have them. That is of course another thing. On that same trip to Geehi 2 cars lost 19 inch tyres on good dirt roads, one into the Geehi overflow reservoir and one on the Mt Pinnibar track.( probably not so good)

Regards PhilipA

[SeanC]

I may be lucky but haven’t had a problem touch wood. The air suspension is not a no maintenance system. I replace things before they fail and even before they they appeared on the way out. I’ve changed the compressor, the valve blocks and air springs. Checked the airlines and connections. Same with the alternator and upper water housing. They are all fully functional spares. If you are going remote it is just false economy trying to get your “money’s worth”. It doesn’t really cost you much more by bringing the spend forward by say six months.

[PerthDisco]

Problems are the rarity not the norm in my opinion.

Outside of this forum I’ve never heard in the real world anyone having suspension issues.

For what seems so complex is very bulletproof and easily diagnosed and worked on without a scanner.

Air Struts on D3 /D4 are seriously bullet proof capable of 250,000km

Compressors have known issues and service recommendations but go for a long time usually.

[INter674]

Suspension generally can be problematic on any vehicle..LRs are not special in that regard albeit failures may be more serious in that the vehicle may not be driveable.

On many trips I've seen trailing arms or panhards or bushes or shocks on Jap trucks fail. Same for steering components eg. Latest was a steering box on a Patrol. Diff may be that the Jap trucks almost always have upgraded componants which cost a lot but which are more durable...but trailing arm failures and panhard failures are a serious show stopper and are quite common unless upgraded. I've also seen upper ball joint failures on IFS trucks esp lifted units and yes seen broken springs too..tho rare.. but dislocated coils ... Yes a few.

Btw..daughters partner's brother has built a bullet proof GU..no expense spared on engine and suspension eg Fox shocks..upgrades arms etc etc plus strengthened chassis (cause they crack)..and braced diffs . Cause they bend..and the list goes on and on..plus new fantastic canopy...

What does it owe him....near 100k🤤

So air bag failures on my fantastic D4 SC that cost 38k is the least of my concerns.

And I 'd much rather the D4 than an ancient however nicely modified Patrol or Yota☺

[scarry]

Problems are the rarity not the norm in my opinion.

Outside of this forum I’ve never heard in the real world anyone having suspension issues.

For what seems so complex is very bulletproof and easily diagnosed and worked on without a scanner.

Air Struts on D3 /D4 are seriously bullet proof capable of 250,000km

Compressors have known issues and service recommendations but go for a long time usually.

Not from my experience.

It is often difficult to identify the exact issue with EAS,as the systems are complex.

Sure if an air leak can be found easily that is fine.If the air compresser is not going,easy fault as well.

Locating other faults such as corner valves leaking,etc, is often difficult.

A Gap tool or similar is needed for many of the repairs,particularly for checking gallery pressures,resetting height sensors,etc,etc.

My vehicle,as an example,8yrs old,85 000km,front corner valve failed about 4 yrs ago,a front strut leaked about 3 yrs ago,and two weeks ago,other front strut was leaking.

As my Indie tech said,they are now getting numerous early D4's starting to come in with EAS issues,and most D3/4 over 9 to 10yrs old have age cracks in the airbags,although they sometimes don't leak,but its a sure indication they are not going to last much longer.

The EAS is probably the most common issue on these vehicle.

Sure it is a great system,i wouldn't go back to coils.

And as for outback,remote area travel,we have done a lot,and never worried about the chance of the EAS faulting.
If the vehicle did fault and lower to the bump stops,a GAP tool can force the compresser to run,and get it back up,then pull the fuse for the EAS system so it will stay up.
Although i have never done this,apparently it isn't difficult.