Suspension Recommendations

[Rugrat]

Ok its time for the Puma to get a lift put in.
Due to the extra gear we have (winch, bar, Batteries, draws etc) she is no where near the original height, and seems to be a tad tired / sloppy in the handling.
So the question is what would you put in (yes its a never ending list) - do I go Long travel shocks? She is taken off road to some hard places and LTRs may be beneficial, do I stock her with Koni's and kings or Lovels and Bilsteins or do I use OEM H/Duty springs and procomp shocks?

Really what I'm after is personal experience in 110's, as the last car I updated was a Troll so weighed heaps more and had different requirements, before that the pwado was different again..

So what would you put in the Defender that has those extras, is a daily drive but still goes and plays in Walhalla and tours the centre towing a camper?


Cheers

[Lightweight]

In my previous 110, i put HD King Springs in the front and back, to cope with extra load. They where fantastic. I also put adjustable Rancho 9000, and had a fair bit of trouble....

The ride was vastly improved when towing, and with 500Kg in the back on trips. I really think that wheel travel was decreased with the Rancho's. Overall i would be keeping clear of the Rancho's again.

I did fell sometimes like throwing a few bags of cement in the back to soften it out a bit... Just keep that in mind if you go the HD in the back.

[Allan]

I did an OME 2 inch lift on my Puma when I had all the extras fitted and had all sorts of problems. The transmission sounded like a bag of spanners and it would howl like a wolf on coasting. I was advised to put it back to standard hight as ther's a propshaft issue when lifting this model LR. This fixed the problem. The only parts from the lift I kept were the shocks. Mine is a little low in the front now so I am thinking of fitting a set of 130 standard springs to rectify this. This was an expensive lesson.

Allan

[rainman]

Hi Rugrat. There is some really good info, before and after dimensions, pics, etc on this thread. This Puma has just about every accessory known to man on it and it goes into some really tricky spots with 31s on it. Simply just uprated springs with cones on the back - relatively inexpensive exercise with excellent results.

07 Defender 2" Lift with Cones!

[Chucaro]

Did you considered the Delphi De Carbon Shock Absorbers ?
I got a set from justinc and they are superb in my Defender.
The ones that I have are standard high
Cheers

[Rugrat]

Did you considered the Delphi De Carbon Shock Absorbers ?
I got a set from justinc and they are superb in my Defender.
The ones that I have are standard high
Cheers

No I havent considered them - but I am only just starting to look into it. I may even just keep it STD height but put in the H/Duty springs so as to return it to 'original' spec.

[wisey110]

I've been looking for a 2inch lift and i've asked alot of people, so far i've come up with kings springs, i can get them cheap and if you talk to the right person they are easy to get to how YOU want them (rate and length all that). Shocks on the other hand is anyones guess, some say toughdog some say OME and list goes on. My brother works for a suspension company and he said RAW shocks but then when talking to a work mate who had a defender said leave the springs go Bilstein shocks.... http://www.replacementshocks.com/ check this site out might help.

What sort of camper is that?? lookind at a hard top one for the family to go away with. Is it anygood??

[one_iota]

A slight diversion forgive me.

I visited that shock absorber site and wondered why a Land Rover search didn't reveal Defenders...then I realised that it is a US site. Not to be deterred I searched on and came across this:

Have your Land Rover shocks been acting funny ever since you walloped that kangaroo? No worries, mate. New Land Rover shocks are in stock and ready for immediate delivery! Every Land Rover shock absorber we sell is designed to meet the unique needs of Land Rover shocks. The Outback is waiting—make sure your Land Rover shocks are up to the challenge.

[Sith]

I have Kings springs in mine , they are crap , mainly due to wrong rates in the front and rear totally odd numbering . Having said that once sorted out and professional input not back yard idealists it should be spot on.
I also have Tuff Dog shocks they are crap .


I have just ordered my springs from a Landrover shop over here in WA , pricey but unreal quality . $500 all four with a 65 mm lift
Shocks , there really are only 2 worth considering ... KONI or BILSTIENS .

I got nothing but BAD things to say about Lovells , they have a good product but the service I recieved was absolute rubbish .


Most springs OME , TUFF DOG , ULTIMATE, and whatever are usually re painted KINGS or Dobinsons

[TwoUp]

As Sith said about manufacture, so do you really want the lift or better performance?

I remember putting in the nitro and OME and thinking that perhaps the lift was secondary to performance! I know I will get slammed for this but it is true.

Regards,
PeterW