Defender on Airbag Suspension

**Tusker** · 13th March 2007, 10:07 AM

Just following on from the daily driver thread, it transpires the AirbagMan kits are rear only. Coz of the front shock. But they've done a few Defenders.

The workaround is that they supply the Range Rover replacement bags for the front, & point you to the UK for a shock re-location kit. Which I've got now effectively in the MJ Lee twin setup.

The bags will cope with lifts & long travel shocks, and parking the car every day on near empty bags won't do any harm.

So far so good. My only concern is that some precision in the front end will be lost - the front shock then has to act through the radius arm bushes, instead of direct on the axle housing. The slotted bushes will have to go, from the front of the arms at least.

Koni adjustables are recommended, to finetune the ride & handling.

Better talk to an engineer too before getting carried away.

Regards
Max P

**Reads90** · 13th March 2007, 10:16 AM

Or find an LSE (Rangie Classic) that is breaking as they have twin shock mounting kits (as standard) on the front which will overcome your problem

mcrover · 13th March 2007, 03:02 PM

How hard would it be to covert it to a p38 system as they seem pretty good or is that what your talking about.

**Reads90** · 13th March 2007, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by mcrover

How hard would it be to covert it to a p38 system as they seem pretty good or is that what your talking about.

good and p38 in the same sentance, wow thats a first that i have ever seen

Don't know i have seen many a p38 on the tilt , ie down one side or up at the front , or back. They have a terrible name in the Uk for failing. Most of them now are on coils anyway becuase the ecu went and was far too much money to replace so just got a set of coils instead

**Tusker** · 13th March 2007, 03:24 PM

Similar system to the P38 & the EAS Rangies, but without complex sensors, microprocessers etc. Height control is just by conventional switches.

The P38 airbags used to be horrendous in price, but they've come way down. Compressors don't give much trouble, but I think a pair would be good insurance.

Leaks are the enemy of the factory setup, which overloads the compressor after a while. I can recall a speaker a couple of years ago at an LROC meeting selling his emergency kit. You'd come out in the morning, car's on the floor. There'd a minor leak somewhere - during the night the computer would sense the car wasn't level, & let air out of the other 3 corners. This cycle was endless, & hard to trace.

I can do without that.

Regards
Max P

**Bush65** · 13th March 2007, 07:13 PM

Here is what I have for the bushie.

The airbag allows spring rates/height to be changed on the fly. 130mm of height adjustment. I need to change to shorter top springs though.

**Tusker** · 14th March 2007, 07:10 AM

Originally Posted by Bush65

Here is what I have for the bushie.

The airbag allows spring rates/height to be changed on the fly. 130mm of height adjustment. I need to change to shorter top springs though.

Where did you source it from? Any more details?

Regards
Max P

**p38arover** · 14th March 2007, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by Reads90

i have seen many a p38 on the tilt , ie down one side or up at the front , or back. They have a terrible name in the Uk for failing. Most of them now are on coils anyway becuase the ecu went and was far too much money to replace so just got a set of coils instead

I haven't yet seen one on coils. I've heard of a couple of blokes in the USA who have done it.

Ron

**Reads90** · 14th March 2007, 08:22 AM

Originally Posted by p38arover

I haven't yet seen one on coils. I've heard of a couple of blokes in the USA who have done it.

Ron

Yeah loads in the Uk have done it
Here is where you can buy the kit
http://www.brookwell.co.uk/acatalog/...ersionkit.html

and a bit about doing it
http://www.discoweb.org/p38coil/

mcrover · 14th March 2007, 12:27 PM

We had a P38 out on the farm on the weekend and I was impressed at where it went, it raised as high as my disco with the 50mm lift and drove up some hills which my other mates Pootrol with MTR's and LSD in the back was having trouble with and the rangie was on those michy blocky road tyre things.
The only trouble he had was when doing a Low range drag race on the air strip the fuel pump kept cutting out and only let him do 65km/h.
I had an idea that the bags could be a problem but Howie recons they are worth $133 each now and is changing his as a matter of course as he doesnt want to have to do it on the side of the road.
He's keeping his old ones as spares but he only uses it for towing his boat so I dont see him having too much problems.

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