Thread: LRA springs in front of TDI D1

Originally Posted by 100I

Anyone running LRA 180lb (pink/red/orange) in the front of their TDI with a steel bar?

Ok, the story; so I finally found the time to drag my lazy butt and both cars into work yesterday to swap the suspenders and soften up this TDI.
I got the back swapped over but not the front yet.
The LRA rears are 220lbs & 16mm wire, the LRA fronts are 180lbs & 15mm wire.
The Lovells removed from the rear were 17mm wire, the Lovells front are also 17mm wire.
The coil count is the same and free length of the rears was same. The front free length I'm not sure of yet.
I took it out to check it's balance this afternoon and found the lovells left in the front are binding, and not just slightly, I'm talking a good 1.5" from the stop (it does have a rubber coil spacer fitted but it is not thick enough to account for this huge gap).

The LRAs in the V8 were absolutely perfect for me BUT the TDI weighs in at 70kg more.
I am concerned that I will swap them (a beast of a job) and find they are too soft afterall. As I remember the V8 is about 130-odd lbs standard, I don't know what a TDI is stock.

Anyone been there done that?

I've run the straight Pink LRA coils before in a D1/ D2 with Winch and bar, worked out fine. This was for standard height though. If you are looking for a bit of a lift, Purple orange LRA,220Psi 17.80" free length and orange LRA 180Psi and

Put them in and find out, its not a hard job

Originally Posted by 100I

Anyone running LRA 180lb (pink/red/orange) in the front of their TDI with a steel bar?

Ok, the story; so I finally found the time to drag my lazy butt and both cars into work yesterday to swap the suspenders and soften up this TDI.
I got the back swapped over but not the front yet.
The LRA rears are 220lbs & 16mm wire, the LRA fronts are 180lbs & 15mm wire.
The Lovells removed from the rear were 17mm wire, the Lovells front are also 17mm wire.
The coil count is the same and free length of the rears was same. The front free length I'm not sure of yet.
I took it out to check it's balance this afternoon and found the lovells left in the front are binding, and not just slightly, I'm talking a good 1.5" from the stop (it does have a rubber coil spacer fitted but it is not thick enough to account for this huge gap).

The LRAs in the V8 were absolutely perfect for me BUT the TDI weighs in at 70kg more.
I am concerned that I will swap them (a beast of a job) and find they are too soft afterall. As I remember the V8 is about 130-odd lbs standard, I don't know what a TDI is stock.

Anyone been there done that?

I've run the straight Pink LRA coils before in a D1/ D2 with Winch and bar, worked out fine. This was for standard height though. If you are looking for a bit of a lift, Purple orange LRA,220Psi 18.0" free length rears and Red LRA 180Psi and 16.5" are the go if you aren't running a winch. (Orange, 17.2" if you are)
I currently have 270Psi LRA Green/White (17.8") rears and Orange fronts, with an Isuzu 4BD1 and steel bar. When the winch goes on, I'll be upping the fronts to purple/orange, 18.0" and 220psi.

Hope I haven't confused the issue with the verbal diahorrea about my RR!


JC

Originally Posted by rovercare

Put them in and find out, its not a hard job

The rear end's easy fronts are tight with long springs and shocks are fiddly, and I'm doing the job twice over (both cars), and if they're too soft I'll do it 4 times over.

Yeh I'm just having a whinge.

Originally Posted by 100I

The rear end's easy fronts are tight with long springs and shocks are fiddly, and I'm doing the job twice over (both cars), and if they're too soft I'll do it 4 times over.

Yeh I'm just having a whinge.

Yea I got an idea in how to do them

You don't need to refit them to the V8 just sit it on the bumpstops for the interim till you decide, its the only way to know for sure, the wire thickness, free lenght, tide levels in china makes no difference to what'll happen in the flesh

Thanks JC,
I'll have to check the colour, I thought mine were only pinks but it did sit high in the front so maybe not.
It settles about 1/2" with my 95k on the 'bar so that might be some indication but crossed on 2 axles it might be different story, and long term whether it will get the sags. I like it about 2" or touch better.
The bloke that came along today had a stocker & got hung in some mudholes that I had no real trouble with, but he only had to be straight pulled, not so the cruiser that I snatched out, poor bugger had been hand winching his way out of the slop for 2hrs. Sorry no one took pics.

Originally Posted by rovercare

Yea I got an idea in how to do them

You don't need to refit them to the V8 just sit it on the bumpstops for the interim till you decide, its the only way to know for sure, the wire thickness, free lenght, tide levels in china makes no difference to what'll happen in the flesh

Yeh it's all relative and all speculative, what I like others would find too soft and wallowy (is that a word?). I know I know I'm just going to have to try it, I just wanted to see if anyone could categorically say they are too soft don't bother, or don't do it or you shall surely die.

I can't leave it on the stops either, there's no room for it to sit in the driveway (why I took it to work).

Well blow me down, they are only 160lbs! I must have changed my mind at the last minute and erred on softer again. CRAFT.
Anyway the deed is done and they are spot on. It now rides thru washouts and ruts instead of trying to leap back out of them and richochet off everything it hits. Still lots of travel left even keeled over and hitting a washout on the loaded side. And when it does run out (when pushed) I can feel the rubber just touch, not that sickening metal to metal.
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The trans brake won't hold it with the wheels off the ground and I couldn't find one deep enough on level ground to push the front right up but about the same bump clearance yesterday had the Lovells almost fully compressed and the front of the car was following the angle of the terrain, now it sits level and just walks thru nicely balanced.

So there ya go, thats greens in the front and purple in the back.

Here's my next challenge tho,
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these are only 225/75 HT that were on it and they rub, I want to go 235/85 or 245/75 so... camel