aevans692 Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 Hi all im looking for some advice with springs / shocks for my defender 110 td5 Im looking to swap these out as they had an advisory on them with the mot , and they are looking pretty rusty .. the current springs are hard to see what they were as most of the paint has gone , tho on the front of the front springs I could see yellow , thought they might have been HD but the bk of the spring seems to be black .. so im guessing they are standard . what Id like help with , is should I replace them with standard duty springs , medium duty , heavy duty ? or a combination , I have been advised from different shops , people all different stuff .. I understand that one spring isn't going to do everything but im looking for some middle ground .. My defender is a 110 , has full checker plate , hd steering guard , hd steering rods , fitted with a steel basket type roof rack 3/4 size , im going to be using it for some mountaineering trips away , so will be carrying camping gear, tents etc , sleeping bags, climbing equipment , maybe the odd snowboard ... the family , wife , daughter, two boys (20 ,11, 6 years old) and just the normal stuff for these type of trips ... Im not towing anything , and I dont have a winch , im not really planning on any heavy off road , but am expecting snow, heavy at times.. Im guessing that normal standard springs , with a good shock would be ok ? , or should I be looking a HD springs .. What are good makes , and what to stay away from .. cheers all , any advice be appreciated i have attached some pics of the front shocks taken from the back and front , the yellow seems to only be on the front , the rear springs are black .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR-HIPPO Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 (edited) Welcome to the forums. I may be wrong, there are certainly many more knowledgeable people than myself here. That looks like two yellow stripes to me. According to THIS CHART that would make them NRC8045, standard duty 110 front springs. Hope this helps, Hippo. Edited May 7, 2019 by MR-HIPPO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aevans692 Posted May 7, 2019 Author Share Posted May 7, 2019 I thought as much .. what should I be replacing them with .. ? And was wondering what is a good shock ... cheers .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 You won’t go far wrong with bog standard Land Rover springs and shocks. Not too expensive (when you consider how long they last) and will do the job. Ideal for your usage as well. To be honest a clean up with a wire brush and some paint would probably have them looking fine as I doubt they’ve actually sagged at all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 I have bilstein b6 and konis on different vehicles, I like them both. A lot like Old Man Emu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aevans692 Posted May 7, 2019 Author Share Posted May 7, 2019 I thought that blistein made for a hard ride , more so than ome ? One shop said not to go for ome , as they are so hard , and mainly for heavy laid motors .. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dailysleaze Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 I'd say standard springs. HD springs aren't very comfy unless you've got LOTS of weight on them 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 I've got standard lr springs on the ibex with pro comp shocks. The 110 had standard springs and shocks until I fitted the winch now it has hd front springs. Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 I look after 5 Mountain rescue Trucks which all have standard 110 suspension fitted and they are used in various configurations on and offroad - as per your comment about wanting something for everything, that what Land Rover I'd guess fitted the trucks out to do, having experience with the standard set-up I think the vehicles all work really well. If you search ebay for land rover "take off" parts you might find a "used but new" set of springs for not a lot of money. Mav 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 I would echo a few comments above. I have a completely standard genuine LR setup on my 110 (springs, shocks and bushes) and it rides perfectly. Its one thing i think LR got completely right and I have no desire to try HD this or Xtreme that..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 If in doubt, nip to the local weighbridge and weigh the front & back axles, then you can use science rather than guesswork 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aevans692 Posted May 8, 2019 Author Share Posted May 8, 2019 cheers guys , much appreciated .. Im going to go for the standard springs .. there are lots of makes , I was thinking some britpart ones from paddock , fitted with a set of super gas shocks .. they seem cheap enough , and if any of them fail they have 2 years warrantee .. any thoughts on these springs or shocks .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 Genuine Land Rover only for me I am afraid. I wouldnt touch Britpart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 Nooooooooooooooooooo not the britpart stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aevans692 Posted May 8, 2019 Author Share Posted May 8, 2019 oh , is brit part stuff that bad ?... after looking at some of the reviews I thought they seemed ok ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aevans692 Posted May 8, 2019 Author Share Posted May 8, 2019 just having a look , seems like genuine land rover springs are expensive , I could buy a set of ome or alike .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 If your going standard do yourself a favour and get some take off's from eBay etc. I would check they came off the same model ie station wagon, pick up etc. The fronts are normally handed. I'd even consider new take off shocks. Gen land rover will last year's. S#@tpart have a very bad reputation and many wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. To be honest they would probably fail the day the warranty expired. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Keep an eye on Defender2.net as well - they're always changing springs over there (usually lowering them) so quite often springs come up for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 13 hours ago, aevans692 said: just having a look , seems like genuine land rover springs are expensive , I could buy a set of ome or alike .. https://www.lrworkshop.com/parts/NRC8045 £15 for a large coil spring is insanity and I don't know how anyone thinks they can make anything for that money and still turn a profit - that spring had to have been made for about a fiver to be sold to you for £15 On the other end, £75 for a brand new genuine spring that's made to last 100,000+ miles is not that expensive, it's similar money to a half decent spring for almost any car. It just looks expensive next to the utter tat that's for sale at the low end. Cheap springs & shocks will just make your truck ride & handle horribly. If the exercise is just to pass an MOT, then fit the £15 ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Have you checked your ride height? Those springs look fine to me, just need a scrub with a wire brush and some paint - they don't seem to be sagging. As others have said, if you can get genuine take-off springs they are much better than britpart, terrafirma etc. Old man emu are very good but unless you need to go for a higher spring rate (standard will easily cope with what you want), I've found no difference in longevity or performance over genuine. Genuine shocks are also very good, not had any problems with the cheaper Armstrongs either. Gas shocks are a bit of a waste of money unless you're really pushing the car hard. I do like the Britpart cellular dynamic - very good for the price, seem to last well. I just paint them black so nobody knows I've got them on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Keith Gott often seems to have genuine take offs at reasonable prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 16 minutes ago, reb78 said: Keith Gott often seems to have genuine take offs at reasonable prices. And Richard, their parts guy, used to be a suspension setter upper in a previous job so knows his stuff more than most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aevans692 Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 I don’t know Keith and Richard 🤷🏻♂️ Still pondering over this , I did call a couple of shops to try and gauge things a bit better , tho the places I called recommended britparts springs .. and Terrafirma shocks what was said , was unless I was driving over Africa britpart springs would be fine , two places said much the same .. I’m sure the genuine Land Rover springs would be best , but I’d rather pay britpart prices lol .. I did think that there so cheap it wouldn’t be too much of an issue to change them if they failed ? And have two years warranty... has anyone had a spring fail , or sag from the off ? Has anyone had much experience with the springs ? Id rather not buy secondhand ones if I can help it , will have a clean up on mine , and see if I can measure the sag .. but mine do look pretty bad .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Some britpart stuff is fine - but it's literally a lottery from part to part, box to box, and the cost of doing the job twice often far outweighs the saving in parts. Also, some of the best money I ever spent was on (relatively) expensive Bilstein shocks. If you call gotts parts dept. and ask for advice on springs they'll usually be happy to chat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aevans692 Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 I will 👍🏽 Gotts ? Will have a google Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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