Logic Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Hi Folks Due to leaks, and general poor condition of my air bags I'm probably going to buy Arnott Gen 3 replacements. I won't likely require the extra articulation they may give, but I do like the idea of a better ride on road. What I'd like to know before ordering though is whether anyone knows if these are a straight swap, or if any modifications are required to fit them? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 They are a straight swap, I've done it. Buy new clips for the front springs (3 per spring) and new pins for the rear springs (1 per spring). Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q-rover Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Mine has them fitted as well, like david says buy the fitting clips and pins as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted January 27, 2010 Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Thanks for that. I've now ordered them so will look forward to giving the changeout a go. On thinking about suspension, my P38 has done 122000 miles and shocks are recommended to be changed out before 50000 miles. I know the front shocks are likely to have been changed at some point (they are yellow) but the rears look like they may be the originals. If I were to consider changing them (in a month or two) are genuine LR shocks as good as any, or does anyone have any recommendations based on real improvements over genuine LR? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 My bottom line is that as you are not going for a lift, genuine LR shocks, in an LR box from an LR Dealer, are the best you will get. I changed the shock absorbers several years before changing the springs. On the basis of 'they must be better' I fitted Bilsteins, only to change them within the month for LR standard. The ride was still horrible, so I changed the 18" wheels for 16" and found the combination the car had been designed for. Since then I've always kept the 16" wheels. Several years on, and after changing the springs, I changed the shock absorbers again, refitting the Bilsteins, because they were there, so it cost me nothing to experiment, and have found the 16" tyres soften the edge sufficiently to make the ride acceptable. But my advice to anyone else is as I've stated - stick to the standard ones for the best ride / handing compromise. If your car came with them, by now you will know if you can live with the 18" wheel / tyre arrangement. If you can, that's great for you, but if the ride seems harsh look for some 16" wheels & tyres. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted January 27, 2010 Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 Just yesterday I fitted L322 18" wheels as they had good tyres (looks good too) and the tyres my 16" wheels came with kept going soft/had little tread (I previously had the 18" ones on my defender so had the spigot adaptor already). I hadn't really thought of the handling change, so I'll see how things go once I change the shocks - and like you say, since I'm not going for a lift I'll go standard LR. How did you find the 18" wheels affected the ride (I've only done 4 miles since changing)? Was it harsher? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted January 27, 2010 Share Posted January 27, 2010 Handling, in terms of precision, being able to position the car accurately at high cornering speeds, and having the tyre grip to give those speeds, then the 18" combo is better. It's the ride quality that is killed by the low profile tyres. Yes, the ride is a lot harsher, with bumps and crashes coming straight through. Not a problem on smooth motorways, but horrible on North Derbyshire A and B roads, where often, if the off-side wheel is the correct side of the white line the near-side wheel is within 12" of the grass, which is where the tarmac is bumpiest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 out of interest what does a full set of gen 3's cost at a good price? I see some sites still offering gen 2's are they any worse? or cheaper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sparkes Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 out of interest what does a full set of gen 3's cost at a good price? I see some sites still offering gen 2's are they any worse? or cheaper? To answer that fully means more keystrokes than I'm prepared to use :-) Seriously, you would be better off going to the Rover Renovations site and reading the detail there. Note that you can change the currency on his site to show GBP, so you can more easily compare prices with any other sources you may find. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotor Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 My bottom line is that as you are not going for a lift, genuine LR shocks, in an LR box from an LR Dealer, are the best you will get. I changed the shock absorbers several years before changing the springs. On the basis of 'they must be better' I fitted Bilsteins, only to change them within the month for LR standard. The ride was still horrible, so I changed the 18" wheels for 16" and found the combination the car had been designed for. Since then I've always kept the 16" wheels. Several years on, and after changing the springs, I changed the shock absorbers again, refitting the Bilsteins, because they were there, so it cost me nothing to experiment, and have found the 16" tyres soften the edge sufficiently to make the ride acceptable. But my advice to anyone else is as I've stated - stick to the standard ones for the best ride / handing compromise. If your car came with them, by now you will know if you can live with the 18" wheel / tyre arrangement. If you can, that's great for you, but if the ride seems harsh look for some 16" wheels & tyres. HTH Not true ,Gen LR shox are appalling quality ,other brands offer original, softer and harsher rides depending on your requirements ,Koni and KYB are a very good replacement for original damping, Bilstiens are slightly harder but will improve high speed handling Monroe are junk as are Allmakes,Boge tend to be a reasonable budget shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vougese39 Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 buy the spring direct from arnott or p38a spares here on ebay uk. i have the gen2 fitted to my classic with 18" rims the ride is firmer but excellent handeling blows my mates l322 in the bends me personaly for the cost gen 2 over gen3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share Posted February 8, 2010 p38spares.co.uk is where I've bought mine from, although I'm still waiting for them to arrive (their eBay shop wasn't listing the Gen3's at the time). I also bought new clips as I know from experience that I always lose or break these type of things. The Gen3's are certainly considerably more expensive than the Gen2's, but it was the advertised improved ride at highway height that I'm hoping for. I didn't want to spend money buying Gen2's, then spend the rest of my time wishing/wondering if I should have spent a bit more on the Gen3's! We spend our money and take a chance............ For the shocks, it's interesting to hear a different viewpoint. The one thing I have heard before is that aftermarket shocks often can have a poor lifespan compared to genuine - anybody able to comment from experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Well the Gen3's have arrived - but not without some hassle! Anyway, I now have the springs and intend to fit them this weekend. I'm hoping that I notice some sort of difference in the ride quality, but the main thing will be reliable 'stay up' suspension - here's hoping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 My experience of 18" versus 16" wheels is much the same as David's. I bought my P38 with 18" L322 alloys and road tyres - grip and handling were excellent, despite the tyres being on their last legs, and they did look very nice, but the ride was on the harsh side. I could have lived with it, but I also bought a set of 16" alloys and had my BFG ATs put on them, so when the tread got too low on the 18" tyres I swopped them over. The 18" wheels are still in the garage with bald tyres on them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logic Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 I've fitted the rear springs now which was fairly easy - just removed wheels for better access. The one thing I forgot was to release the air from the spring BEFORE releasing the bottom from the axle which sent it flying while making a noise like a shotgun going off! I'm surprised I managed to do it while still pressurised, but one learns from his mistakes. I was intending to do the fronts aswell but having a quick glance over it looked like there may have been a bit more to it, and as I had other small jobs to do (spark plugs, straighten bumper etc.) I decided to leave them. I've now looked at microcat which shows the pins in the bottom with a bolt - is this bolt located at the front of the spring? I guess now I know there's a pin there that I may find it easy enough, but if someone could tell me where, then it could save me some hunting. Also, are there any problem area's and quick fixes when changing the fronts, as it looks a bit trickier than the rears. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sussex-landy Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Logic - I am planning the same change and wondered if you had finished the job and if the ride was much better. I think mine would benefit massively from an air spring change. robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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