MaxDef Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I'm planning to change the suspension on my 200Tdi from 1990 and i'm looking for some advice on what (or Not) to buy. Currently there are original LR heavy duty springs installed (which give it a slight lift), but last spring I've installed a (heavy) wooden drawer system. When I'm in the rough I experience often that my wheels are touching the inner arches. (with the weight of the drawer and my equipment, the car sits a few centimeters lower at the back) the configuration I was going for is the following (kept in mind that the def is no daily driver - I drive about 3000 to 5000 km/year) 1 x Terra-Firma Brake Hose Kit +50mm 2 x Terra-Firma Gas shock +2" Front 2 x Terra-Firma Gas shock +2" Rear 1 x Britpart +2" Springs HD Front 1 x Britpart +2" Springs HD Rear (200kg load) 4 x Extended bump stops 1 x Dislocation cones rear Terra Firma would this be any good for me ? or does anyone have another idea on how to solve this. Are there any parts I don't need, or things i've forgotten ? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Delete the britpart bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I had this similar debate not long ago, I just put in 2" spacer (a fancy gwyn lewis set - very nice) so empty she looks like a something out of moster trucks are us, but with a bit of weight in the back she drops to just right about 20mm lift on the back over what it was before - 20mm, feels a lot more posetive to drive and lacks the saggyness... something to bear in mind is watching your prop angles though...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sirocco Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 What size rubber are you running? If you dont need the lift I would stick with new HD original springs. If you do need the lift then I would highly recommend Terrafirma springs (medium weight should do you) but not the shocks. I found the shocks did not 'damp' at all and my truck was bouncy. OK, it is a very heavy one too. I did have a very early set though so things may have improved. currently running OME N44 shocks on the rear and they have improved things no end. HTH G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landy V8 Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 have a word with "Gwyn Lewis" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 What size rubber are you running? If you dont need the lift I would stick with new HD original springs. If you do need the lift then I would highly recommend Terrafirma springs (medium weight should do you) but not the shocks. I found the shocks did not 'damp' at all and my truck was bouncy. OK, it is a very heavy one too. I did have a very early set though so things may have improved. currently running OME N44 shocks on the rear and they have improved things no end. HTH G I've got this setup http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=71718&hl=&fromsearch=1 and 265x75xR16's AT2's on at the moment. I've got Terrafirma Big bores on just now and I think they're great. (touch wood) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialbikejames Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 If you can strech then Old Man Emu springs and shocks are heard to beat. My current front dampners are 4 years old and as good as the day I bought them. As Griff has already said, if you dont want big tyres and you can live without the image then good quality standard height stuff is hard to beat. A standard height 110 or 90 will happily run 265/75 MT's and even with the anti roll bars will drive pretty much any greenlane in the country. Just spend as much as you can, remember that suspension is probably the biggest factor in handling on and off road (after tyres) so it's worth investing. Any crappy +2'' stuff will give the image but not the preformance. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Any crappy +2'' stuff will give the image but not the preformance. Steady - it is a fine line which I'm trying to work out myself. - In my mind landrover did certain things for some good reasons, so sticking to "factory" type set-ups you can't go wrong... but on the flip side these can also be far from perfect depending on the application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialbikejames Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I wasn't sniping at your kit list, seems reasonable. I would drop the extended bump stops, I dont rag it around at challenge type events but in 4 years of green laning I've never had my axle over extend and damage my shocks (that's using +2'' shocks). Extended hoses are fairly essential and rear dislocation cones are a good buy for peace of mind, although if you have a hi-lift re-seating a spring isn't that hard out on the trails. I do run a +2'' OME lift, 265/75 BF MT's and have removed my anti-roll bars, but if I did it all over again I may not bother. You loose road performance and has it ever made a difference off road? Hard to quantify but the standard trucks I lane with seem fine and we drive all sorts of stuff. Maybe price up Terrafirma springs and OME shocks? That could be a good compromise. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frax Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I have 2"+ Terrafirma springs and shocks with dislocation cones - cranked trailing arms and camber correction bushes on the front, Terrafirma steering damper and Goodrich extended brake hoses but sadly cant let you know just yet how they perform as still rebuilding - hope to be on the road very soon though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxDef Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 I'm running at the moment BFG's MT 255-85-16, and i'm not gonna change them for a while... As I read the replies, it's probably more worth investing in a good quality standard HD set of springs and shocks. As for off-roading i'm not doing any extreme things, just a regular roadbook and some greenlaning. I'm gonna spend the money anyway, so it might be better to invest in quality parts as Jim says, than in some lift kit that doesn't do the job. Thank you all for your replies ! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Given that the stated problem in the original post is that the tyres touch the arches, there are three solutions: - Change the wheels/tyres (size or offset) - Trim the bodywork - Extend the bump-stops If the car is sitting a bit lower because of the weight in the back then use Trev's Spring Calculator to work out the correct rate of springs to buy to make your car sit level. Any other mods (lift, flex, dislocation) will should not in themselves change the fact that, at full travel, the axle can come up too far for the size of tyre you have fitted, or that you have more weight in the back than standard. The fact that a lot of lift kits do so at the expense of travel & hardness is not a good reason to fit one, lift for lift's sake is pointless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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