90 Hard Top Rear Suspension

I know 100s of people have probably asked this, but I am now lost.

I want to replace my rear suspension on my 300TDI 90 Hard Top. (After my britpart shock snapped). I want to avoid them.
I want to go with something a little more comfy, so that I don't feel every bump in the road.
I have looked and I think I want to fit RKB101111 to the rear but it comes up saying its for 110SW, so can I fit them to my 90? And in terms of shock absorbers, if I understand correctly I can pretty much fit anything and it doesn't make much of a difference to the feel when driving?

Thanks all

JackU said:

I know 100s of people have probably asked this, but I am now lost.

I want to replace my rear suspension on my 300TDI 90 Hard Top. (After my britpart shock snapped). I want to avoid them.
I want to go with something a little more comfy, so that I don't feel every bump in the road.
I have looked and I think I want to fit RKB101111 to the rear but it comes up saying its for 110SW, so can I fit them to my 90? And in terms of shock absorbers, if I understand correctly I can pretty much fit anything and it doesn't make much of a difference to the feel when driving?

Thanks all

Click to expand...

I don't think they will, I'll try and find a table containing all your spring options, stand by...

See here

http://www.bilashakaflowers.com/LandroverSprings.htm

Don’t fit springs for a 110 to a 90, unless it’s weighted down substantially (similar to the weight of a 110).

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't 110 rear springs larger diameter than 90?

Litch said:

Correct me if I am wrong but aren't 110 rear springs larger diameter than 90?

Click to expand...

They are.

When it comes to suspension if you ask 100 different people you will get 100 different replies as what suits one user does not suit another.
It all depends on the type of vehicle (my 90 soft-top for instance has a lot less weight over the rear axle than a 90 station wagon fitted with glass & rear seats) plus how much you load it up, whether you want a soft ride and are happy for it to lean on corners or want it firm so it sits level when cornering etc etc?
As a general rule soft springs make a comfortable ride while firm (gas) shocks will help with the cornering. If however you have it fairly well loaded all of the time then you probably want a HD spring to stop it sitting too low at the rear.

Don't belittle BP springs as actually they are very good while being very reasonably priced. Any make of spring on any vehicle can snap in time (been there, done that) but I have never personally come across a failure from a BP item. Likewise shocks, have seen failures across many makes (usually the mounting eye) but not personally seen it on one of theirs.
I have been running BP std front springs NRC 9446 & NRC 9447 on my 90 for many years now, they haven't sagged and when given a clean the paint finish is still as good as the day I fitted them. Swopped over to BP RKB101230 & RKB101240 rears earlier this year and they have been fine. They are softer than the Bearmach BA2103 HD rears they replaced (they really were a HD with no give until heavily loaded and also they rusted easily) whereas the BP items give a better ride but being progressive take additional loads with minimal drop in ride-height.
As for shocks I had no complaints with my Delphi DeCarbon gas shocks, they went for years and were still good when I sold them on. 8-Years ago I fitted Koni Heavy Track gas shocks and they are ok, I played with the adjustment this year (when I fitted the softer rear springs) deciding to stiffen them up to counter the softer springs at it seems to work really well. The only downside of the Koni units is that the plastic mudshield rubs on the main body rubbing the paint off so if you don't keep on top of it corrosion can set in and eat through the casing. I have saved mine but it is a bit of a pain, of course there is nothing stopping you removing the mudshield completely but would corrosion of the (now exposed) damper rod & seal result????

I would also agree with the above about not discounting britpart. I had britparts shocks all round and they lasted me several years and a trip through the Moroccan dessert with no issues. For the price I would not fault them, and they were only replaced as I was going back to morocco and replaced all of the suspension items. For my recommendation I would be looking at the complete OEM setup, which is what i fitted when i renewed mine. It is the best all around setup as that is what land rover designed it to be. As already mentioned any improvement in one area will cause a detrimental effect in another.

l fitted Puma springs to my 110 (you can buy them new "take off" for about £100 a set)

l also fitted Terrafirma adjustable dampers (around £80 each) and set them to the softest setting.

With these springs and dampers my 110 rides noticeably better over bad roads.

At higher speed the handling could be better but adjusting the dampers cures that, although it means going under the Land Rover to turn the 4 adjusters.

lightning said:

l fitted Puma springs to my 110 (you can buy them new "take off" for about £100 a set)

l also fitted Terrafirma adjustable dampers (around £80 each) and set them to the softest setting.

With these springs and dampers my 110 rides noticeably better over bad roads.

At higher speed the handling could be better but adjusting the dampers cures that, although it means going under the Land Rover to turn the 4 adjusters.

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Had the +5" Adjustables Terrafirmas on my 90, they failed within 1500 Miles. I put a thread up about it.

IMHO ,Absolute rubbish. The OME shocks are so much better. But basically twice the price.

Cheers

Not my experience at all, these have been on the Defender for over 50,000 miles and still working fine.
The only thing l've replaced is the upper and lower rear bushes.

lightning said:

Not my experience at all, these have been on the Defender for over 50,000 miles and still working fine.
The only thing l've replaced is the upper and lower rear bushes.

Click to expand...

This is my finding.
Maybe I had a dodgy batch.



Cheers

That's a pretty poor show, all four are faulty.

Perhaps they fail more in more extreme off road use, mine's only been used on road

I replaced all the springs on my D1 with BP OEM springs after 110K on the originals. They have been great, apart from the paint, which appeared to fall off within seconds . Ho hum, Bilt Hamber UB wax has stopped them getting worse..

The Terrafirma dampers I fitted at the same time are rubbish IMHO - one recently snapped ! I've replaced all four with BP super gaz .... reason being that SWMBO's D1 has them on, and they give a nice stable ride, predictable at the limit of traction too... IMO, they are actually better than the LR originals...

l wanted dampers with a softer setting than standard, the Terrafirma 4-way adjustable dampers were the only ones l could find.

Also my suspension is standard, most aftermarket dampers are designed for lift kits and "uprated"
suspension.

lf anybody can recommend a different make of adjustable dampers l would be happy to try them. The only ones l could find were remote adjustable ones at over £1,000

TF dampers on my 90, rears have non std top mounts that sit further forward Iirc, been on there for approx 8 plus years, i did change the fronts years ago for some reason that I now cannot remember! think it has britpart springs.