Do I need dislocation cones?

After reading a thread on here showing the issues of when a spring dislocates it's got me thinking...

My truck was standard apart from a 2 inch lift when I got it. Now along with other bolt ons and bigger tyres I'm wondering how likely it is for a spring to drop? It's a 300tdi Commercial.

I plan to fit cones when I add more to the lift but as that won't be for a while how much of a rush should I be in to fit cones?

Yes. Get some fitted. Its when it articulates it has no way of lining back up with the spring seat so sits outside the cup and can be bit restricted on a lane. So for sake of 20 odd quid it saves time and effort and minites to fit. Get the top one not the bolt on axle type

I have seen the tube type and the triangle type. Which is which?

Ive got the tube type that bolt to the spring cup on chassis.

Having looked around I've found a set of the hook type which I like the look of.

Also I have +2 springs and thinking of adding +2 spacers for more of a lift. Are spring spacers and cones compatible?

Yes because the cone go on top and spacers go at the bottom. A lift of 4 inch would beed extended brake lines.

Yeah definitely put extended brake lines on at the same time. Can only find +2 so will keep looking for +4. Will it cause issues with prop etc with +4 lift. Sorry all my other landys were also road cars so kept timid. This is this first time iv had one just for a toy

Find somewhere that make them to your spec and get as long as u want

melon said:

After reading a thread on here showing the issues of when a spring dislocates it's got me thinking...

My truck was standard apart from a 2 inch lift when I got it. Now along with other bolt ons and bigger tyres I'm wondering how likely it is for a spring to drop? It's a 300tdi Commercial.

I plan to fit cones when I add more to the lift but as that won't be for a while how much of a rush should I be in to fit cones?

Click to expand...

I think what is happening here, is a complete lack of understanding of how suspension works. Not just you, but the advice given thus far.


1. Lift won't make the springs dislocate.
2. While possible, it is rare for 100% stock suspension to dislocate, but a cable tie used to secure the top of the spring to the upper seat perch is sufficient.

3. You say something worrying "when I add more to the lift"

Q: Why do you want to add more lift? What are you trying to achieve? Lifting a vehicle is perfectly fine - for the right reasons. But there is no need to lift a Discovery at all to make them work well off road.

4. Suspension is a complete system of many components. It is not just springs. Getting the right match of components for your intended use is critical to get something that will work well. This can be expensive, but doesn't have to be.

5. So, some questions worth considering.

-What do you plan to use the vehicle for?
-What do you want to achieve with the suspension?


Chances are, simply adding 2" lift springs will likely have resulted in a worse ride, worse on road handling and more chance of becoming cross axle'd off road. Ultimately making it a less effective off road vehicle.


I'm certainly not against modding a vehicle. But there is a saying "all the gear and no idea".

And simply throwing mismatched parts at a vehicle, without an understanding of what they do and what they will affect, will only result in a poor package overall.

haigy said:

Yes because the cone go on top and spacers go at the bottom. A lift of 4 inch would beed extended brake lines.

Click to expand...

Sorry, but this isn't exactly true or accurate. The amount of travel you have on the rear suspension is limited by the shock. When the axle moves up it'll hit the bump stops, which is then the shock is fully compressed. When the axle moves down, it will not move further down than the full length of the extended shock. No matter what you do with springs or spacers.

The stock brake lines can usually cater perfectly well for this standard level of travel. The time when you need extended brake lines is when you make the axle drop further. This is done most easily by either longer shocks or a different shock mount, i.e. a shock mount dropper. As in both cases it allows the axle to move further away from the chassis, hence the need for longer brake lines.

To be fair for the cost of the extended brakelines id personally change them rather than have 1 split whilst out. But each to there own

I agree. And I'm certainly not saying don't get them. But it's good to understand "why" you need them.

Op - give Llama4x4 a call or email. Very good extended brake lines for a good price.

I have +2 springs and shocks. But due to how deep the ruts are at my local p&p site I want spaceers to go for even bigger tyres for more clearance in these ruts. As it is only a toy and not my daily I understand the on road handling will be worse.

Right. You didn't say shocks before hand...

How big a tyre do you want to go for? With body trimming you can fit 33" tyres on there. I know cause I've done it. And that was with 100% standard height suspension.

Lifting it more will require more work to retain the travel, may cause prop binding issues and could make it less stable.

If you plan on bigger then 33" then you'll be needing to invest in some different gearing, as the stock gearing will be too tall, even for off road. And you'll be at high risk of grenading your axles too.


BTW - if you enjoy off roading, have you considered having a go at trialling? Such as an RTV trial? Rather than the Prick & Prats sites.

I am aware of the idea of 'all the gear no idea' but we all had to start somewhere. I do plan on getting involved with my local club but I am lucky to have 2 p&p sites within 20 minutes of where I live to get more experience. I have found landyzone and its members to be very helpful and give me the confidence to do a lot of the jobs myself....even if having to ask advice first.

You don't have to buy some cones. If your spring does dislocate your other option is to run spring retainers. This will mean that they cannot dislocate. It'll give you less travel, but the plus is when your on a sidling your spring won't suddenly dislocate, putting you at a scarier angle! The other option to retain springs is to fit limit straps. Also, if you fit dislocation cones and you do find it wants to lean at scary angles, limit straps can be still fitted to allow you to choose how far it will flex. You will most likely already have spring retainers from factory on the axle mounts (which I believe you need even when fitting chassis mounted cones) but if you want full retention you will need to fab some retainers up yourself or buy them (they are hard to find for the uppers tho, you can get them at RTE). The lowers may also have to be replaced with HD ones considering the body weight will be working against it, rather than how it was designed from factory just to keep the springs in place (so they don't fall out if it did happen to dislocate). HD ones can be bought from Paddocks quite cheap or a full HD retention kit can be bought from RTE for about $85 US. These retention kits are generally run in the US where places like Moab require big sidlings.

I got 6mm spring retainers that hold the spring at the bottom and dislocation cones at the top.ive had a spring sit against the wheel before so anything that saves me time and effort is worth while in my opinion