Freelander 1 mod help

Morning All,

I own a 2004 Freelander 1 with a SAIC 1.8T engine and 2inch lift.

I currently have a suspension knock when I hit a pot hole, no other time. I can’t find play in any joint, but none the less I decided to upgrade to poly. So it’s got new wishbones and poly bushes, new tie rod ends, new drop links, new pads. Yet I still get this clunk, it was improved by the drop links but not fixed.

Does anyone have any ideas?

The other potentially related issue is that the sway bar is extremely close to the struts, this could be contacting on flex. I don’t think it’s my problem as I only have the noise on the drivers side. Any fixes for this issue, I mainly use this car for off-roading so I’m on the verge of just removing it.

Are there any guides/ build logs for extreme suspension upgrades? Thinking of trying to modify some universal long travel narrow coil overs so that I can get more lift and suspension travel, know the wishbones will need modding and maybe more but wondering if it’s been done/logged.

Check the sway bar axial limiters are still fitted by the clamps. These are known to fall off, allowing the bar to slip sideways and contact a strut on one side or the other.


Extreme suspension lifts (over 50mm) are best avoided, as the inboard spider joints don't like the extreme angles, and fail quickly as a result. The other issue is that the chassis rails need cutting to allow for tie rod movement, which weakens the body more than is ideal, particularly as the FL1 only just scraped a 3☆ euro Ncap rating due to front body member deformation.

Keep in mind that lifting the body doesn't increase suspension travel, which is more important than ultimate suspension height.

If it's not the ARB hitting the struts or subframe, it could be a suspension top mount. Both of mine have failed. I had the offside done a few years ago, and the nearside is currently shot and on the list of jobs to sort in the coming months.