Lowering a 2" lift

Bought my 90 that already had a 2" lift on it, it looks the biz but cause i don't want to do off roading that much and need to tow alot with it have decided that i want to drop it back down to its original height. When i towed a tipper trailer that i have just bought, you could really tell it was on the back even though it was empty. I did read up and found out that the big INSA tyres i have on it drastically effect the gearing of the truck. I also need to be able to tow a caravan as well. Apart from all the other issues like tyre hitting the radius arms.

Anyway the question is, i am told by the previous owners that there are longer travel shocks on it. Surely i can just stick standard springs back on with the existing shocks? even though they are longer travel they still cover the standard range. There are also dislocation cone on it, can i leave them on?

The shocks will be extended, this means the minimum compression will also be extended so unless you have extended bump stops and are happy losing 2" of compression then you will want standard shocks fitting.

If you wanted to keep the shocks that are on there, you would need to buy taller shock mounts / turrets. So yes you can, if you do that. I wouldn't advise using the tall shocks at standard height with standard shock mounts because if you go over a bump the shock will have less travel and could smash against the inner bump stop very hard and do some damage. Would advise heavy duty standard height springs opposed to standard ones if you are going to be doing lots of towing and load carrying, it will be much safer and controllable. As for the gearing, yes big tyres will affect it. If you wanted to keep the big tyres you would need a gearing change in the diffs to even this out. But as you are going to be taking the lift away, you will indeed probably want some smaller tyres. 31/10.5/r15 is a good choice, looks good on a standard height 90.

D90mitch said:

If you wanted to keep the shocks that are on there, you would need to buy taller shock mounts / turrets. So yes you can, if you do that. I wouldn't advise using the tall shocks at standard height with standard shock mounts because if you go over a bump the shock will have less travel and could smash against the inner bump stop very hard and do some damage. Would advise heavy duty standard height springs opposed to standard ones if you are going to be doing lots of towing and load carrying, it will be much safer and controllable. As for the gearing, yes big tyres will affect it. If you wanted to keep the big tyres you would need a gearing change in the diffs to even this out. But as you are going to be taking the lift away, you will indeed probably want some smaller tyres. 31/10.5/r15 is a good choice, looks good on a standard height 90.

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So does that mean when the previous owner raised the suspension he also changed the turrets possibly?

adjustable hitch not worth buying???

zippydog said:

So does that mean when the previous owner raised the suspension he also changed the turrets possibly?

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It's possible - it depends on the shock length and the vehicle lift height. If he lifted it 2" and used +4" shocks for example, he would most likely have changed the turrets for 2" taller ones to accommodate the longer shock. However, if the shock height was only 2" longer, the same as the lift, the standard turrets can be kept as the axle distance from the chassis has been increased by 2". A good way to tell is just to have a look at them, the taller ones generally look a lot different to the standard turrets, they are usually made to look fancy in some way. Of course, you can always measure them and get the height of a standard turret. Which I am sure you can find out on the net or someone here will know for some reason or another

How much do you tow? How often do you tow?

My dads 90 tows 2+ tonnes every day and he has standard suspension on the front but has lifted the rear by 2" so that with the weight it sits level

LandyRover23 said:

adjustable hitch not worth buying???

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its already got an adjustable hitch on it. The issue is that the gearing is out too much.

Cheers

TD5power said:

How much do you tow? How often do you tow?

My dads 90 tows 2+ tonnes every day and he has standard suspension on the front but has lifted the rear by 2" so that with the weight it sits level

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Max i will tow is 2 ton if the trailer is full of chippings. On a daily basis though i use it for a gardening business. Occasionally i will use it to tow my caravan on holiday.

Cheers

Changing the suspension will do nothing for the gearing .. get smaller diameter tyres for a quick fix.

I have a set of Heavy Duty standard size springs spare off the Disco (+2" on it), pity we live so far apart, could have met and swapped a few bits about ..

Paul D said:

Changing the suspension will do nothing for the gearing .. get smaller diameter tyres for a quick fix.

I have a set of Heavy Duty standard size springs spare off the Disco (+2" on it), pity we live so far apart, could have met and swapped a few bits about ..

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Hi Paul
Yes it is a shame. I am going for the smaller wheels to get the better gearing and want to change the ride height back to normal as well, just to make it original again.

THanks for all the replies

Sounds like the same setup my defender came with.

I replaced the shocks and springs on mine with the Britpart HD standard height kit from paddock. It can be a bit bouncy on bumpy roads, but it drives A roads great and tows my car trailer so well you forget it's there.

kes86 said:

Sounds like the same setup my defender came with.

I replaced the shocks and springs on mine with the Britpart HD standard height kit from paddock. It can be a bit bouncy on bumpy roads, but it drives A roads great and tows my car trailer so well you forget it's there.

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Cool sounds like the way to go.

Today i fitted 4 x disco steel wheels with 205 x16 road going tyres on, they look sh*te but what a massive difference its like having a different landrover. Definately the way to go if your not doing loads of off road.

I have decided that i will take the giant INSA tyres off the modular rims and get some A/T tyres. The modulars have a better off set and i can sell the INSA tyres to get some money towards the new setup. I can also sell the lift stuff as well to make it less expensive.

G

I also had Insa specials. And changed them for freestyles with BFG Muds.

They don't look so aggressive but the handling is way better.

Come to think of it. May as well change the bushes at the same time in the trailing and radius arms. Does any one know if the defender 90 and the disco 1 have the same arms. I came across some arms when i bought a rolling chassis cause i wanted the axels. They look similar, but its chucking down with rain out there so i dont want to get under it to look.

zippydog said:

Come to think of it. May as well change the bushes at the same time in the trailing and radius arms. Does any one know if the defender 90 and the disco 1 have the same arms. I came across some arms when i bought a rolling chassis cause i wanted the axels. They look similar, but its chucking down with rain out there so i dont want to get under it to look.

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yes of they're off a 200tdi. believe the Disco300s are wider..

I has a set of almost noo HD std height springs for sale.