Possibly an odd suspension combination? +1" and HD!

Hi guys, I've been looking around for a while and have seen all the usual +2" lift kits and heavy duty springs, but unless I've missed it I don't think I've seen any +1"/+25mm Hd springs - does such a thing exsist?

I'm wary of going for a 2" lift as I just don't think it's neccessary or a good idea on my 300tdi, because amoungst the general stuff it gets used for, two very specific things need to be catered for:

1) I need a bit of extra height for when I'm out shooting in it - seeing over the hedges around the farm, shooting off the bonnet etc.

2) Family holidays! When we go, I load up the not insignificant roof rack (a brownchurch one off a 110, slightly shortened) with everything as the boot is usually full of spare veg oil for the trip!

Now the roof rack isn't a light thing anyway (40-60kg I'd think) and the boot has a semi permanent 60Ltr veg oil tank installed (up to 60kg) so when it's just me using it, I think the suspension is just about coping but is on the edge of being a bit too heavy. So when it's full off stuff for camping or general holiday, pluss wife, 2 kids and dog, plus 150kg of oil and then the usual extra tools you take on a long trip..... well, it's like driving a friggin boat! :doh:

What would you knowledgeable folks suggest?

For more info, the disco seems to be on the original sus, and while it's coped admirably, I think it's starting to get tired now and the springs look a bit like they're sagging slightly, but only half an inch or so (I hope ). I have fairly standard road biased tyres (235/70R16) on at the moment, and would love some 245/75R16's, but I wan't them in Insa Traction Track style and they don't make em! That would give an inch or so lift under the diffs so I read, but I think it'll be those in standard size unless they bring out more sizes.

Over to you...

2" bearmach HD springs and new updated dampers and some 265x75x16 AT tyres and job done.

...plus the cranked trailing arms, longer brake hoses and then new bushes a few months down the line.

I don't really want to lift it too much (silly I know as it's only another inch) because it's going to be really top heavy at times and it'll get quite unbalanced I think.

Having read a few threads on here and elsewhere about people taking off +2" kits and others having related component failures puts me off going too far from standard..

I had a set of Disco standard height HD springs (Britpart yellow) and they raised mine (300tdi) about 40mm unloaded, simply due to them not sagging! Even loaded they still didn't sag anything like as much as standard, as you'd expect.

Worked brill, they're now on another members Disco and doing a good job still. They're very helpul towing, especially if you leave the ARB's on, and not that bad offroad, especially if you take the ARB's off!!!

Very good compromise for a laning vehicle for two people, or a family runabout for four, towing a caravan on road for a fortnight ...

This is how it sat, totally empty, on the standard height HD's, with 31" BFG AT tyres ..



This is it on standard height normal springs, but still with 31" BFG AT's, though a different wheelset ..

If you go for cheapo spring spacers, you benefit from the sag in the original spring so a 2 inch lift is probably only 1.5 inches.
But having witnessed a Disco tipping over due to a loaded roof rack, I would sell the roof rack and buy a trailer.

Cheers, Vince

Vincemcdonald said:

If you go for cheapo spring spacers, you benefit from the sag in the original spring so a 2 inch lift is probably only 1.5 inches.
But having witnessed a Disco tipping over due to a loaded roof rack, I would sell the roof rack and buy a trailer.

Cheers, Vince

Click to expand...

Hmm! That's some scary food for thought!

And thanks paul - thats a very interesting before and after! Presumably that's why no one does a +1" HD spring set, because standard HD springs give a sligt lift anyway...?

Paul, what size are (were) those tyres please?

Paul D said:

I had a set of Disco standard height HD springs (Britpart yellow) and they raised mine (300tdi) about 40mm unloaded, simply due to them not sagging! Even loaded they still didn't sag anything like as much as standard, as you'd expect.

Worked brill, they're now on another members Disco and doing a good job still. They're very helpul towing, especially if you leave the ARB's on, and not that bad offroad, especially if you take the ARB's off!!!

Very good compromise for a laning vehicle for two people, or a family runabout for four, towing a caravan on road for a fortnight ...

This is how it sat, totally empty, on the standard height HD's, with 31" BFG AT tyres ..

This is it on standard height normal springs, but still with 31" BFG AT's, though a different wheelset ..

Click to expand...

BFG AT 31 x 10.5 R15

Great tyres, I ran through three sets of them, changed after about 20,000 with loads of wear left, but for green laning the edges had chamfered and lost 'bite'. On road they'd have done at least another 20k!!

In fact in the above pictures, the tyres are the exact same tyre set. The only change is (apart from the obvious clean!) from the 7j Alloys to 8j steels .. the 8j fitted and looked so much better! The alloy wheels with the tubular bumper is a year or so older than the steel wheels and standard cut down bumper. I dislike tubular bumpers, but had bought it cheaply, then sold it for more than I bought it!

Regarding the roofrack 'causing' a Landrover to roll, I'd take that with a pinch of salt and seriously doubt a roofrack would make a LR tip over. A roofrack won't help but is NOT the cause of tipping over at all, that's the drivers fault .. Speed, line, steering input. I've seen many more landrovers roll that didn't have roofracks fitted than did .. Careful, well distributed loading helps keep any extra rolling to a minimum.

Re the roof rack causing rolling - I can appreciate both sides of that discussion, but of course it's not the fault of the roofrack, as you say. I wouldn't be off road with a loaded up rack anyway, it's not like I'll ever get to go on any expeditions with it!

I guess my worries would be if the car slid broadside on a greasy road, then if it was loaded up it would be more of a risk, but it's all a compromise in the end and we'd never do anything if all risks were to be elimited first

Paul, speaking of those tyres with the standard height HD springs, did you have to trim any bodywork or adjust anything like steering stops etc? Any big disadvantages like increasing the gearing too much etc?

Cheers - Fred

Also looking at dampers now on my lunch - if I went for standard height HD springs, would I gain or lose anything by using +2" dampers? Maybe extra travel, but would they allow less compression on the other side of the axle on full articulation?

I was looking at lots of them, and the Cellular dynamic ones kept coming up - any opinions chaps?

I do love how the makers state 'xxMM sintered rod' for durability - as if sintered is a good thing!
I wonder how it would affect sales if the feature was '18mm Sintered rod, becuase we could't be arsed to use drawn steel instead, and it saves us a packet! Plus - new and improved: When the rod breaks, you can see a lovely pattern on the rought edges!'

Steering stops were fine, as was the front end, but I did have to do the 'Camel Cut' at the rear, but that was only for off-roading. If you mostly use it on-road it should be fine, though road humps might also mean a Camel Cut ..

Yes, the larger diameter tyres robbed a bit of power, especially for towing the caravan, but not enough to worry me. The other side to that was that the speedo worked absolutely spot-on, against GPS speed, at between 40 and 80 ish ..

Another way to get +2" on dampers is to use a -2" front turrets and damper relocators at the rear, using the standard dampers, which was also what I did. I never noriced the lack of 'stuff' but did notice the extra articulation .. it all just felt a little smoother with fewer jolts when laning.

Cool, thanks - thats good to know

Fitted HD police spec RRC springs all round which raised mine around an inch, probably due to the originals being very tired. Fitted +2" dampers at the same time (came with the springs) but I still have ARBs so not really seeing the benefit other than the old dampers being completely knackered.

Really pleased with the whole setup, rides well on the road an the extra inch helps off-road and when loaded with kids the dogs.

My Disco failed the MOT due to me removing the rear ARB due to my 2 inch lift. I purchased 4x one inch tow bar spacers and longer bolts from towsure allowing the ARB mounts to be extended by two inches and so gaining its MOT.