I've recently chopped down a 3.9 v8 disco to make a tray back for CCV trials. So far the car has performed very well but I think I could get more articulation out of the rear axle if it had softer springs. Any advice on super soft springs to give a 2" lift and lots of articulation. It currently has Terrafirma 2" lift for a standard disco, the lift is great, but the ride is a bit harsh as there is no weight on the back now. The articulation isn't very good at all, and it's often turns into a tripod on the bumpy stuff.
Tray Back springs advice
- Thread starter simon801
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wiltshire landyman
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I got plus 5" shocks on my bobtail and the articulation is incredible you will only articulate as far as your current shocks will allow
jai_landrover
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Springs wise check x springs many a trials motor runs them also check out the weakest springs circa 130lbs inch I think.
You have to understand exactly just bolting on 5 inch longer shocks will not work as you possibly expect because compression is limited to 5 inches less than std but you get massive droop that looks great but actually makes your motor more unstable than std because your now 5 inches higher than a std motor with less impressive droop.
In reality you can get away with plus 2 inch and be on the very limit of compression when you hit the bump stop. by adding plus 5 you are only 3 inches higher add to that a decent well made cage and the CoG is higher than a std motor and you will roll where a std motor would have not.
Once your compression is done then mounting shocks where they need to is a simple task. depending on weather the motor is road going or just a trials motor depends on cost of shocks. you can use a plus 2 shock and gain far more suspension droop and but compromise with less damping action by moving its chassis mounting point.
Depending on regs for you club and if its a road motor or not depends which way you go here:
Stick some plus 2 on for std mounts and a road going motor or go comp/offroad only and re mount some plus 2 3 or indeed 5's inch the costly plus 5 inch isnt required really as you can gain silly ammounts by changing mount position rake angle.
Many a year an starting setup was procomp +2 shocks on std mounts and this was not a bad starting point for the new guys.
Before you go messing with shocks for trials its well worth doing this:
What I do firstly is get a half inch rubber mat tie it up under the body where any wheel will foul then fully depress that side I usually revove spring. Remove that bump stop then you make the bump stops so that they stop the axle coming up to the same point where the wheel is fouling the body with the rubber mat this way you get MAX compression with no rubbing. max stability for your tyre size. remember that bump stops do give so the half an inch gives you some leeway. you may have to extend the bump stops if your running anything over 36 inch tyres depending on how low your body is.
once you have that you have a list:
shock position,
brake lines,
propahsafts do they work and will they work at all angles without failing?
radius arms (are they limiting movement)
steering geometery,
and the list continues.........
suspension setup is no joke it makes a trials motor great to drive or another pile of poo to drive. you obviously realise that and have asked advice. All I'll say is many motors are poor look at the ones your competing against and the old boys they usually have had a setup for 10-20 years and they are usually at the top of the awards week in week out.
You don't want bling you just want it to work.
Worth pointing out is for trials my experience i would say forget poly bush type things ofr any sort even the super flexible blue ones they are pants limit articulation and wear out if your trialing weekly. Std metalic bushes and especially std shock mount rubbers are the way to go and you will need to change them once a year. thats the nature of competition.
hope this helps.
many a bling motor turns up and the driver gets upset and gets beaten by a sprunky old v8 series 1 or whatever its just because one is setup for trials one is for bling and not trials.
You have to understand exactly just bolting on 5 inch longer shocks will not work as you possibly expect because compression is limited to 5 inches less than std but you get massive droop that looks great but actually makes your motor more unstable than std because your now 5 inches higher than a std motor with less impressive droop.
In reality you can get away with plus 2 inch and be on the very limit of compression when you hit the bump stop. by adding plus 5 you are only 3 inches higher add to that a decent well made cage and the CoG is higher than a std motor and you will roll where a std motor would have not.
Once your compression is done then mounting shocks where they need to is a simple task. depending on weather the motor is road going or just a trials motor depends on cost of shocks. you can use a plus 2 shock and gain far more suspension droop and but compromise with less damping action by moving its chassis mounting point.
Depending on regs for you club and if its a road motor or not depends which way you go here:
Stick some plus 2 on for std mounts and a road going motor or go comp/offroad only and re mount some plus 2 3 or indeed 5's inch the costly plus 5 inch isnt required really as you can gain silly ammounts by changing mount position rake angle.
Many a year an starting setup was procomp +2 shocks on std mounts and this was not a bad starting point for the new guys.
Before you go messing with shocks for trials its well worth doing this:
What I do firstly is get a half inch rubber mat tie it up under the body where any wheel will foul then fully depress that side I usually revove spring. Remove that bump stop then you make the bump stops so that they stop the axle coming up to the same point where the wheel is fouling the body with the rubber mat this way you get MAX compression with no rubbing. max stability for your tyre size. remember that bump stops do give so the half an inch gives you some leeway. you may have to extend the bump stops if your running anything over 36 inch tyres depending on how low your body is.
once you have that you have a list:
shock position,
brake lines,
propahsafts do they work and will they work at all angles without failing?
radius arms (are they limiting movement)
steering geometery,
and the list continues.........
suspension setup is no joke it makes a trials motor great to drive or another pile of poo to drive. you obviously realise that and have asked advice. All I'll say is many motors are poor look at the ones your competing against and the old boys they usually have had a setup for 10-20 years and they are usually at the top of the awards week in week out.
You don't want bling you just want it to work.
Worth pointing out is for trials my experience i would say forget poly bush type things ofr any sort even the super flexible blue ones they are pants limit articulation and wear out if your trialing weekly. Std metalic bushes and especially std shock mount rubbers are the way to go and you will need to change them once a year. thats the nature of competition.
hope this helps.
many a bling motor turns up and the driver gets upset and gets beaten by a sprunky old v8 series 1 or whatever its just because one is setup for trials one is for bling and not trials.
jai_landrover
Well-Known Member
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- 13,392
- Location
- Luton
NRC4306 blue white 133 lbs inch and 17 inches tall free height you mak have to use a spacer to get your ride height the same as the front.
lift kits are notorious for just being HD springs std height which when weighted lifts your motor by 2 inches and gives poor flex over a std item depending on how many lbs inch it is depends how it will perform. if you don't know the lbs/inch rate your completly haveing a stab in the dark and 90% of the time makes the motor worse offroad all you can get is springs dislocating and wheels drooping which looks great but compression is Key to geting it all working as it should. LR perfected this in the 70's with the RRC and was why it was soo good out the box. We ask more for trialing. spring chart is very helpful I run 175/lbs inch front and 133 rears when I trialed now days its going back to a road motor now the ccv motor is getting there so it'll get kitted out with tools spares beer and camping equip as a tow motor supporting the offroader for ccv and comp safari racing
lift kits are notorious for just being HD springs std height which when weighted lifts your motor by 2 inches and gives poor flex over a std item depending on how many lbs inch it is depends how it will perform. if you don't know the lbs/inch rate your completly haveing a stab in the dark and 90% of the time makes the motor worse offroad all you can get is springs dislocating and wheels drooping which looks great but compression is Key to geting it all working as it should. LR perfected this in the 70's with the RRC and was why it was soo good out the box. We ask more for trialing. spring chart is very helpful I run 175/lbs inch front and 133 rears when I trialed now days its going back to a road motor now the ccv motor is getting there so it'll get kitted out with tools spares beer and camping equip as a tow motor supporting the offroader for ccv and comp safari racing
