110 Overlanding Suspension

Right, I've read shedloads of threads all over the shop, but haven't been able to make my mind up.

My 110 will be overlanding with two people and a significant amount of weight onboard, e.g. roof tent, spares, extra fuel, lots of water, and so on and so forth.

I am considering a 1-2" lift because I am not sure that OE ride height will be maintained with HD springs alone. Nor am I convinced that helper springs or airbags will do this, although I'd prefer neither of these in order to retain simplicity. I know that sitting higher than OE will raise the CofG too, and am therefore reticent to just go for a 2" lift with HD springs.

Once I have returned from overlanding, I will happily fit alternative springs, thereby allowing it to be used on road without shaking all my fillings.

Koni, OME or Bilsteins look good as far as shocks go.

Sting Ray said:

Right, I've read shedloads of threads all over the shop, but haven't been able to make my mind up.

My 110 will be overlanding with two people and a significant amount of weight onboard, e.g. roof tent, spares, extra fuel, lots of water, and so on and so forth.

I am considering a 1-2" lift because I am not sure that OE ride height will be maintained with HD springs alone. Nor am I convinced that helper springs or airbags will do this, although I'd prefer neither of these in order to retain simplicity. I know that sitting higher than OE will raise the CofG too, and am therefore reticent to just go for a 2" lift with HD springs.

Once I have returned from overlanding, I will happily fit alternative springs, thereby allowing it to be used on road without shaking all my fillings.

Koni, OME or Bilsteins look good as far as shocks go.

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Have you any idea how much load you will be carrying? What sort of terrain are you going to encounter? IIRC, from what I've read, a 110 can carry 1000kg quite comfortably.
I would be weighing things and totalling it all up. Or, load the vehicle up and take it to a weigh bridge, before I started contemplating suspension lifts. In fact, I wouldn't consider a suspension lift, just heavy duty springs depending on the weigh bridge test.

650 - 850 kilos I would have thought - I can't weigh it all as I haven't got anywhere near all of it yet :-D

I wouldn't want to be operating near the limits of any given component's tolerances, so I'm trying to build in some margin.

Twin rear shocks are also potentially on the cards.

Station wagon shocks are handling those sort of weights when all the seats are used.

zeaphod said:

Station wagon shocks are handling those sort of weights when all the seats are used.

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Good point - the trouble is that there are so many different perspectives, and it's difficult to know which one is most closely aligned with my requirements.

Someone else on here is having their vehicle modded by Foley SV for a virtually identical purpose; they are fitting HD springs with rear helpers and twin rear shocks.

I know the standard setup was designed to do all this, but I can't help but think that I'd be operating stock components near their design limits, given the weight and un-metalled roads that I'll be driving on; some of it is bound the corrugated too, although I certainly won't be driving quickly.

Where are you going? I would stay stock for parts availability, although most people use old man emu suspension.

nobber said:

Where are you going? I would stay stock for parts availability, although most people use old man emu suspension.

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Most of Africa! I'll be carrying spares whatever setup I go for; I'm not comfortable with not having certain parts to replace there and then, especially if stranded in the middle of god-only-knows where.

I've just decided that I'm not going to go for a lift, so I need a suspension setup that will maintain OE ground clearance when rammed to the rafters, and be reliable over poor terrain. It's either something like twin Bilstein B6 on the rear (singles up front) or single Koni Raids all round; does anyone know if the price Paddocks advertise is for a pair or a single shock?! Some reports rate OME, but others say they are no good in hot climates; as I said, the reviews are so inconsistent. Whatever shocks I opt for, there seems to be a general consensus that HD springs are a sensible idea; helper springs could be added later if necessary too.

http://www.paddockspares.com/off-ro...wa159806-discovery-1-range-rover-classic.html

I have had bilstein dampers on mine for the last ten years, cant fault them.

OME for me ,had gyn lewis set them up about ten years ago to take into consideration of the winch (large worm drive ) and loaded rear (bounce creates heavier load than static when driving) as for temperature these where developed for and in the Australian outback,, never had a problem

There's a lot to be said for keeping everything "stock". Modified vehicles can be unpredictable in their response to the so-called "improvements" you make, and what apparently strengthens one bit moves the potential failure zone somewhere else - a good example is HD hub flanges. In remote areas you're more likely to be able to find parts and expertise to repair or replace standard parts than some of the more exotic stuff. Been there, tested the theory.
I've done 5 long trips living on or in the vehicle - though not as long as you're contemplating - and found that a 110 is more than capable of coping with anything I've asked of it (Alpine tracks, Pyrennean off-road, Moroccan piste, hamada and deep Sahara sand) using OEM bits with the exception of HD dampers (Terrafirma) and LR HD springs, but only because of the monster winch I fitted. Which I've never used.
The q's about what you'll be carrying are hinting that maybe it's too much? If there's just the two of you....

Before my ownership my 110 Station Wagon apparently went to/around Morocco. It has standard height HD springs and terrafirma shocks(big bore I think?) front and rear. It does have a heavy winch and bumper on the front though.
Mine does seem to sit a little higher than standard as it is.

Thanks for everyone’s feedback. Given that it doesn’t point me clearly in one direction however, especially when other sources of info are considered, I’m just going to have to bit the bullet and choose a setup.

I’m not convinced that OEM shocks and springs will do the job given the amount of weight that I’ll be carrying over a prolonged period of time, so HD springs it is. I’ll get some OEM 130 helper springs for the rear if needed, but will hold off ‘til much later in the build to consider if these are required or not.

As for shocks, well bigger bore ones make a lot of sense because they can dissipate heat better, and are typically of a more robust construction. I would still want to carry spares for both axles though, so perhaps reasonably tough (Bilstein) but not overly expensive ones (OME/Koni) are the way to go, and just accept that failures are more likely.

I have discounted twin shocks for now.