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defender shock/spring info

Tech Talk for Rover owners.

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defender shock/spring info

Post by uninformed »

i know this has been done before, but... what spec shocks/ springs are you guys runing in your defenders?? tech please: for shocks-make, model and open/closed lenght if possible. for springs-lbs, free lenght and rise achieved. i have just bought some koni 80 series,#82-2385, for the front. 617mm open - 372mm closed - 245mm travel. i would like to get koni's for the rear so i have oil filled all round. springs i have know idea about except to run polyairs in the rear for work/towing. retained all round. any feedback will help

cheers, serg
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Post by ISUZUROVER »

I don't know the specs of mine (and it is in storage half way around the world at the moment so I can't measure) - it has heavy duty king springs installed by the previous owner. I am happy with them - higher than std ride height (about 25mm or a bit more) and good handling. It is mainly a touring vehicle so I am not that interested in flex (the IIA is the hardcore offroader), but it is still pretty good, even with the rear sway bar. It has Bilstein shocks all round.

With these springs I have no problem fitting 285/75/16's (33's) on disco rims with 30mm less backspacing.
Last edited by ISUZUROVER on Fri Oct 01, 2004 2:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by defender kev »

I run OME 766 springs in the front with OME n73 shocks 614mm ext 354comp

In the rear which i am far from happy with OME 755 springs and OME n44 shocks 570mm ext 360comp

Front springs 16.9 free length 240lb approx
Rear springs 17.1 free length 280lb
Gave the defender about 2" of lift enough to get 34's under it

Cheers Kev
"Why do the British drink their beer at room temperature? Because Lucas builds their refrigerators."
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Post by red90 »

Spring Information is here

Shock info is a bit more to locate. If someone could dig it up, maybe I'll throw together a page..... When I get some spare time...... Actually, I'll be down in your fine country in a few weeks and will probably have tons of free time, so maybe then. If everyone could post any known shock information here, I'll start compiling.

OME shock lengths can be found here: https://www.expeditionexchange.com/ome/indexshocksmain.shtml
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Post by lr90 »

spring specs for mine are on my site. Shocks are currently +5 (10.5" travel) front and stock rear. Still working on the front. and intend to match the rear when I'm finished.

Red90 I've got some good info on ProComp I'll mail you when I'm on the right computer. For Bilstien, Rancho and the like I found loads of detailed info on their sites. Mainly pdf downloads.

Trev :)
www.lr90.com
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Post by rick130 »

Serg,
long travel Koni's for the rear, that fit the stock mounts are a bit of a problem.
Koni don't make a shock for the rear of leaf GU's or GQ's, which is what you would normally use and then re-valve for a Defender.
A shock is listed for the rear of the MQ, pt. # 80-2539, but I don't have any specs on this, and suspect it may use a 29mm piston (but I could be wrong), which, if it does, would be inadequate for serious use.

What needs to be done is that another Koni has to be modified to the pin/eye arrangement, (not hard, just $) or you modify the lower/axle housing mount to take an eye fitting. The GU Patrol shock would then be suitable. Approx 650mm open. I can run a tape over a set I installed last week on a GU ute if you'd like.



Koni also do the 'RAID' shock which is massively huge, but I don't have any open and closed lengths ATM. When I first enquired about them only pricing was available. It's based on their truck shock, and is aimed at winch challenge and Dakar type competitors that have a limited budget, and so can't afford Ohlins or Proflex or the US shocks like King. Recommended retail on these is around $408 each, so they're double the price of a standard Koni.

Rick.

(edit) Serg, just been through my notes and found a Mercedes G Wagon front shock that would bolt up to the rear of a coiler Land Rover, but would need to be re-valved. It is a low pressure gas design so is a bit more expensive to be seriviced than a standard Koni, but still cheaper than a Bilstein re-valve. Dimensions are at the bottom of the listing in my post below.
Last edited by rick130 on Sat Oct 02, 2004 2:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
300Tdi Defender 130 CC
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Post by rick130 »

John,
here's a few shock dimensions. Unfortunately, not everyone measures from the same spot. Rancho measure from the centre of the bushes on pin ends (where it actually mounts), Koni and Bilstein measure from the base of the pin, so end up being longer than Rancho's if you take them to the same point. Can't remember where OME and Monroe measure from.

ARB LTR front open...554mm (LTR03R)
.........................closed.324mm
.................rear..open...560mm (LTR05R)
.........................closed 340mm
Koni 84-1190...open...540mm (front stock)
.............(stock).closed 322mm
Koni 84-1186...open...568mm (front long travel[actually RR air]) 
....(RR air).........closed 342mm
Koni 84-1189...open...563mm (rear)
.........................closed 346mm
OE W/head(R)..open...550mm (rear)
.........................closed.350mm
OE ANR 6598 open 546mm
closed 328mm
Koni 82-2385...open...617mm
......................closed.370mm
Rancho 99207..open...608mm 80/100 series L/Cruiser front (less 25mm for bush and washer to compare to Koni)
......................closed.366mm

more to come later, I have to bolt to a job.

Bilstein B46-1478.open..591mm (Toyota L/Cruiser 80/100 Series front)
.........................closed.380mm
Bilstein B46-0243.open..548mm Land Rover Def, 90/110/130 front
........................closed.330.5mm
Bilstein B46-0253.open.553.5mm Land Rover Def, 90/110 (need to be re-valved for a 130, and probably 110. quite expensive.)
........................closed.346.5mm
Bilstein B46-0504.open.620mm (Merc 'G' Wagon front, to be used in rear of L/Rover. Would need to be re-valved.)
........................closed.405mm
Koni 8240-1195SPX op.632mm (Merc 'G' Wagon front, to be used in rear of L/Rover. Would need to be re-valved)
........................closed.<400mm ? ]

I've talked to Andrew Richmond from Les Richmond Automotive, formerly Rangie Spares about his long travel Bilsteins, and although he didn't have any exact dimensions available, he was able to provide that they were approx. 100mm longer than a stock L/Rover Bilstein open, and approx. 50mm longer closed. Also the rear shocks are mounted conventionally (body down) and not inverted.

Rick.
300Tdi Defender 130 CC
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Post by lowbox »

I've tried a few different combinations - it really depends what you are using the vehicle for - loaded touring vs. winch challenge etc.

In my 90 (used for day trips & as a daily driver) I've gone with +2" Konis and some scorpion springs which are 16 - 17" and a lot softer than the OME 764's they replaced

model# coils free lift free Bar
length length
Scorpion12 7.75 404mm 28mm 15.9" 16mm PS
Scorpion12.5 8.33 419mm 43mm 16.5" 16mm DS
Scorpion15 8.5 429mm 53mm 16.9" 16mm rear

Not sure what the spring rate is though.
ct
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Post by uninformed »

Thanks guys, keep it all coming.

Any 110 tray backs out there with longer springs, i need help with the rears. Rick, thanks for the shock info. very imformative. As for the Koni rears: the guy at Toperformace (importers) told me they modify one end of a toyota 75 series that is 625mm open and 380mm closed, so the same travel as the 80 series fronts. Would the valving have to be changed? When i rang Gsa Wholesale in Brisbane they listed this same convert as there gu leaf rear. I have seen the Koni "Raid's" advertised but don't no anything about them? mine are stickered "heavy track, 4x4 adjustable". Funny thing is on the box, the picture of the shock has "caution gas filled" stamped into the lower body, where as mine (82-2385) don't. I hope they are oil filled. The bilsteins from Les Richmond Automotive are
Fronts: open 648mm-closed 380-travel 268mm (pin-pin)

Rears: open 653mm-closed 396-travel 263mm (pin-eye)
these would have been my choice had i not wanted oil filled. i'm still considering the LRA bilstein rears.

cheers all, Serg
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Post by J Top »

Just dug this out from my old speedway days.
R = 1375000 (d4)
over
(D + d)3 N
Where R = spring rate
D = inside diameter in inches
d = wire diameter in inches
N = number of active turns
(d4) = dxdxdxd
(D + d)3 =(D + d) x (D + d) x (D + d)
fry the grey matter with that
J Top
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Post by modman »

serg, here is my cheapest recipe for rover front.
toy 80 series front shock from ride pro
617 ext 372 comp 245 travel 10"
$220 a pair from the 4wd show (from melb. pro comp)
they kill ome for quality and construction.
the spring to use is std. + 2-3 inches
the spring can be fron lra,lovells,king,etc.
you need the extra free length spring otherwise the spring just falls loose most of the time when the axledrops andi mean most of the time!!
sams slotted bushes work a treat, just have a look on a ramp.
(not as dirty as a muddy track)
crank your arms if the front geometry is out or thechassis end bush is not sitting relative to the shock travel.
ie when i had my shocks out of the rover i ran a texta around the body of the shock fully compressed and then extended. this gives you a measuring/reference point on the shock. i also ran a line around the 1/2 way travel point.
now you under stand the shock is sitting at half travel 5" up, 5" down and the chassis bush is sitting neutral(no bind up or down)

the rear is a nightmare
i would like to use a std. spring+3"
koni bus truck shock with 12" travel (scania bus???)
cranked rear arms and drop the a-frame ball joint 2-3 inches.
good luck!!
maybe there is a good progressive gq rear spring you can use in the rear ??
david
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Post by 110 TUFF »

Front
OME N73 shocks ( Toy 80 series lifted )
King springs + 2 inch springs approx 180 pound
30mm coil spacer
definatley sams slotted bushes

= MASIVE IMPROVEMENT

I belive you can get shocks OME N73L which have even more travle but you need bigger shock turrets for them to work properly. the OME N73's have a perfect compressed length for the rover front and give a lot more travle approx 11 inches. the pins are longer then other shocks aswell so you get that little more extended length. i have used this setup with and without sams bushes and they make a HUGE difference to the front end flexability of a defender. without them my springs are just loose in there retainers and with them the springs with spacers fallout about 3 inches. big difference :twisted: on the rear try modified tough dog foam cells ment for a 3 inch lifted 80 series crusier. they can modify the ends for you.

use rubber bushes all round as well!

Drew.
Last edited by 110 TUFF on Wed Oct 06, 2004 4:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
MOVE OVER, HERE COMES ROVER!!!
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Post by 110 TUFF »

OME N73 shock 614 mm extended, 354 mm compressed, 260 mm travel. allows the front wheels to tuck up realy well!

Drew
MOVE OVER, HERE COMES ROVER!!!
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Post by asafk »

D110SW,
rear- OME981 coils (490mm /470mm free length) , toughdog 10" travel shocks, 4" bumpstop (2" lower than original)
front- eibach rear discovery 3" lift coils, toughdog 8" travel shocks, 4" bumpstop.
5" lift when empty (intended for 4" lift with winch and bumper, and external roll cage)

Asaf.
"scars are tattoos with better stories"
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Post by red90 »

OK, I put a page together. Please have a look over for errors. Post any coorections or additions that you know of.

John B.

http://members.shaw.ca/red90/shockinfo.html
[color=red]1991 Landrover 90 ex-MOD[/color]
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Post by DFND90 »

Heres what LRA says about fitting cruiser/patrol shocks.
Thoughts?

The following table will list the open and closed lengths and mounting styles for the following vehicles, Toyota 75, 80 and 100 series, Nissan GQ and GU along with the true shocker travel compared to a standard Land Rover shocker and LRA?s long travel shocks.


VEHICLE.........OPEN....CLOSED..TRAVEL..MOUNT top / bot

Toyota 75 F.....571.....350.....221.....Pin / Big eye
Toyota 75 R.....620.....390.....230.....Eye / Eye
Toyota 80 F.....594.....365.....229.....Pin / Pin
Toyota 80 R.....591.....380.....211.....Pin / Eye
Toyota 100 F....594.....365.....229.....Pin / Pin
Toyota 100 R....591.....380.....211.....Pin / Eye
Nissan GQ F.....478.....293.....185.....Pin / Pin
Nissan GQ R.....620.....390.....230.....Eye / Eye
Nissan GU F.....478.....293.....185.....Pin / Pin
Nissan GU R.....622.....390.....232.....Eye / Eye


Land Rover F....548.....330.....218.....Pin / Pin
Land Rover R....553.....346.....207.....Eye / Pin
LRA Front.......648.....380.....268.....Pin / Pin
LRA Rear........653.....396.....263.....Eye / Pin

As the above list proves retrofitting any of the Toyota or Nissan shockers into a Land Rover is not worthwhile. The longest wheel travel to be achieved is 229mm from the Toyota 80 series for the front and 232mm from the Nissan GU for the rear.
Both front and rear mounts have to be modified by 35mm and 44mm respectively for in our opinion, not a lot of improvement over a standard Land Rover Bilstein. In fact the front travel will be increased by only 11mm and the rear by 25mm. Little own the mounting types do not match correctly for the rear shockers and some may have to be inverted to fit or both. The Custom Bilsteins supplied from LR Automotive give a true increase in wheel travel of 2 ?? or 50mm front and rear using the correct style of mounting without inverting. Yes mounts have to be moved but this is inevitablein all long travel conversions as the closed length is longer then the original shockers closed length.

All figures supplied above are for standard monotube Bilstein shockers.
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Post by HSV Rangie »

They are the stock lths of nissan and toy shocks.

You can also get longer travel ones. if you need.


Michael.
Mitsubishi 2010 NT DID Pajero wagon, Factory rear diff lock, Dual batteries, ARB bar, winch, Mt ATZ 4 rib tyres.
1986 RR.
Custom suspension links etc.
HSV 215 engine.
4.3 diffs.
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Post by Team Raider »

defender kev wrote:Gave the defender about 2" of lift enough to get 34's under it

Cheers Kev


Kev,

Did you extend the bumpstops to prevent rubbing at full stuff?
If so by how much etc...

My 110 With 33's rubs like mad!!!
Landrovers... Nothing else comes close!
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Post by red90 »

DFND90 wrote:Heres what LRA says about fitting cruiser/patrol shocks.
Thoughts?


Look at my page. Aftermarket 80 series front shocks run from 8.3 to 10.3" travel. Land Rover fronts runs 8.0 to 9.2" travel all depending on brand. So brand matters.

or you can read what I wrote at the top of the page.

"As can be easily seen, Toyota Land Cruiser 80/100 series front shocks are a bolt in replacement to get 1" to 2" more travel. You will require longer brake lines, spring retainers and possible increase in height of the shock tower (depending on your set-up) in order to fit these. For the rear there are some special bolt in shocks available to gain longer travel, but most people switch to a Eye/Eye or heim joint style and revise both mounts to suit."

As I understand it, the LRA shocks are $275 or so. For a lot less than that you might as well get Bilstein 7100s in whatever travel and valving you desire.

http://www.eshocks.com/bil_ORsb.asp?Series=Bilstein+7100+Series+Shocks&Manf=All
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Post by HSV Rangie »

LRA shocks : $289.00 each 10inch - 250mm stroke.

Bilstien B460350 (7100) $285.00 - $310.00 each depending on how hard you try. These are 10 or 12 inch stroke.

7100 ex USA $130.00 US each pluss freight (air = $100.00)

ship is $40.00 takes 6 weeks.

Michael.
Mitsubishi 2010 NT DID Pajero wagon, Factory rear diff lock, Dual batteries, ARB bar, winch, Mt ATZ 4 rib tyres.
1986 RR.
Custom suspension links etc.
HSV 215 engine.
4.3 diffs.
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Post by red90 »

Is that shipping rate for a set of 4 or 2?
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Post by HSV Rangie »

2: air frieght but 4 not much more.
ship is for 4.

Michael.
Mitsubishi 2010 NT DID Pajero wagon, Factory rear diff lock, Dual batteries, ARB bar, winch, Mt ATZ 4 rib tyres.
1986 RR.
Custom suspension links etc.
HSV 215 engine.
4.3 diffs.
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Post by GRIMACE »

HSV Rangie wrote:LRA shocks : $289.00 each 10inch - 250mm stroke.

Bilstien B460350 (7100) $285.00 - $310.00 each depending on how hard you try. These are 10 or 12 inch stroke.

7100 ex USA $130.00 US each pluss freight (air = $100.00)

ship is $40.00 takes 6 weeks.

Michael.



Micheal can u PM regarding where you can get them prices.... I am keen on some for the rear.... I beleive the 14" travel ones are the same price again ? ? ? These are still monotube and not remote resevior are they ? ? ?
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Post by red90 »

See my link above. www.eshocks.com

Resevoir units are $176.
Non resevoir units $131.
Prices are basically the same for 8" thorugh 14" stroke.
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Post by Badooky »

80 series front rancho 9000
holey bushes
kingsprings+2inches
this seems to work quite well in the front but you will need longer brake lines
in the rear
kingsprings+2inches
radius rods cranked by 6 degrees
rancho rs99012 (480 cl 830 open)
dislocation cones
1 large headache fabricating the top shock mounts
It's the one on the right, Dammit !!!
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Post by Maxtd5def »

Well I've finally had the MJLee towers fitted. A few pics are on a one page web site

http://home.off-road.com/~thephotogallery/shockpics.htm

Springs are 2nd hand Kings items, unknown rate, but designed to give a heavy vehicle a 3" lift.

Shocks are the HD version of Blistein 80 series Landcrusher.

Objective was to stiffen the front, and try and cure the understeer that the holey bushes cause. Where before the front would kneel and load up the outside wheel, now the turn in is much much better. Its possible to chuck it around again. Its much more composed, stable and faster over uneven stuff.

Castor is horrible with this lift, that'll be corrected any day. And the dreaded u-joint vibtration is there about 40-50 kpg, a D2 shaft should fix that.

And you might notice in one pic the panhard rod mounting bolt hits the lower shock bracket, should be an easy fix.

And the springs are longer - on the ramp it gets coil bound before either the bump stops hit or the shocks top out. So longer bump stops are also going in very soon.

Might as well go up to 35s then..

But overall this combination works very well both on-road & off-road.

Regards
Max P
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Post by Slunnie »

Fronts are KRRS-02 which are standard County diesel springs. Not sure of the rate though.
Cheers
Slunnie

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Post by DaveS3 »

Maxtd5def wrote:Well I've finally had the MJLee towers fitted. A few pics are on a one page web site



Max, where did you get the towers?

And if you dont mind, a ball park figure for their price?

Dave.
Land Rover Discovery - GQ conversion underway
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Post by Maxtd5def »

I imported them directly from MJ Lee Engineering. Very helpful. Price I'd have to look up again. although I do remember Customs charged me a whole $80 for duty & GST - that was lucky.

edit

heres the prices

http://www.mjloffroad.co.uk/pricshoc.html

I've since found out there might be someone bringing them in in bulk, obviously cheaper than what I paid. I'll find out some more details.

Regards
Max P
Stereo by Simex!
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