 | Home > Puma (Tdci) > Alive Comfort Springs - not like expected. |
 
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| Fred95 Member Since: 23 Oct 2011 Location: Gruenwald Posts: 9   
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Member and reader since many years - and my first post.
Let me introduce myself: my name is Fred, I live close to Munich. And since 10 years, I'm a proud owner of a 2009 Defender 90 TD4. This month, I decided to buy the Alive Comfort Springs (standard height), based on the positive reviews in this forum. After I replaced the standard springs against the new Alive springs, the following problems materialized: The front spring is significantly higher than the original LR spring:  Click image to enlarge Even that this spring is softer than the original one, it represents a lift for the front: Click image to enlarge As a result, the car is out of balance (front and rear springs fitted). Not only that, the lift has the same usual consequences, that the axle is lifted/shifted; as a result would require a caster correction; the angle for the propshaft increased; as a results requires a dual cardan. And here you can see them rebounded: Click image to enlarge Since the spring is longer than the original; the original damper is too short now. The spring is skewed - and the damper could even snap, since it's not designed to hold the weight of the axle. And to answer your first burning question: yes, the springs are installed correctly. Alive confirmed it. The longer springs have to go in the front. What would you do? Fred. P.S. I believe, this springs have been designed for the TD5. This model had a heavier engine; more weight in the front and harder springs. Alive even offers exactly the same springs for the TD5 - this can't be right. |
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26th Jun 2019 6:40pm |
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| ibexman Member Since: 13 Dec 2008 Location: Essex Posts: 2945 
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Send them back
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26th Jun 2019 9:07pm |
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| pj2106 Member Since: 20 Dec 2012 Location: Huntingdon AKA The Shire Posts: 1500 
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Have you fitted correct way round front and rear? 2008 110 2.4 XS Utility (Hagrid)
2002 90 TD5 Hardtop (Sully) Sold 1998 300TDi D1 (Billy) Sold |
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26th Jun 2019 11:04pm |
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| Fred95 Member Since: 23 Oct 2011 Location: Gruenwald Posts: 9
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The answer is: yes. Fred |
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27th Jun 2019 12:17am |
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| Naks Member Since: 27 Jan 2009 Location: Stellenbosch, ZA Posts: 2645  
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even if the originals were sagging, the Defender has always had a slight nose-down rake, and we can clearly see from his original post that it's almost got a nose-up rake now.
I would recommend sending them back, perhaps they sent you the 110 front springs by mistake? or the wrong combination of spring for front/rear? -- 2010 Defender Puma 90 + BAS remap + Alive IC + Slickshift + Ashcroft ATB rear 2015 Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged
Defender Puma Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zZ1en9 Discovery 4 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zXrtKO Range Rover/Sport L320/L322/L494 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zc58JQ |
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27th Jun 2019 7:28am |
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| Sulisuli Member Since: 30 Oct 2016 Location: South west Posts: 4795 
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The guys at Alive are extremely helpful in everyway, would be worth giving them a call to explain the situation, whilst they maybe correctly fitted as Naks said perhaps you had the wrong ones sent.
Might be interesting if another forum member has these fitted to ask them to measure from the floor to the underside of the wheel arch lip front and rear and see what their height is against yours.  2015 HT XS 90
2008 SVX 90 2000 XS TD5 90 |
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27th Jun 2019 8:19am |
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| Co1 Member Since: 19 Aug 2018 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 3677 
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Happy to measure up tomorrow. Mine have been on since February ish and have done about 5000 miles so should be plenty settled by now.
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27th Jun 2019 8:34am |
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| Roy5695 Member Since: 15 Feb 2014 Location: Cornwall Posts: 1123 
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Measure from the roof rail down to the floor when parked on level and flat ground. Although the arch gaps are different, making it look like a nose up position it actually looks like your 90 is sat pretty flat and level.
Click image to enlarge 2011 Defender DCPU 2.2 - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic30623.html Instagram - @r22oyp Roy |
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27th Jun 2019 8:57am |
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| Fred95 Member Since: 23 Oct 2011 Location: Gruenwald Posts: 9
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Thank you all for your valuable feedback.
@co1: No, the old springs were not sagging. I did just 50k miles in 10 years 
Yes, I got ARBs. And your springs look pretty similar to mine, when jacked up. Slightly odd. Question to you: (a) is your Defender at the same level than mine? and (b) more important: how does it drive? Any problems with the propshaft making noise due to the front lift? @naks: The 110 springs won't fit at 90, since they have a larger diameter (rear) and look different. And standard height springs from Eibach are only available for a 90 anyway. I forwarded Alive the part numbers printed on the springs and pictures of the installation, and they confirmed (a) these are the right ones and (b) correctly fitted. So, I would rule out the possibility, that they sent the wrong ones. @roy5695: Arch gaps were equal before that and they are not equal now. This means that the front have been raised and/or the rear lowered and/or both. And this is something, I don't like, because it influences the underbody geometry. Fred. |
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27th Jun 2019 11:47am |
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| Mike_E Member Since: 13 Apr 2017 Location: Aberdeenshire Posts: 161 
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in the photos I can see a spring isolator on the front spring - did you also fit them to the rear?
i guess a bit of a shortcut is to fit a 2nd isolator to the rear spring (top and bottom) to give it a little bit of a lift and make it look more balanced... mike |
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27th Jun 2019 11:59am |
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| Mike_E Member Since: 13 Apr 2017 Location: Aberdeenshire Posts: 161
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by the way - good lookign truck and nice rims. what make are they??
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27th Jun 2019 12:00pm |
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| Fred95 Member Since: 23 Oct 2011 Location: Gruenwald Posts: 9
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Mike,
thank you. The rims are Borbet CW-Design 8x16. Tyres (except the spare) are the brand new Pirelli Scorpion ATR Plus: https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-gb/car/fi...rrain-plus The spring isolators are installed both front and rear (like before). Yes, I could remove the front one, and add a second one in the rear - but this won't change a lot. We talk about an (estimated) 2-3" difference between front and rear now. Fred. |
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27th Jun 2019 12:24pm |
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| gtmotorsport Member Since: 29 Jun 2016 Location: Cornwall Posts: 97 
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I'm no suspension expert at all, but would go by the Gwyn Lewis method of measurement. This method rules out other factors like tyre pressures.
https://www.defender2.net/gallery/albums/u...rments.pdf |
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27th Jun 2019 1:56pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20430
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I haven’t read this thread in depth but I agree standard springs, even with isolators all around are slightly nose down. Mine is and isolators made up a little lift all around.
I don’t suppose those are 110 fronts and 90 rears? $W33T $0U7H3RN $UG4R 🇬🇧🏴🏴🏴🇮🇪🇺🇸⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰💪 Last edited by custom90 on 27th Jun 2019 4:18pm. Edited 1 time in total |
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27th Jun 2019 2:32pm |
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