derbywill wrote:

Hi All,
Currently working on the wifes 2002 110 and have the engine, wings and front axle out so I can replace the cracked o/s/f upper spring seat and paint the chassis, oh also a small bulkhead repair.

Which got me thinking I want to sort the suspension out, it currently has dual shocks all round (OME) with lowered front turrets, extended bump stops, QT arms front and rear. The rear springs have spacers under them.
It has a lift but I'm unsure of the height, it also has the extended arches.
Our intention is to do touring with (NC500 etc) and abit of daily driving when I'm working on my 90, so want some road manners, but also want the green laneing ability.

So what +2" springs would you recommend, it will be heavy, as it has a front winch and full Safety devices roll cage with roof rack and tent. Am I best to keep dual shocks or go down to singles?
There is currently no anti roll bars on it, I was thinking of fitting a front standard bar and possibly a X Eng x-deflex rear bar which can be disconnected.
The body work has been modfied for the 35" tyres and I'd like to keep them as they look cool, In my eyes anyway.
Sorry about all the questions just want to get peoples views on a set up.

Cheers

Will

derbywill wrote:

Hi All,
Currently working on the wifes 2002 110 and have the engine, wings and front axle out so I can replace the cracked o/s/f upper spring seat and paint the chassis, oh also a small bulkhead repair.

Which got me thinking I want to sort the suspension out, it currently has dual shocks all round (OME) with lowered front turrets, extended bump stops, QT arms front and rear. The rear springs have spacers under them.
It has a lift but I'm unsure of the height, it also has the extended arches.
Our intention is to do touring with (NC500 etc) and abit of daily driving when I'm working on my 90, so want some road manners, but also want the green laneing ability.

So what +2" springs would you recommend, it will be heavy, as it has a front winch and full Safety devices roll cage with roof rack and tent. Am I best to keep dual shocks or go down to singles?
There is currently no anti roll bars on it, I was thinking of fitting a front standard bar and possibly a X Eng x-deflex rear bar which can be disconnected.
The body work has been modfied for the 35" tyres and I'd like to keep them as they look cool, In my eyes anyway.
Sorry about all the questions just want to get peoples views on a set up.

Cheers

Will

Hi Will. You have a lot going on here mate. LEt's start with a 2002 110 is a great base vehicle. I presume yours still has the salisbury rear axle?

I am going to say that for what you want to do (NC500 etc) you do not need anything more than a 31-33" tyre. The only reason to go up to a 35" tyre is because you like the look as the negatives for long distance travel out-weigh the positives in terms of driving comfort, MPG and mechanical sympathy. Again, if you just want 35" that is completely up to you.

As a comparison I have a 2003 110 CSW with a full SD roll cage, expedition rack and front winch. A decent set of Old Man Emu +2" springs and shocks, 32" tyres, super pro bushes, standard LR front anti roll bar and an X-Eng X-Deflex anti roll bar. With this setup Miffy handles beautifully in all conditions that the UK can throw at a Defender, whether that is fast road, back roads or green lanes.

I do not know you from Adam so apologies if this is preaching... 2" lowered shock mounts were a phase many years ago prior to the +5" shocks coming onto the market. They were a bad idea then (limiting upward wheel articulation) and they still are. The reason they became popular is that they were a cheap method of getting +2" axle droop and it looked great, but the lack of upward axle flex led to instability in cross axle situations, raised centre of gravity.

There is absolutely no need for twin shocks unless you are planning on going somewhere hot with a lot of corrugations. Trust me when I say that the higher you go the worse back roads become. If it is long haul trips you have on your mind then the priorities need to be quietness, comfort, storage and fuel efficiency. Nothing ruins a good drive out than droning exhaust, wandering steering, hard suspension, badly thought out storage and awful fuel efficiency.

As far as tyre go, yes back to the rubber, it is often more important what type of tyre you fit and its tread pattern than the overall size of the tyre. For example, I would prefer a 31" tall 3 peaks rated AT tyre than a 33" MT tyre because >80% of my touring is done on road and all year around. So decent road handling in all conditions is significantly more import than tyre size. On that note I am big enough to admit that I made a mistake with my current tyre choice (285/75/16 BFG AT KO2), the right tyre but absolutely the wrong tyre size, way to wide for what I need. Should have stuck with 235/85/16. Anyway, that is my experience and lesson learnt.

For what you want to do I would be thinking of carbon copying the setup Miffy has, you would not be disappointed. Especially when it comes to the X-Deflex... Excellent bit of kit when you have a roll cage.

For reference this is what the above setup looks like in the flesh:


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Quote:

Thanks for your comments so far.

The vehicle had the 35" tyres, suspension extended arches already when purchased it so wanted to set it up for our use.
Geobloke, no it has the later short nose rover axle in, and also it has air diff locks front and rear. and I am putting in super pro bushes. who are the goto suppliers for OME springs?
I did think the dual shocks all round will just be too much!

Ideally I would like to keep a wide tyre as I don't really want to take off the extended arches as it will leave the holes behind.

With a 2" lift I'm ok to keep the QT 3degree arms (from what I've been reading it should be ok)

Cheers

Will

Ah yes, the Bond Spectre Defender has a lot to answer for. So many cut panels and extended eye brows. Hey -ho. You can always go backwards later on.

The best place to get the OME springs and shocks happens to be Island 4x4 at present, they do good web exclusives. But... Shop around...

What I will say is do not go for the 500lb OME rear springs (2754) they are way too hard for what you need. I did originally but it was like riding on bricks and you'll not get any articulation. Super heavy duty springs. The less rated 300lb springs are perfect for a tent and roll cage plus gear.

the QT 3 degree arms are fine for the +2" spring lift. I used to run with these back in the day, but reverted to standard radius arms later on.

So you have a very similar aged vehicle to mine, a 52 plate with the P38 rear diff. Lockers as well... Blimey... Well kitted out for sure. Dual shocks also used to be a big deal with heavily loaded vehicles, but shock technology has come a long long way since then and with the advent of remote reservoir units the need for dual shocks has kind of gone the way of -2" upper shock mounts

What tyres do you have fitted?