Road Manners (Handling question)

[sulley]

Morning all.  

Was driving home from Ashford (Kent) on Friday when I overtook a couple of HGVs on the M20, twas a bit windy and my 200Tdi took a slap from the air buffering as I passed the front of the HGVs. The handling went a bit wishy washy, and dropped my confidence momentarily in the handling.

I was having a think about the suspension etc needing a overhaul (replacing) and wondered if this could be anything to do with the handling.

My Disco is a L Reg (Disco 1) with somewhere over 155500 miles on it.  I think it's got the original suspension and think this might be on it's last legs.

Planning on having a major service carried out in Jan and will get the suspension sorted then, any suggestions one what I can replace it with. Max lift would be 1", as yet I haven't been off road and for the immeadiate future (work commitments) have no plans to get dirty!!

Should I also be looking at replacing all the bushes and front and rear anti roll bars??

Sorry it's a long old post, but couldn't think how to shorten it!!

On another thing where do I get some of those roof lights and bars??

[Les Brock]

Hi,

Yep,  if its all wishy washy your bushes... all of them not just the anti roll bar ones could well be beyond their best so investigation is required/reccomended, your springs "could" be getting tired as well
My Disco has a 2 inch lift and no anti roll bars fitted at all and I have no trouble :D

I did however fit polybushes at the same time as fitting the lift

Lesmond

[Sharpshooter]

Hi Mate. I live about ten minutes from Ashford. Should have popped in and tried my 1992 Disco with polybushes all roung, and de-carbon shocks. Makes a hell of a difference. I can keep up with most round the windy lanes out here nmo probs. Offers there if you about this way again.

But well worth the conversion. :)

[Colin 009]

Hi have a look in the for sale section, Matt H has a light bar for sale.

[Henry Webster]

If good tarmac behaviour is the most important thing for you, then I would not be looking to lift the car.

But as has already been said - bushes (all of them) are the most likely culprit, followed by shockers/tyre pressures etc...

If you do go for a lift and replace springs/shocks and bushes then it will probably be immeasurably improved.  If you do the same without lifting it'll be even better!

H

[petergalileo]

As a comparison mine has a 2 inch lift but is still on its original rubber bushes and mine too is "wishy washy" specially when overtaking large lorries at speed.

Peter

[Wanderer]

Polybushes and Decarbon Gas dampers seem to help with mine.

[Range Rover Blues]

I'd go for Pro-Comp from explorer as they have a better warranty, on the road they don't seem any different from the DeCarbon, both are good.  I've just ordered 4 +1" for £132 delivered as they are having a bit of an offer up to christmas, free next day delivery!

Springs are a matter of choice, new ones would be a little stiffer but unless you uprate them the new ones will soon be as soft.  If you aren't off roading, don't lift it.

The Panhard rod and rear A frame are the worst culprits for bad handling/steering but I like the feel of a fully polubushed car, I'm confident in ours for handling even though it's heavily modified.  I havn't done the ARBs yet but I do have a twin rear ARB to cope with the LPG tanks/dogs/trailer.

Tyres, may sound daft buty I binned a set of Pirelli scorpions for a set of General Ameri, which I thought were budget tyres, and I can hardly believe how much better the car is for new boots.  This is on a stock 3.9 auto without ARB and standard dampers (until those ProComp arrive).  I also run the back ones a little hard to keep the handling 'dull' if you like, but the Generals don't like to be too hard, try altering the pressures a little, remember that the handbook pressure is for when the tyres are at 20 degrees celcius, a bit hard to achieve around christmas