Which Lift Kit and are you happy with it?

[Mutz]

Ok i would like a new suspension set up, simple enough, ........................................NOT!!!
Not able to warrant a high end setup i.e. Old Man Emu etc.

So down to economy kits i.e. Brit part, bearmach, terrafirma.

Now i've read about all the horror stories different heights with same spring kits etc.

But what do you have, are you happy with it?

Did you buy one manufacturers springs and anothers shocks.

Appreciate your down to earth opinions to help me make my mind up.

Thanks Graham

[L90OOK]

Save up for OME you wont regret it...buy once!

[Range Rover Blues]

I think ours is Pro-Comp, the springs are blue and came from Simonites anyway.  They've been good but now the back end is a bit soft, especially when it's full of kit.  That said the truck is very heavy, almost fully loaded all the time and it has a LPG tank in the boot (behind the wheels).

The shocks are ProComp too at the back but for a change I tried DeCarbon at the front and they are every bit as good.  My LSE has Britpart Cellular on it, they are smoother on the road because the compression damping is lower.

I've fitted loads of ProComp and been happy with them, the biggest dissapointment is that the pistons always rust at the very top.  To prevent this I now cut the rubber boot in half so that it's just long enough to reach the body when the car is stood still.  That way no water can collect in there but it still protects the chrome from stone chips which I reckon causes most of the rust.  It's wroked so far.

So I'd recomend the ProComp springs and dampers (or DeCarbon dmapers) for off-road and either DeCarbon or Britpart for a smoother on-road car.

[clbarclay]

Tell us more about your 90 and what you do or want to do with it

Obviously price is important but what about road holding, towing, carry heavy loads, amount of time off roading etc.
It all affects what will be the best compromise for you as inevitably any suspension set up will be.

[zulublue]

Hi Graham,

This will probably end up been a long thread, as which suspension is best is an open ended question.

I use the Challenge kit which I had off David at Llama 4x4 (he will probably be along soon), I did mix it with some D44 OME Springs from devon4x4 as mentioned are worth the money cost me £289 for 4 springs for my TC IIRC and I used reverse cones from QT on the rear, I think for the money it is great value.

There are questions about the Rough Country shocks that David supplies regarding the shocks been soft I have to agree on road, there is a small difference from the OME I took off, even though the Rough Country shocks are harder to push in, so I don't know if it is the shocks or the change in the angle of the shock that alters the on road stability slightly, Off road they are truly awesome.

So you need to ask yourself how much on road to off road driving you are doing, I am not saying the Rough Country shocks are bad by any means, you just have to ease off the pedal in the corners a little more on tarmac, but if you are going to fit MT aggressive tyres that is not a bad thing anyway.

For my money LLama 4x4 or Gwyn Lewis wins it (practiaclly the same kit) but David will sell in parts.

There are many threads regarding this if you do a search on here, also this one on LR4x4.com might help.
http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=21264

Mark.

[Mutz]

I dont normally carry heavy loads or tow much, doesnt have to hold the road like a boy racers corsa etc.
I do expect a reasonable amount of comfort on and off road.
Dont want to use it as a challenge vehicle, but do expect it to perform well off road, pay and play & green lanes.
It will eventually have winch, snorkel diff guards etc. but as i can afford them.
Not decided on dislocation stuff yet, jury still out on that at the moment.

What about the Terrafirma 2" kit?

[zulublue]

I think www.llama4x4.co.uk should do just fine then, as for springs OME would be worth it but you cas try our the others if you wish for a lot cheaper.

Wait to see what advise other come up with and go from there.

[Muddy]

I like standard springs.

If you have a winch on the front then range rover police spec red/whites will give you a lift for about £50 for the four springs and you know they are of good quality.

If you want a good off road kit i would reccamend the llama 4x4 kit but with reverse relocation, this is quiter and much better.

Finaly why do you want a 2" lift? I see lots of people with one who dont actually need one, it doesnt increase your cround clearence, you are more unstable on side slopes, you dont need the clearence unless your running wide 33" tyres or larger, so do you just want it for the sake of it?

Personaly i'd save up for bigger tyres but thats just me.

Will.

[Disco 90 george]

I was going to post the same question in about two weeks time but you beat me to it. What one do i buy, lift or not to lift that is the first question !   :-k  40% off road 60% on  :-k Help !

[iomlr]

OME every time, only a few quid more that other makes but last 10 times longer and to be totally honest nothing else comes close!  :dance:

[muddysteve]

As has been said before go for landy springs

theyre nice and cheap/available in many different rates

mines running standard HD set up as it had from the factory with a set of munroe gas shocks and some 33.12.50.15s

[littlepow]

Had britpart +2" with Procomp dampers.
Found the spings were to soft on the road. Used to bottom out when I had camping gear in the back.  [-X
Also used to roll really badly when cornering, like a dinghy in a force 9 gail! :->

So binned them in favour of Old Man Emu, much better handling and isn't effected by having camping gear loaded in.

Would deff recommend using OME from the start, would have saved me a fair few pennies. :doh:

[L90OOK]

Make sure you get the proper poundage springs & some decent shocks.
I'd measure the four corners & call Devon 4x4 for advise.  They will almost certainly be able to advise you the best setup not only for you but to level the truck out too.  :D

[Porny]

Do you actually need a suspension lift??

Personally...
I've never found the need on my 90 to run anything other that standard height suspension, if you running standard size tyres (say 265x75x16 or similar) apart from a fractional improvement in ramp break over and approach/departure angles there really isn't that much to gain... apart from a reduction in handling and in theory a higher chance of roll over due to the higher centre of gravity.

If you fit oversize tyres then yes... but for most it's not needed.

Often people think they need to fit a lift kit to increase suspension articulation....  but this isn't case.

My 90 runs on standard 90 springs, but is fitted the QT weekend kit, so has different damper mounts, relocation cones and longer dampers (to name a few bits)

I have never found it to be lacking (far from it in fact)


Ian

[ragerover]

 O.M.E  as has been said before
but if your really rich the equipe gear is the [bauble]  plus a lot of people swear by scorpion  (copy of equipe)

but if you want a cheap and cheerfull set up heres a few ive used

pro- comp springs dampers and steering damper   ran on a 90 for 60 k miles no problem  good quality no leeks but crap powder coating on the springs  - direct from pro comp off roaded only a dozen times a year for 3 years

m+m 4x4  are doing a deal at the moment  4 shocks 4 springs 4 dislocation cones 2 webbbing straps for the rear
and 3 +2" goodrich hoses   these are pro comp shocks with brit part springs +2"  includes the plates for holding the springs down plus the bolts and a steering damper and all the boots

ive just helped a mate put them on his 90 i think it cost £325  posted  seemed good quality

cant get the link thing to work

ive no affilliation with any one

but it all depends on your budget and your frame of mind
only advice i can give is when you first start you buy the cheaper option as you dont think youll get into it as much but when you do you end up replacing it twice

also theres so many opinions out there when you startb out it fries your brain :lol:

[V8MoneyPit]

I will be using TerraFirma springs from the ever helpful Frogs Island and Rough Country dampers from the previously mentioned Llama 4x4... also an extremely helpful chap  :D I've also got his relocation cones/hooks for the rear.

Frogs Island offer both TerraFirma and OME. Had OME on the 110, but thought I'd play with something a bit different on the 90.

Since you are just down the road, you are more than welcome to come and help me bolt it together, Graham  :lol:

[Mutz]

Porny, articulation is what i was after and i guessed that with the lift this would help improve the overal effect, but it appears not then?

So change shocks & stick to LR suspension with out any lift at all?

Main reason for the information now, is a new chassis is on its way and i was going to replace the springs and shocks for new items.

At the moment it sits on 235/85r16 MT's, but would like to go 33/12.50r15 eventually.

Nice try Steve, but your further advanced in getting your 90 stripped for the new chassis than me. :oops:

[L90OOK]

Why do you want articulation?  Fit lockers...you'll go further 

[SteveG]

I have a TD5 Hardtop 90 running 255/85 16 BFG MT's (so ~33 1/2"). I tried Land Rover red/whites and DeCarbon +2", handling is too soft on road for me and if you don't have a winch up front it will lift it by 2.5". Great off road though ;) Shocks were great especially on road. So I changed out the springs for the Britpart 1.5" Heavy Duty ones. Handling on road was good and off road too. After using it more off-road, I found that the springs stiffness was stopping the suspension articulating at it's full potential...


So I tried the Devon 4x4 (OME specials) challenge springs. These sat level front to rear, great on road and off, but lift was just over 2".  I didn't need a lift that high and my front prop was vibrating due to greater angles caused by lift.

So I decided to solve it myself, and after looking through the LR range I found some springs of the right poundage and ones that I thought would make the 90 level. On paper anyway! :roll: These were..

    * NRC9448 Blue/Red 15.31" 225 lbs/inch on rear
    * NRC9449 Yellow/White 14.80" 225 lbs/inch on front

At the same time I changed out my devon 4x4 re-locators for X-Eng X-springs and my -2" shock mounts for the Gwyn Lewis Challenge set-up and this meant I needed longer shocks so I opted for the Rough Country Challenge shocks. The later two were supplied by David at Llama 4x4.

To have the rear level I turned the spring cups round on rear and fitted RR rubber isolators to top of spring. Turning the spring cup round also makes the X-spring seat well. I measured it all again to see what lift there was compared to when it was stock..


    RH Rear was 52.3cm now 54.8cm
    LH Rear was 50.4cm now 54.8cm


    RH Front was 52.3cm now 53.9cm
    LH Front was 51cm now 53.9cm

** all measurements are the lazy measurement of centre of hub to wheelarch, rather than the more accurate, but muddier one of bump stop to axle :roll:

So when empty it's sitting slightly higher at rear by about 1cm. It would be level if I took the isolator out, but I'm happy to leave it at that for when I'm carrying all the recovery gear etc. The lift is about an inch on the rear and is just over half an inch on the front compared to highest side when it was factory spec...


Here's a pic of the X-springs..




and the QT, kinked heavy duty rear radius arms..


I had to move my fuel filter as on the TD5 this gets in the way of the rear Gwyn Lewis mounts..




Here's the Rough Country shocks compared to the DeCarbon +2's..


Here's the front showing +2" mounts and rough country shocks..


I tried it without the dislocation cones to see if the spring would dislocate, and it did, so I put them back in..


Here's the rear travel..


The front won't travel as far due to the radius arms. Kinked arms won't increase this and the only way to get more travel up front is to move to a different set up like 3-Link etc.

I hope this helps

Steve

[V8MoneyPit]

Why do you want articulation?  Fit lockers...you'll go further 

Or you could go for both  ;) :D My ARB rebuilt rear diff arrived yesterday  :D

[Range Rover Blues]

SteveG, fascinating ;)

I have a question, you turned the spring seats upside down.  What stops the spring sliding off the spring seat? is it a part of the X-Eng system?

[Mutz]

SteveG, thats awesome and very interesting the sort of item i was hoping for; hopefully this thread will continue and be a good point of reference for others as well.
Perhaps i should have had the heading "What setup do you have and why?"

V8MP, ok ok, i am jealous but i cant justify spending all that as well as rebuilding, and running 2 Pajeros as well; especially as Wifes Paj has a rear air locker anyway.
But she wont let me have her's for off roading :'(

[SteveG]

SteveG, fascinating ;)

I have a question, you turned the spring seats upside down.  What stops the spring sliding off the spring seat? is it a part of the X-Eng system?

Sorry for delay, I've been away from Friday lunchtime onwards.

The spring retainer supplied with the X-Springs bolts down and holds everything in place.

Cheers

Steve

[drmike]

I'm with one or two others here and run standard LR springs but with +2" shocks just to get extra droop and rarely feel the need of more. I mainly compete in trials and I don't usually find those with lift kits get any further than I do. I did choose to fit the green stripe springs at the rear as they are a little softer I think and possibly +1" but I'm not sure. I actually took some terrible lift kit off the 90 when I bought it and once I got the standard springs on with the +2" pro comps it worked very well indeed and continues to do so.

Then again I'm obviously a muppet as I took a snorkel off (I should want a wet bum?) and bought a Tirfor winch!

Keep your money in your pocket!

Mike

[Rasbo]

I bought a 3 inch lift kit off of  M&M 4x4, but requested slightly softer springs, don't know the part numbers off hand (think bearmach tho) but they flex really well.  With it came +3inch ProComps and so far the dampings been spot on.  Lengthened and cranked the rear arms myself (tape measure and pythagoros works well). Dropped the rear shock mounts by 1 inch. Fabricated some rear dislocation cones with some steel rod and 5mm plate.  Havent bothered much with the front for the same reason as stated earlier (limited by castor arms).  In my opinion its not bad for the money spent (no more than £350) and if i did decide to change any thing it would prob be for a 3link or x-eng spring.  Oh and my neighbors had 2 Scorpion coils snap on him while just driving along so i'd stay away from them.

[boss]

I have a TD5 Hardtop 90 running 255/85 16 BFG MT's (so ~33 1/2"). I tried Land Rover red/whites and DeCarbon +2", handling is too soft on road for me and if you don't have a winch up front it will lift it by 2.5". Great off road though ;) Shocks were great especially on road. So I changed out the springs for the Britpart 1.5" Heavy Duty ones. Handling on road was good and off road too. After using it more off-road, I found that the springs stiffness was stopping the suspension articulating at it's full potential...


So I tried the Devon 4x4 (OME specials) challenge springs. These sat level front to rear, great on road and off, but lift was just over 2".  I didn't need a lift that high and my front prop was vibrating due to greater angles caused by lift.

So I decided to solve it myself, and after looking through the LR range I found some springs of the right poundage and ones that I thought would make the 90 level. On paper anyway! :roll: These were..

    * NRC9448 Blue/Red 15.31" 225 lbs/inch on rear
    * NRC9449 Yellow/White 14.80" 225 lbs/inch on front

At the same time I changed out my devon 4x4 re-locators for X-Eng X-springs and my -2" shock mounts for the Gwyn Lewis Challenge set-up and this meant I needed longer shocks so I opted for the Rough Country Challenge shocks. The later two were supplied by David at Llama 4x4.

To have the rear level I turned the spring cups round on rear and fitted RR rubber isolators to top of spring. Turning the spring cup round also makes the X-spring seat well. I measured it all again to see what lift there was compared to when it was stock..


    RH Rear was 52.3cm now 54.8cm
    LH Rear was 50.4cm now 54.8cm


    RH Front was 52.3cm now 53.9cm
    LH Front was 51cm now 53.9cm

** all measurements are the lazy measurement of centre of hub to wheelarch, rather than the more accurate, but muddier one of bump stop to axle :roll:

So when empty it's sitting slightly higher at rear by about 1cm. It would be level if I took the isolator out, but I'm happy to leave it at that for when I'm carrying all the recovery gear etc. The lift is about an inch on the rear and is just over half an inch on the front compared to highest side when it was factory spec...


Here's a pic of the X-springs..




and the QT, kinked heavy duty rear radius arms..


I had to move my fuel filter as on the TD5 this gets in the way of the rear Gwyn Lewis mounts..




Here's the Rough Country shocks compared to the DeCarbon +2's..


Here's the front showing +2" mounts and rough country shocks..


I tried it without the dislocation cones to see if the spring would dislocate, and it did, so I put them back in..


Here's the rear travel..


The front won't travel as far due to the radius arms. Kinked arms won't increase this and the only way to get more travel up front is to move to a different set up like 3-Link etc.

I hope this helps

Steve

i have the same set up as this on my disco. it is a bloody good set up, not the cheapest but you buy cheap you buy twice. scorpion racing springs are rubbish, if you want a lift buy OME of you really dont want to spend £230 on springs procomp make a good spring  just make sure you get your spring rates right . speak to david at llama4x4 he seems to know whats what
sorry if i have repeated what anyone has said but this was a really long thread and its 9:50 and i really couldnt be botherd