Air springs getting hard??

[Jonny Boaterboy]

I have just put a southdown detachable tow hitch and tank guard on my Range Rover and ever since have found that the suspension seems to have gone hard..... By this I mean every time I go over a bump or pot hole it does'nt absobe the shocks but sort of crashes over them transmiting loads of vibration to the vehicle and dash. It may be completely unrelated to fitting the tow hitch. It's kind of similar to when you are in high on the Air suspension and things get a little less comfortable due to the increase pressure in the springs. Can the rubber in the air springs cause this due to them getting old and less supple?

What do you think?

Thanks all

Jonny

[Range Rover Blues]

Probably got something to do witht he extra 36kg of metal you just bolted right out the back of the car Johhny, the Southdown is a heavy bit of kit so the pressure in the air springs will be higher to keep the ride height the same.  Either that or something you have done has bypassed the insulating rubbers on the body mounts.

As an aside you should not be getting a harder ride in high profile unless the ride height has been lifted and the shocks are reaching the end of their travel, if anything it should get softer in high.

[Jonny Boaterboy]

Right on all accounts RRB, I have lifted the ride hight on high by quite a bit so I expected the ride to be alot harder and have less articulation. And I see where you are coming from with the extra weight of the guard but I didn't experience this feeling when heavily loaded up with camping and holiday gear?

which body mounts could have been affected?

Could the shocks be causing the problems? getting old stiffing up a bit?

thanks for the advice....

Jonny

 

[Bowie]

Are you sure the shocks aren't bottoming out?

[Jonny Boaterboy]

I dont think they are as it happens over relatively small bumps?

[Range Rover Blues]

If you have lifted the ride height then the shocks will be over extending, try lowering it back to the factory setting.

I'd look at the condition of the rear crossmemeber inside the rear isolation bushes, body corrosion will make any crashing sound worse oddly enough, also check the condition of the rear floor above the under-floor crossmembers.  Yours will have the chassis brackets welded on (the earlier ones were bolted and adjustable), make sure they are still hard up against the crossmember or the floor will not be supported.

If you've got loads of camping gear I'd strongly suggest you check your axle loading, the LSE can weigh slightly more than the 100 inch using the same componenets so you have a slight margin of error but be careful you don't go too far.

The EAS is definitely best using the factory settings, if it gets stuck in High it will raise up to the top of the shock, evening out ground pressurer to restore grip if you are cross-axled, but the ride quality is shocking (pardon the pun).

Unless you fit longer air bags that is ;)

[Jonny Boaterboy]

It was the shocks/dampers, I have just fitted some bilsteines and it has sorted it out, I think the rubbers were on the way out on the shocks I had.... but a good excuses to get some new bilsteines  :D

thanks all for your help