Best Defender 110 Pothole Set-up

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DougNC

New member
First of all I am new to the forum and new to Defender ownership. I have a 1985 110 fitted with mostly 1995 parts and accessories, 300tdi engine, Disco-donor auto gearbox, RHD one on the way from an importer in the UK. It should be here in a couple more weeks.

I'm sure I will be asking some pretty amateurish questions, but bear with me, I'll get it figured out soon or later.

I know that the suspension will need to be rebuilt when I get the vehicle. My question is what is the best suspension set-up for driving through potholes? I'm planning to eventually use the vehicle in an area of Costa Rica that is riddled with them (Potholes to Paradise). I don't plan to do a lot of rock crawling or other extreme uses but there are a lot of potholes, deep and frequent!
What are the best shocks, springs, lift kit and height, tires, wheels, steering damper, bushings,etc for this form of daily driving? I will have a roof rack installed on the vehicle but mostly medium duty kind of weight loads.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
:costumed-smiley-007
 
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DougNC

New member
Potholes Everywhere

Thanks but I don't know if you have any idea of just how many potholes there are on the Guanacaste side of paradise. Adjusting your driving style and stock everything doesn't seem like the best solution.
 
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SeaRubi

SeaRubi

Explorer
I'd suggest a tallish 3~4" lift, some rocking bumpstops - maybe the Fox ones, and careful shock placement - 60% uptravel, 40% down. you're into some arithmetic and getting creative to mount a decent shock in there beyond the bog standard OME's.

I would not go with Bilstein 7100's again, personally, due to the heim mount. The 5100 with attached body reservoir and a proper rubber bush would be adequate in my opinion. OME's LTR shocks are probably a good bet but I've not researched the lengths and mounting styles of that range.

You're looking at some custom work. Your kung **** search needs to be mastered to learn all you can about the various nits with mounting eye/eye shocks vs. the post based shocks that rover uses.

On my old RRC with 10" travel 7100's, custom mounts, and 255/85's I could sink the tire nearly to the hub at speed (40'ish) and it'd bounce out without upsetting the truck much. The stock radius arms are very, very strong on the Rover. Retain that configuration for high speed work (i.e. no 3-link).

On mine we (I had some excellent help from a machinist friend) were careful to position the shocks for about 60% uptravel and 40% down. It can be done but it takes some craftiness. Also, you're going to need some tubular shock towers and ditch the stock ones as they'll deform very badly. My modified stock towers had deformed such that almost 1/2" peeking through between the bolts on the mating surface after fitting new grade 8 hardware to re-attach them.

Access to a forklift or a concrete loading ramp will be necessary to measure your travel range after the new springs, and also to check your setup for bind after bolting everything together.

sorry to be kind of vague; hopefully this gives you some general ideas to come back with more specific questions.

cheers,
-ike
 
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DougNC

New member
OME LTR's

I'm researching the LTR's now. Like what I've read so far. I've got the math and a forklift (tractor with a front end loader) but the stuff in between has still got me confused a bit. I'm still new.

What tower's would you suggest? Springs to go with the LTR's vs. 5100?

Doug
 
David Harris

David Harris

Expedition Leader
SeaRubi

SeaRubi

Explorer
oryxexpeditions said:
From what SeaRubi is suggesting check out Rovertym engineering adjustable towers.

http://www.rovertym.com/index.php?p...tegory_id=17&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=119

David
Click to expand...

Yeah - those look darn nice!

One thing I failed to mention about the 5100's - don't order these off the shelves willy nilly. Call a supplier that has factory access and be able to provide them with the front/rear weights of your vehicle and the type of terrain and speeds you're expecting to encounter. The factory in LA can custom valve the 5100 out the door to you, or the supplier can match something on the shelf that's close. When I was shopping for mine I found Shaffer's to be the most helpful.

http://www.shaffersoffroad.com/site/contact-us/

Another good source for suspension parts and shocks is Polyperformance. I've had good luck with them in the past.

http://polyperformance.com/shop/home.php

Also, let me back up on my statement about the 7100's - I always forget that Craig had found some clever way to re-bush his shocks that obviated the need to keep replacing the HEIM joints with street use. Hopefully he'll pipe in with his trick. The big advantage of the 7100's is that they're fully rebuildable and can be custom valved to your application. LWG has his tech article up on his site for revalving them on his site at Columbia Overland:

http://www.columbiaoverland.com/tech/

I assume you're reading up on dampening and rebound and all kinds of other technical junk about suspension. I just want to point out that suspension components offer a real deep lake to jump overboard into and spend a ton of money. I used to wish that I'd just put on some OME's and called it a day. It could be that a set of these new OME "Sport" shocks with some good bump stops could be perfectly adequate. At the worst, you bolt it all on and try it for a week or two and then sell them to finance for something bigger and badder.

cheers
-ike
 
craig

craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Yep, the 7100s with Prothane Poly bushings are really plush. Just remove the two snap rings and the heim joint itself, then slip the poly bushings in with a little soapy water.

I picked up mine from eShocks.com. There are a couple different part numbers depending on the diameter of the bolt going through the mounting eye.

Prothane polyurethane heim joint replacement bushings:
19-920-BL or 19-919-BL (1/2" bolts)


The best way to take the sting out of potholes is to air down your tires. To air down, you'll want a taller (not wider) tire. Air down to between 20-25psi and the washboard, potholes, and everything else will feel much much nicer.

On the springs/shocks, you are going to want pretty soft springs. HD springs are stiffer and will just make the ride worse. Most first time suspension upgraders make the mistake of thinking the "more heavy duty" the better. The stiffer springs are for increasing your load carrying capacity. If you put a super stiff spring on there, and don't load up the truck with gear, you might as well submit your name for a liver donor list now. :)

Craig
 
A

AxeAngel

Expedition Leader
Rovertym is also in Durham which should be fairly close to you. They are attached to roverautomotive. Jordan or Larry might also be able to steer you on the right direction regarding suspension.

If you do head over there check out the red d90 they are building. Amazing what 80k can do.

-Sam
 
Maryland 110

Maryland 110

Adventurer
Doug since you are in NC I would suggest talking to RoverTym Engineering in the Durham area (can't hurt) as suggested above. The company just changed hands again (Jordan left)and I'm not sure if they are the same great made in the USA quality they were before. They were making a killer 3 inch progressive spring that everyone was raving about on the front of 110's. Ditto on ditching the weldment stock shock towers. I have seen the tops blow right out of them.
 
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ersatzknarf

ersatzknarf

lost, but making time
This is great stuff about the 7100s, thanks ! ! !
We had 5100s and they were much too soft.
Upgrading to the 7100s helped a lot.
This bushing mod is very handy !

As long as we are sharing about the 7100s, I highly recommend hitting the bodies with a really good clear coat or just painting them. If you are anywhere near inclement weather, they get nasty looking very fast :smilies27

"soft springs / firm shocks" that is the (classic) Lotus way, too ;)


craig said:
Yep, the 7100s with Prothane Poly bushings are really plush. Just remove the two snap rings and the heim joint itself, then slip the poly bushings in with a little soapy water.

I picked up mine from eShocks.com. There are a couple different part numbers depending on the diameter of the bolt going through the mounting eye.

Prothane polyurethane heim joint replacement bushings:
19-920-BL or 19-919-BL (1/2" bolts)


The best way to take the sting out of potholes is to air down your tires. To air down, you'll want a taller (not wider) tire. Air down to between 20-25psi and the washboard, potholes, and everything else will feel much much nicer.

On the springs/shocks, you are going to want pretty soft springs. HD springs are stiffer and will just make the ride worse. Most first time suspension upgraders make the mistake of thinking the "more heavy duty" the better. The stiffer springs are for increasing your load carrying capacity. If you put a super stiff spring on there, and don't load up the truck with gear, you might as well submit your name for a liver donor list now. :)

Craig
Click to expand...
 
craig

craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
The new 7100s come clear coated from the factory. Like you, I had older 7100s and had to hit mine with a clear coat (after removing all the surface rust that had accumulated).
 
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