Range Rover Classic (RRC) Self Leveling Suspension

[SeaRubi]

Looks like your question is already answered, so I will add an anecdote. Years ago, I met an Englishman who told me they would get a "field lift" on Range Rovers when they needed it by lowering the tailgate and bouncing up and down on it to pump up the self-leveling unit.

Also, our 93 Range Rover with air suspension was an order of magnitude better at self-leveling than our 89 Range Rover with coil springs and the Boge self-leveling unit.

same with my '94 LWB w/ air suspension. that thing never squatted.

Chris, have you thought about trying to adapt something from the guys at ORO with the AirRock system? It's expensive, but maybe a hybrid air suspension setup for the rear will come out around the same cost as trying to do some kind of fancy center-supported strut/spring thing, after parts, trail-and error and fabrication costs. just throwing ideas out there.

 

[Yorker]

most people just leave them in there and forget about them ... kind of like your appendix. A small percentage of folks who are installing a lift will uninstall the old one.

lifting the vehicle changes rate on the strut, for the worse, as I've been told. Some of the crazy SA guys have tried wedging a coil spring in it's place, as I recall from LRO threads years ago. Given that the expense for just the Boge unit is about the same as a nicely complete OME suspension, it's not popular to replace it and also have to shell out for new springs..

Maxidrive used to make an "Extended A-Frame Ball Joint" for the A frame and small lifts- http://mrautomotive.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=39 still has them.

I remember reading about replacing the Boge with the spring from the front of some Mazda 323, actually here:

I used both balls from the Boge unit.
The coil is from the front suspension of a Mazda 323 Hatch Back.
The coil should be long enough in its normal state to handle the full travel of the suspension and narrow enough to fit between the wishbones.
The top ball was screwed straight to the Mazda 323 front suspension top coil holder.
The bottom ball required some modification to accommodate a 50 mm extension on the bottom holding plate. The stud from the ball was removed and the ball was drilled and tap for a 10 mm bolt. Do not drill right through the ball.
The bottom coil holder is a 5 mm thick plate with a piece of pipe welded to it which is just smaller than the inside diameter of the coil. The height of the pipe is about 15 mm.
The coil is fixed to the bottom holder in the same manner as the suspension coils on the Range Rover. A piece of flat bar over the lower section of the coil. This is bolted to the lower plate. "

 

[I Leak Oil]

In the end I will finish my cabin controlled air springs inside the coils. The prototype version worked great.

I helped a friend of mine do this. Came out nice and works great. It's there when you need it and gone when you don't.

 

[SeaRubi]

Maxidrive used to make an "Extended A-Frame Ball Joint" for the A frame and small lifts- http://mrautomotive.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=39 still has them.

I remember reading about replacing the Boge with the spring from the front of some Mazda 323, actually here:

yorker, that indeed is the setup I'm remembering. very practical as a repair, maybe, but the ride with no load I can't imagine would be any better really than proper spring rates at the corners.

 

[Snagger]

I still have the BOGE strut on my RRC, but the previuous owner fitted police spec rear springs (heavy duty), which takes the load of the strut anyway. The ride is very comfortable and the tail is slightly elevated (only about 1/2", but enough to get rid of the ugly sag that makes the RRC always llok tired and down at heel).

The BOGE strut is a hydraulic unit that has an incorporated pump and some integral valves. The oscillations in the suspension work the strut and its pump. If the vehicle is riding at normal height, the valves will be open and the unit unpressurised, but if it's low, the pressure will apply an extending force to push down on the A-frame ball joint and axle. Beinga pressurised hydraulic cylinder, I'm not sure that would result in a very comfortable ride.

They are notorious for failing on older vehicles and are very expensive - enough that LR went over to EAS on the DII seven seaters instead of this. It's not something I'd recommend fitting - I'd go for stiffer springs.

 

[David Harris]

it's purpose is to support load without affecting articulation. The RRC has some of the best RTI #'s ever posted for a stock vehicle, due to the soft spring rates. The BOGE strut and the springs are all worn out by these days, though, so everbody just tosses them and puts on an OME kit which will still perform better under load, off-road and on than the stock setup.

Actually RTI tests have shown that the articulation of a Rover actually goes down from stock with an OME lift. The only reason to fit such a lift is to go with bigger tires for more ground clearance. For articulation, the softer the springs the better, as stock RR's have proven over and over again. The RR was unique in that it incorporated very soft springs for articulation (133 lbs front and 150 rear on 1992 and earlier). To keep load capacity, the Boge self leveling strut, and later air suspension was used. That's why the stock RR could beat a stock Disco on an RTI ramp, as well as OME lifted ones with stiffer springs. I'm planning on restoring the stock suspension on my RRC and then looking at longer shocks and extended shock mounts, and other mods to maximize the stock flex. It'll be interesting to see how good it can get without a lift. I have to admit that I'm pretty spoiled by the plush ride on my RRC versus my Discos. There's a thread going right now over on Dweb about fitting such a system to Disco's as well.