↓ Advertise on Defender2 ↓

Home > Td5 > Suspension replacement
Post Reply  Down to end
Page 1 of 1
Print this entire topic · 
mark1200



Member Since: 09 Oct 2011
Location: peterborough
Posts: 64

England 2004 Defender 90 Td5 HT Caledonian Blue
Suspension replacement
i am looking to replace my springs and dampers i don't want an lift kit just keep everything standard. genuine is looking over £700 and the cheap kits are around £250 but there "Britpart" so i am a bit wary lol. But the britpart kit comes with everything but is it too cheap ? has any one use the cheap kits and what did you think of them ?
Post #916758 13th Aug 2021 2:49pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
markb110



Member Since: 22 May 2010
Location: Guildford
Posts: 2506

England 2002 Defender 90 Td5 HT Epsom Green
Start with Gwyn Lewis 4x4.

You will regret going cheap. He will be happy to talk to you over the phone and tell you what you will need for your set up and requirements. Don’t just look at the internet and get the credit card out, easy to do, easy to make a mistake.

It’s sometimes the little things that get forgotten, ie turret retainers. The standard ones tend to break when taking the nuts off( assuming that they have not been changed before).

Get the set up right and it will be a joy to drive.

Good luck.
Post #916762 13th Aug 2021 2:56pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
geobloke



Member Since: 06 Nov 2012
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 4348

United Kingdom 
I cannot recommend Old Man Emu springs and shocks highly enough, worth every penny.

What Defender do you have?

Check out Red90 for spring specs http://www.red90.ca/rovers/springinfo.html and don't be tempted to go heavy duty if you do not need to.

I have had Gwyn's extreme syuspension kit and a 2" lift kits fitted to my 110 and data to day driving they behave in a very similar way. Off road however where keeping all four wheels on the ground is preferable the extreme kit is just incredible, league of its own.
Post #916769 13th Aug 2021 3:41pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
mark1200



Member Since: 09 Oct 2011
Location: peterborough
Posts: 64

England 2004 Defender 90 Td5 HT Caledonian Blue
i have a 90 with standard suspension and i find its good enough for off roading. But after 17 years everything is a bit worn out and i have the truck leaning to the passenger side, so time for a refresh but its 2 votes against the britpart kit. I just wondered if anyone who has the britpart kit could give and honest opinion ? But i have heard the old saying "by Britpart and buy twice"
Post #916770 13th Aug 2021 3:46pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
geobloke



Member Since: 06 Nov 2012
Location: Nottinghamshire
Posts: 4348

United Kingdom 
Well I will add another 2p worth in then. I did have a Britpart set of springs in my old 90 and they were good, apart from quite a bit of sagging and the plastic coating falling off I have no complaints. The OME springs just feel better.

It is worth saying that if you are going to replace the springs and shocks it would be a really good idea to add a new set of bushes to the list at the same time. Providing they haven't been changed in a while as well of course.

If you want recommendations for bushes, I am SuperPro through and through... Again, worth every penny. Thumbs Up
Post #916771 13th Aug 2021 3:52pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
Green Machine



Member Since: 19 Nov 2010
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 1226

United Kingdom 2005 Defender 90 Td5 CSW Tonga Green
As Mark B has said, this is an absolute minefield and extremely easy to get wrong. It is well worth consulting someone who knows what they're talking about or has first-hand experience of different setups. And being clear about what you are wanting to achieve.

Personally I wouldn't buy anything made by Britpart. Everything I have had from them has been utter junk.

For road use in a lightly-loaded 90, I personally think the Alive comfort springs take a lot of beating, and several others have said the same. I have them fitted with Koni Heavy Track adjustable shocks (fitted years ago, before the Alive springs). I plan to swap the Koni's out for standard shocks, but have never got round to it. The Koni's are OTT for my use and if anything are making the ride harsher than it needs to be, even with the Alive progressive springs.

My only caveat to this is recent posts about 90's not sitting level with the latest Alive springs (the standard height version). I don't know the reasoning behind this, so can't really comment. I have the original Alive springs with the 1" drop, fitted with isolators top and bottom (to make up for some of the drop) and mine sits completely level.

Keep in mind that anything 'upgrade' or 'heavy duty' in terms of suspension is generally designed with weight and heavy off-road use in mind. As such, fitting anything along these lines to a road-going unladen Defender just results in a hard / choppy ride. The absolute key is getting the right setup for your use. Road use in a lightly-loaded vehicle is entirely different to heavy off-road use in a heavily loaded one, and the two require totally different setups. 2005 Td5 | 90 Station Wagon | Tonga Green
Post #916774 13th Aug 2021 4:24pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
mark1200



Member Since: 09 Oct 2011
Location: peterborough
Posts: 64

England 2004 Defender 90 Td5 HT Caledonian Blue
I would be happy to just replace genuine like for like but the green oval tax makes it expensive lol so as just suspected "brtipart" is a false economy but the choice for aftermarket parts is vast so it's finding what's best for me. So I am leaning towards something that as close as possible to the standard oem kit.
Post #916802 13th Aug 2021 7:16pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
kenzle8a



Member Since: 12 Feb 2020
Location: None
Posts: 1074

 
I'd have an e-bay hunt for some newer take off springs (theres a load about as i got a set of newish Puma ones for my TD5 then spend the rest on some decent shocks (Fox or Bilstein), I have B6's as I couldn't afford the Fox's and they are decent for the money.
Post #916806 13th Aug 2021 7:27pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
LandymanStefan



Member Since: 30 Aug 2017
Location: Surrey
Posts: 860

England 2001 Defender 90 Td5 SW Epsom Green
As above. New take off springs are your best bet.
Post #916825 13th Aug 2021 9:03pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
4RF RDS



Member Since: 19 Jul 2015
Location: Ottawa
Posts: 890

Canada 2000 Defender 110 Td5 XS CSW Epsom Green
OEM or genuine are best best. Land Rover actually knew what they were doing with suspension. My originals lasted 180,000 Thumbs Up

Good luck. 2010 Range Rover MkIII Autobiography Super Charged (Idris)
2003 Range Rover Mk III (Desmond FitzWilliam)
2000 Defender 110 CSW TD5 (CTX)
1992 Range Rover Classic (Lizzy)
1972 Series III 300 Tdi (Stanwood)
1967 MGB GT

Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
Post #917060 15th Aug 2021 12:04pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
kaney



Member Since: 01 Oct 2018
Location: Bolton
Posts: 232

United Kingdom 2005 Defender 90 Td5 CSW Epsom Green
https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic79492.html
For sale on here if it's what you want
Post #917104 15th Aug 2021 6:18pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
Jimb1978



Member Since: 05 Sep 2012
Location: Huddersfield
Posts: 804

England 2002 Defender 110 Td5 Black LE Java Black
Give Twisted a call. I got a genuine take off set from them. I can’t remember exactly how much I paid but I’m pretty sure it was less than £200. This was a few years ago mind 2002 110 td5
Post #917300 16th Aug 2021 6:39pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Reply with quote
jcw



Member Since: 11 Sep 2016
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 138

United Kingdom 2007 Defender 90 Puma 2.4 HT Stornoway Grey
I’m selling the shocks, springs, turret rings, isolators etc per the link above - I just checked what I paid for the 4x genuine take-off shocks & steering damper from Twisted, £180.

Here’s a link, although they’re showing as out of stock at the moment (I believe LR Motors is a subsidiary of Twisted)

https://www.lrmotors.co.uk/products/performance-handling

Thumbs Up
Post #917304 16th Aug 2021 7:06pm
View user's profile Send private message View poster's gallery Post Reply
Post Reply  Back to top
Page 1 of 1
All times are GMT

Jump to  
Previous Topic | Next Topic >
Posting Rules
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum



Site Copyright © 2006-2024 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis
DEFENDER2.NET RSS Feed - All Forums