How do you know if you need new coils and struts?

3583 Views 15 Replies 7 Participants Last post by rockinryan96, May 17, 2013

JDiscOwner97

Discussion Starter · Apr 29, 2013

I have a 97 D1 v8 4.0, has about 128k on it. How do I know if I need new coils and/or struts? This is my first SUV, so I'm not sure how much body roll is normal. I really don't bottom out as I'm gentle on driving it. I have stock height. I don't off road yet, but I do plan to in the near future. If I do need new struts and/or coils, any brand recommendations would be appreciated.

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John C

· #2 · Apr 29, 2013

JDiscOwner97 said:
I have a 97 D1 v8 4.0, has about 128k on it. How do I know if I need new coils and/or struts? This is my first SUV, so I'm not sure how much body roll is normal. I really don't bottom out as I'm gentle on driving it. I have stock height. I don't off road yet, but I do plan to in the near future. If I do need new struts and/or coils, any brand recommendations would be appreciated.

You don't have struts on your LR and it would be almost impossible to bottom out your truck unless you are jumping sand dunes or racing in the Dakar.

You have 4 coil springs and 4 shock absorbers. If your truck is sgging then you need new coils. if you hear a thump when driving over bumps then you need new shocks.

Most of the folks on this board will tell you to get OME springs, I personally don't like thm since they are hard.

I've had Big Blue, OME, RTE, SR and even my own brand on my trucks and I still prefer the SR or my own springs. I have a nice ride and plenty of flex with my springs.

As far as shocks go, Bilstein are pretty tough and so are the OMEs. I have Koni Heavy Tracks on my RR and Oram on my DI. I have Bilstein on my other DI but would like to try the Terrafirma shocks.

If I were you I would try a set of TF coils and shocks as your first suspension upgrade. Just my opinion.

rockinryan96

· #3 · May 6, 2013

need, i cant say for sure as i havent driven it and haven't seen it, but a 16 yr old truck with almost 130000 miles on it has had around 3tons of truck on top of it for 16 years so and taken the brunt of the force of every bump and pothole and trail its ever driven on for 128xxx miles, imo the sooner you replace your springs and shocks the more you'll enjoy driving it. the body roll for its weight, axle width, and roof height is not horrible all things considered its no car but it could be much much worse the aluminum body and overkill sized frame really help to keep most of the weight low. that said i've had 2 D1's one with stock suspension and one with ironman springs and shocks that give it a 3" lift and theres a noticeable improvement in handling and cornering with the ironmans despite sitting 4.5 inches higher with the lift and 32" tires. also if you're planing on offroading i'd recomend removing the air dam on the front bumper and triming the end caps to increase your aproach angle and its also a free easy way to make it look more utilitarian. also if you have running boards take them off before you hit any real trails they reduce ground clearance and make discos look like minivans IMO. good luck and congrats on your first suv and land rover, get your self a good set of wrenches pliars screwdrivers, a shop jack, and some jackstands because that land rover will make a mechanic out of you quick.

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JDiscOwner97

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 8, 2013

John thank you, I will look into TF for shocks and coils for my first upgrade. Ryan, thank you as well you make a good point for enjoying the vehicle.

I've already bought a set of jack stands and tools, slowly but surely working on Disco Mike's list. Definetly enjoying that process of learning. Most Recently did the brakes.

My next question than with suspension is what is the maximum lift I can do with shock and coil upgrade without any special fabrication. That is with the stock wheels. I have to figure out a way to pitch bigger wheels as a necessity to the wife.

Disco Mike

· #5 · May 9, 2013

Everyone has their own opinion on what suspensions to use. T.F. is a big seller cause they are very cheap, not all that good.
If you are planning on only driving on the streets, they might be OK, but if you want a good suspension, like your Iron Man, either go with them or OME.
There have been a number of people over the last 8 ot 10 months on 3 different Rover forums, that have remove their T.F. suspensions, replaced them with ONE and have tried to sell the T.F. for what ever they could get for them.
If you have had Iron Man before, you will be disapointed with the T.F.'s.

disco biscuit

· #6 · May 9, 2013

@john, what problems if any did you see out of your RTE springs. What makes you think you might have good luck from Terra firma? I know they were popular at from the jump and like mike said were cheaper.

@ mike. What problems are are you seeing these other brands having. Do they sag quick, wear out from flexing or just too weak on the trail. I still haven't got mine done and still haven't made a decision on which one. I'm finally selling my Powerstroke and my 09 Chevy d.d and dumping money into doing the rover right and building a truck that works for me. I got too much money in cars but good news is the rover is fixina be the beneficary.

John C

· #7 · May 9, 2013

disco biscuit said:
@john, what problems if any did you see out of your RTE springs. What makes you think you might have good luck from Terra firma? I know they were popular at from the jump and like mike said were cheaper.

[\QUOTE]
They sagged quickly. I carry about 500 lbs of gear in my truck and the only springs that have held up to that weight were the Scorpion springs.

Disco Mike

· #8 · May 9, 2013

Yes, when wheeled much the coils will sag and there have been a number of people who have broken the shaft on the shock.

disco biscuit

· #9 · May 10, 2013

I really hate to have something wear prematurely so I'll most likely go with OME. I just had concerns they would be too stiff.

Disco Mike

· #10 · May 11, 2013

There are 4 combinations of springs available that will work on a D2, dependiing on your needs. Shout if you need any help deciding.

fishEH

· #11 · May 13, 2013

Scorpion Racing is No Longer Available, right?
Rockinryan96, I couldn't even read your post. Capitalization, punctuation, and paragraphs are your friends.
If your shocks/springs are original then Yes, you need new ones.

rockinryan96

· #12 · May 15, 2013

fishEH said:
Scorpion Racing is No Longer Available, right?
Rockinryan96, I couldn't even read your post. Capitalization, punctuation, and paragraphs are your friends.
If your shocks/springs are original then Yes, you need new ones.

:lol::lol::lol::moon:I typed all that on my iPhone next time I'll remember how much you're paying me to post on here and do better.:clap:

Rover_Hokie

· #13 · May 16, 2013

I went with MD OME springs and TF+2 shocks and the ride is quite nice, and I tow my boat and camping trailer as well. I went with the TF+2 shocks, so I could disconnect the sway bars at some point and see how it does on the trails with a little more articulation. I have not done that yet, but I like the ride and the stance. I went with the D1 springs perches in the rear as well.

rockinryan96

· #14 · May 17, 2013

Rover_Hokie said:
I went with MD OME springs and TF+2 shocks and the ride is quite nice, and I tow my boat and camping trailer as well. I went with the TF+2 shocks, so I could disconnect the sway bars at some point and see how it does on the trails with a little more articulation. I have not done that yet, but I like the ride and the stance. I went with the D1 springs perches in the rear as well.

I disconnected my rear sway bar and used some large HVAC zip-ties to zip-tie the loose end to the loops where the rear tie downs are on the frame (I didn't want to completely remove it) and my rear articulation is 3-4x better than connected there's slightly more body roll especially in flat turns at 30+ mph but if you have the right giant wrenches I'd go for it. especially if your rover hits the trail 2-3 times a month. hopefully i can get disconnects but I've got a missions trip to panama this summer and its taking all my money. I'm switching to fox shocks with a longer travel once i have the money, the Ironman's are great but they're not long enough to articulate with as much flex as I'd like.:wave:

disco biscuit

· #15 · May 17, 2013

My wife went to panama two years ago with Manna Worldwide. She eats all my rover money.

rockinryan96

· #16 · May 17, 2013

disco biscuit said:
My wife went to panama two years ago with Manna Worldwide. She eats all my rover money.

I've been to Honduras and Costa Rica so far Wish i could have brought my rover there's so many good places to off-road there its insane, but yeah I plan on sinking some money into My 98 LE once I get a job and finish raising the $1400 for my missions trip, so far I'm at $800... Donations welcome, I can even get you a receipt for a tax write-off.

:help:clap:

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