P38A Easiest way to lift 30mm on coils

Tilo said:

Can anyone tell me how height should it be from the ground to the center of the wheel arch on steel springs?
That way I can measure mine and compare to know if it is at the correct height or if it is lower.

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There is no correct height on springs. As it's not supposed to be on springs.. As wammersa said, the standard ride height for air, as per the OEM, is as above.

If you want to increase the ride height on springs, strtching the springs is not a way to go.

When manufacturers make springs, they use a lot fo calculations predicated on speficics, weight of the vehicle, suspension travel, handling requirements, wheel sizes, tyre sizes and then springs are made to meet the specification.

Stretching a spring, aside from damaging its metallurgic properties, removes all this. you may as well put whatever you can find in.

If you increase the ride height, you will need to change, shocks, probably adjust mounting points and also alter the drive train to suit. People who do serious off roading and require extended height go to a lot of time.. and expense.. to do this.

Same with tyres.. jacking it up to put big tyres on it will work fine if you only move in straight lines, except cars dont, especially off road, so there will be more work to do in thr front wheel arches and on the front axle.

spacers, spring inserts etc are a waste of time. if you want the height just for 'show' then that is one thing.. if you want the height for a specific reason like serious off roading.. sorry there are no short cuts. And if you are intending on serious off roading, then you will have to do a lot of research and learning into off road driving techniques before you even venture into something that will need extended height capabilities. You will literally kill yourself and/or other people.

Same with messing about with something like suspension, on the cheap, just for show. Sorry to bust your balls, but it's with the best intentions of not seeing another Landyzone member kill themselves



Also.. as an aside.. if you going to be offroading to the point that you need significant lift.. you *must* invest in a rollcage

wammers said:

No because it's not supposed to have steel springs. Standard ride height on air is 470 mm from centre of wheel to arch lip. + or - 7mm.

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Both front and rear?

ukadamwest said:

There is no correct height on springs. As it's not supposed to be on springs.. As wammersa said, the standard ride height for air, as per the OEM, is as above.

If you want to increase the ride height on springs, strtching the springs is not a way to go.

When manufacturers make springs, they use a lot fo calculations predicated on speficics, weight of the vehicle, suspension travel, handling requirements, wheel sizes, tyre sizes and then springs are made to meet the specification.

Stretching a spring, aside from damaging its metallurgic properties, removes all this. you may as well put whatever you can find in.

If you increase the ride height, you will need to change, shocks, probably adjust mounting points and also alter the drive train to suit. People who do serious off roading and require extended height go to a lot of time.. and expense.. to do this.

Same with tyres.. jacking it up to put big tyres on it will work fine if you only move in straight lines, except cars dont, especially off road, so there will be more work to do in thr front wheel arches and on the front axle.

spacers, spring inserts etc are a waste of time. if you want the height just for 'show' then that is one thing.. if you want the height for a specific reason like serious off roading.. sorry there are no short cuts. And if you are intending on serious off roading, then you will have to do a lot of research and learning into off road driving techniques before you even venture into something that will need extended height capabilities. You will literally kill yourself and/or other people.

Same with messing about with something like suspension, on the cheap, just for show. Sorry to bust your balls, but it's with the best intentions of not seeing another Landyzone member kill themselves



Also.. as an aside.. if you going to be offroading to the point that you need significant lift.. you *must* invest in a rollcage

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Thanks, good advices are always useful.
But I think everyone is picturing something way more than I intended to.
I probably end up by making no changes at all... But we have to keep ourselves busy with something, right?

Tilo said:

Thanks, good advices are always useful.
But I think everyone is picturing something way more than I intended to.
I probably end up by making no changes at all... But we have to keep ourselves busy with something, right?

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Get busy putting it back on air if you want something constructive to do.

Tilo said:

Both front and rear?

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Yes.

Tilo said:

But we have to keep ourselves busy with something, right?

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Ahh then you should get a Classic or a D1 and start de-rusting it !

tomcat59alan said:

Get busy putting it back on air if you want something constructive to do.

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Would love that, but too expensive...

ukadamwest said:

Ahh then you should get a Classic or a D1 and start de-rusting it !

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Not very fond of the D1... but love the Classic and the 2 door!

I'll measure the height on mine today and we'll go from there...
If I find the height is lower than it should, where can I find the specs for the springs?

Tilo said:

I'll measure the height on mine today and we'll go from there...
If I find the height is lower than it should, where can I find the specs for the springs?

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There are no standard specs for coil springs on a P38. Each after market maker will have their own. Which end is hitting the bump stops front or rear? Coils at front and back are different lengths and strengths. Maybe someone fitted them wrong.

wammers said:

There are no standard specs for coil springs on a P38. Each after market maker will have their own. Which end is hitting the bump stops front or rear? Coils at front and back are different lengths. Maybe someone fitted them wrong.

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Rear... The problem is, it doesn't take much to hit the stoppers. If we're 5 adults in the car, that's already enough to hit the stopper.

Tilo said:

Rear... The problem is, it doesn't take much to hit the stoppers. If we're 5 adults in the car, that's already enough to hit the stopper.

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Sounds like some has fitted the fronts on the rear and the rears on the front.

wammers said:

Sounds like some has fitted the fronts on the rear and the rears on the front.

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Is there any way to check without removing them?

Tilo said:

Is there any way to check without removing them?

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Don't know about coils on P38s. But i think they have paint markings on them to denote which is which. Each maker will have his own scheme. Suggest you search Youtube and see if you can find any fitting video. That may explain things.

This guy says he installed Disco 2 rear coils on the rear and put the rear ones in the front. Looking at the picture, that would be more less what I was looking for...

That's the weirdest tyre tread depth gauge I've ever seen.

Tilo said:

This guy says he installed Disco 2 rear coils on the rear and put the rear ones in the front. Looking at the picture, that would be more less what I was looking for...

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When you get a coil conversion the rear springs will be either stronger or longer than the fronts to allow for loading the rear end. The front gets little extra load when the passenger compartment and boot are full. The rear springs take most of that load. If some one has fitted the front springs in the kit on the rear and the rear springs on the front that would definitely give your problem. Either change them over and see what you get or get a new set and fit them properly. Or better still put it back on air. That is the best suspension you can get for this car.

wammers said:

No because it's not supposed to have steel springs. Standard ride height on air is 470 mm from centre of wheel to arch lip. + or - 7mm.

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So, finally took the measuring tape out and I have 470 mm in the front and 465mm in the back, with full tank. I guess that's how it should be.
As I said, I'll probably leave the springs alone and when changing I'll just fit a slightly higher tire.
I'm running on 255/65 R16. Something like a 265/75?

This is my '93 LSE on HD Bilstein coils with 7.50x16LT old school mudders. That's as much tyre as you're going to fit on it with + 2in. springs.

Will I be able to fit 285/75 16's on my current set up?