Hi - speaking as a Range Rover Sport L320 owner, the clock spring is not part of the steering angle circuit.
The Steering Angle Sensor (SAS) measures the steering wheel's angle and speed and talks to the ABS system, EAS, and other vehicle systems. The clock spring is just electrical connectors that allows the steering wheel to turn while maintaining electrical connections for things like the airbag, horn, and steering wheel buttons.
There's a separate SAS under the clock spring in the drivers footwell on the steering rack. That tells the car where it thinks the wheels are facing.
I only know this because Ive currently got a problem with my SAS and im about to post a new thread in the Range Rover form on this great Landy website about my problem.
For an L320, it's part SRO 500110. I know the SAS for the FFRR L322 is different to the RRS L320 SAS, but it's doing the same task ultimately. If you've got a Defender, I dont know whether that's the same SAS and either of the Range Rover sensors, but again - it's still doing the same job at the end of the day.
Feel free to watch the new thread im about to start in the other forum if it might help you also.
Long story short, the clock spring and steering angle sensor are two separate components.
