D

dogdog1

Active Member
A question that pops up on Land Rover forums from time to time is "which shocks give the most comfortable ride on a Defender used mainly on the road ?" Well I have the answer . The cheapest ones ! This is because shocks on a Defender have little or nothing to do with ride quality , or indeed it's road holding or braking performance . I'll tell you why I have come to this radical conclusion . I pulled up at my house recently and noticed that the rear nearside shock had popped out of place and was just hanging there . If I hadn't noticed it I would never have noticed any difference . At the same time the job of the lower bush on the other side was being done by a piece of light rope tied around . Is this what they call a "bush repair" ? 🤔 So I decided to replace the ancient and rusting Monroe Magnum gas shocks with a spanking brand new set of Monroe Adventurers . Each one I took off was more knackered than the previous . I mean they were doing nothing . So with my new shocks and a new steering damper for good measure I set off expecting a major improvement . No chance ! The ride quality over rough and uneven roads was absolutely identical . The only difference was it felt a bit less crashy hitting bad potholes and ruts across the street . So for road use just put on the cheapest ones you can , it makes little odds .
 
That has always been my view which is why when ever anyone asks I recommend the britpart standard height shocks. I expect they are more expensive these days but they used to be £15 each and they quite a happily took me around the dessert in Morocco and performed perfectly well for an old 110 on the 20-30k miles I do a year.
 
Springs (AKA shock absorbers) are what impact ride quality........ your dampers play a role too but its all about the springs.....
 
Don't know when dampers became known as "shock absorbers" but suspect it was about the time hydraulic oil filled dampers were taking over from friction plate dampers. Done to differentiate the two types by makers pressing for sales of the new type. As kissmyaura says it is the suspension springs that do most of the shock absorbing.
 
dogdog1 said:
A question that pops up on Land Rover forums from time to time is "which shocks give the most comfortable ride on a Defender used mainly on the road ?" Well I have the answer . The cheapest ones ! This is because shocks on a Defender have little or nothing to do with ride quality , or indeed it's road holding or braking performance . I'll tell you why I have come to this radical conclusion . I pulled up at my house recently and noticed that the rear nearside shock had popped out of place and was just hanging there . If I hadn't noticed it I would never have noticed any difference . At the same time the job of the lower bush on the other side was being done by a piece of light rope tied around . Is this what they call a "bush repair" ? 🤔 So I decided to replace the ancient and rusting Monroe Magnum gas shocks with a spanking brand new set of Monroe Adventurers . Each one I took off was more knackered than the previous . I mean they were doing nothing . So with my new shocks and a new steering damper for good measure I set off expecting a major improvement . No chance ! The ride quality over rough and uneven roads was absolutely identical . The only difference was it felt a bit less crashy hitting bad potholes and ruts across the street . So for road use just put on the cheapest ones you can , it makes little odds .
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I think this just highlights rather a lack of understanding of suspension systems and probably unreasonable expectations on what to expect.
 
dag019 said:
That has always been my view which is why when ever anyone asks I recommend the britpart standard height shocks. I expect they are more expensive these days but they used to be £15 each and they quite a happily took me around the dessert in Morocco and performed perfectly well for an old 110 on the 20-30k miles I do a year.
Click to expand...
I don't agree at all. If you drive multiple Defenders they will and do ride/handle differently. But the suspension is a "system", so it is more than just one component.

Obviously no matter what you do you wont change the fact it is a live axle 4x4 with a steering box (as opposed to rack & pinion). You also don't generally change the wheelbase.

But spring, damper, bush, tyre, pressure all make a difference. As does geometry and general weight/loading of the vehicle.

Overall a 90 should ride quite well over most surfaces, biggest complaint should be pitching due to the short wheel base. 110's generally pitch less as a result of the longer wheelbase, but often ride worse as they tend to be equipped with heavier duty springs due to the higher payload rating. Running empty may result in a poor ride compared to fully loaded.

Remember a classic Range Rover or Discovery 1 use essentially the same suspension setup as the Defender and both are normally regarded as good riding vehicles. Especially the Range Rover.
 
I always found this with my 90. Fitting new bushes all round made a massive difference as all the parts are then pointing in the right direction. It then rode surprisingly well, with the exception of going over speed bumps where it tended to pitch around a lot. The rear axle is right at the back, the front axle is a long way forward and the engine is behind it (technically it's a mid-engined vehicle!) which helps the handling somewhat. This was on standard springs and dampers- aftermarket parts sold as "heavy duty" sound great, but unless you're actually loading the Landy down they will give a very harsh ride. Too much of a lift raises the centre of gravity which will worsen the handling, especially if the change of front axle castor isn't compensated for.
 
Plus 1 @FlyingPete.


Metalastic Semi Bonded ( rubber ) bushes will actually give you the best ride in terms of comfort, downside is they dont last as long as poly, thus have to be changed more often.
Trailing arms and hockey stick bushes have a big impact on ride and are oftern overlooked as owners cosntantly swap out dampers and spings in the hope of achieveing a better ride.
I went for Supapro Poly blue all round, I cant recommend this highly enough, the hockey sticks were a doddle to do despite hearing lots of horror stories. my build thread has all the pics n details.
 
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