4WD SUSPENSION UPGRADE | Do you really need a LIFT KIT?

[@dperk1757]

Great video and a good watch for anyone considering a suspension change. One additional thing to consider that has great bearing on the load forces on your suspension is increasing the height of the vehicles centre of gravity by adding roof loads. The dynamic forces these create increase suspension working loads, which is bad for the whole drivetrain, and will cause premature failure if not taken into consideration and minimised. In practical terms vehicle mass is only the start, where you put the weight is actually more important. Thanks for the video.

[@cyclemoto8744]

Well done. I will admit that I did not watch the entire video. I was attracted by the title and surprised how accurate you were with your explanation. Great video for the novices. Merci from Oz

[@offtrackfamily]

Thank you for your message! 🙂

[@romainchedru4441]

La même, j'ai mis un +2inch lift kit sans vraiment savoir les conséquences, merci pour la vidéo, vous me motivez à avancer sur mon land !

[@offtrackfamily]

Merci pour le message et très contente que cela vous motive :)

[@johndiaz7240]

What a education you have had perfecting the suspension on your truck. We have been happy for many years with OME products on our Cruisers (40 and 60 series). Look forward to next video thanks.

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks for your message!

[@sefisredtv8991]

Thanks. You just saved me tons of money. I like stock tires too. Guess i wont be upgrading my springs for lift.

[@offtrackfamily]

Very happy it helped :)

[@brandiago]

Amazing knowledge. My favourite Defender channel. 🙂

[@offtrackfamily]

🙌🙂

[@frank-lr]

Best tips are those telling you what NOT to do :-) Thanks!

[@offtrackfamily]

:) thanks!

[@Defender110SLO]

You are not the only one learning on its own mestakes. From 2+ back to stock springs left the shocks +2. On 33s. Cheers 🍻

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks for sharing! :)

[@MountainRoots]

Yeah been thinking about a lift on our full size silverado rig. Great video! 🤙-Josh

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks! Cool, how much lift would you go for?

[@MountainRoots]

@@offtrackfamily not sure really- would need to factor in the trailer we may get to determine that...just haven't narrowed down that process yet 😜

[@MrDefence78]

Hi! I have Terrafirma adjustable +5" remote reservoir on my Defender 110 puma and are super happy with them!!

[@offtrackfamily]

Nice! Thanks for sharing :)

[@ruandevilliers8946]

Hi, could you please share your insta handle? Im considering the terrafirma remote res shocks for my 110, and would love to have a chat about them.👍

[@guidok3762]

Great video, perfect information, well done! Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱❤️🇨🇭👍👌

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks a lot!

[@pacosub999]

I agree with you in the choice of suspension. What I do not share is the decision to increase the tires. In the end it ends up suffering and wearing down the axles, the suspension, no matter how good it is. You gain in off-road capabilities, but you lose in car durability. I have the original tires on my Toyota Land Cruiser, 245 70 R17, and when I go on soft ground, if it requires it, I lower the tire pressure a lot. I also have 50% off-road 50% road wheels. It could carry about 20% -80%, very well off-road, but on the road a lot of noise and poor reliability and less grip. Also as you say it depends on the use that is given to the vehicle. Thank you very much for the video.

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks for your message & sharing your experience as 4wd owner :)

[@vincentdidis3747]

Hi Off-track family, I just changed my suspension set up for bp-51 and they are a game changer!!! Nothing come as close as the bp 😁 Cheers

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks for this cool feedback ;) Looking forward seeing them in action!

[@defendermodsandtravels]

Well reasoned but there are different points of view. It all depends what you use your vehicle for. If you do hard core offroading everything you say is correct. If you do overlanding using roads and tracks used by the local people you are in a vehicle which is much more capable than the average road user and you really don't need to upgrade the suspension. If they can get through you can certainly get through in your 4x4. However if you are overlanding you will be carrying more weight and you should fit heavy duty standard length springs to maintain the correct height. What you have done is the common upgrade route. You fit one part, that introduces new problems so you fit another part, which makes further problems. You end up with a totally upgraded suspension, drive train, wheels and tyres. It all costs a lot and at the end of the day you have to ask if it was all worth it,

[@offtrackfamily]

Absolutely, this is the purpose of this video. We’re very happy with our upgrades today and wouldn’t change anything but it’s good to point out that some mods require other ones and when someone is new to it (like we were at the time) and garage doesn’t take time to explain or might not know it can cause damage to vehicle or ending up to spend way more money than planned.

[@EWOverland]

Thanks for sharing your experience with the upgrade kits. You did a long way and I believe that you decided the best. Your atitude is holistic and its grate. I stil have doupts regarding shock absorbers how to set up with the springs as there is inpact each other and vice verse. Biger tires means changing the differential rates.

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks! Yes every upgrade has an impact on other parts so it's sometimes difficult to choose the best setup.

[@tipperarymick5337]

As with everything, once you modify one part it has knock on effects on other parts. I did install a 2" suspension lift on my D-Max and slightly larger tires. Slightly firmer suspension but drives great.

[@offtrackfamily]

Nice! What kind of shocks did you install?

[@tipperarymick5337]

@@offtrackfamily I installed a lift kit from Pedders. Isuzu will actually fit those, and sell an offroad version with them fitted. I got mine directly from Pedders dealer in the UK and fitted them myself. Very pleased 👍

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks for sharing all this info!

[@TurtleOdyssée]

Hello. Merci pour ta vidéo. Personnellement je trouve qu’il manque peut-être une information de base: à quoi sert un ressort de suspension, à quoi sert un amortisse. Cela peut sans doute aider dans les choix à faire. Pour le reste, tu as raison: tout dépends de l’utilisation du 4x4. Si l’on pense remplacer l’ensemble ressort-amortisseur, je préconise un système fait pour bosser ensemble. Tu as cité OME qui pour moi est excellent. Belles randonnées. Au plaisir de tes nouvelles

[@offtrackfamily]

Merci pour ton message Sylvain! Sans doute que nous reparlerons des suspensions dans d'autres vidéos, donc je prends note car effectivement sans comprendre les bases il est plus difficile de faire un choix. Au plaisir :)

[@stefcestojkovski9773]

Thank you for the information, it will be nice if you can make a video on you remap

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks! Will see what we can do 🙂

[@marcosavio1749]

Very informative video from your experiences.

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks for your message!

[@ralfhiller9043]

Fox, King and Bilstein make some nice 2.5 inch remote reservoir shocks. They perform really well. Not sure if there is a bolt in solution for the Defender though. Also really expensive but very nice are hydraulic bump stops instead of the rubber or poly ones.

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks for sharing all this :)

[@cyclemoto8744]

Bilstein are not expensive so good option for the budget minded. Personally rather Koni out of those 3. Fox & King are race focused and expensive and really not necessary for most people.

[@Ohmygodbruh]

Was it hard to get bigger tires approved?

[@damianorizzi1621]

Parto naturalmente con i complimenti per l'esposizione e la passione con cui Emeline tratta come un professionista tutti gli argomenti inerenti il nostro amato Defender. Colgo anche l'occasione per ringraziarla per l'inserimento dei sottotitoli in ben 9 lingue. Per quanto riguarda l'argomento di oggi, gli aggiornamenti alle sospensioni, resto però con qualche dubbio. Primo: l'affidabilità. Sappiamo che il Defender o meglio il Land Rover è nato con un disegno semplice. Ogni modifica che si aggiunge rischia di far perdere l'equilibrio del progetto di base, compromettendone soprattutto l'affidabilità. A questo riguardo, sappiamo bene qual'è il motto più antico del landroverista: tutto ciò che non c'è non si rompe... Secondo, i costi. Non oso pensare ai costi effettivi del materiale e della manodopera oltre al tempo impiegato per tutta la serie di modifiche che abbiamo visto. Non so quanti possano permetterselo... Terzo, lo spirito. Lo spirito di un landroverista deriva essenzialmente dalla semplicità ed essenzialità del suo mezzo. Queste rispecchiano la vera essenza del suo possessore: la pura ricerca di libertà. Conclusione. Ognuno di noi resta ovviamente libero di scegliere la sua configurazione e quanto pagarla, a seconda che il proprio mezzo sia usato per fuoristrada puro, per diporto o per il viaggio. Quest'ultimo è il mio caso. Ecco allora come mi sono comportato. Per quanto riguarda l'assetto mi sono attenuto a poche e semplici modifiche "old style". Anteriore: molle heavy duty con anello di rialzo + 2 cm con ammortizzatore e torretta originale. Posteriore: molla originale raddoppiata da mollino interno centrale. Doppia coppia di ammortizzatori originali disposti a V con aggiunta supporto superiore originale imbullonato al telaio come da predisposizione e staffa di supporto inferiore saldata e gemellata a quella originale. Monto pneumatici 235/85 su cerchi wolf e trasmissione originale. Certo... questa è un'altra visione del Defender, quella classica. Forse meno performante, ma forse anche più affidabile (viaggio con miei mezzi (auto o moto) via terra dal 1980). Penso quindi sia corretto, soprattutto per le giovani generazioni di appassionati, sapere che un defender (il mio ha 275.000) può tranquillamente girare in allestimento da campo e pieno carico di viaggio, anche così. Complimenti ancora e, se passate in Italia (dalle parti di Treviso), casa e giardino saranno aperti a voi e al vostro inseparabile Land. Damiano

[@offtrackfamily]

Hi Damiano, Thanks a lot for your message and sharing your thoughts & suspension set-up. You are right, as I also say in the video, if starting to replace some stock parts anyone can end up with a less reliable vehicle. Many 4wd like the Defender have very good off-road or travel capabilities, so it's not always a necessity to make upgrades depending on the use of the vehicle. It's surely a lot of money invested over the years but also a lot learnt along the way with failures & different experiences. This is why now we share our videos, to make it a little easier for any 4wd overlander or Defender owner to go whether or not for an upgrade depending on their use of the vehicle. We love reading all the constructive feedbacks from this community. Thanks again, have a great day!

[@damianorizzi1621]

@@offtrackfamily Thanks again to you for your channel (to which I am subscribed) which I consider pleasant and of a high technical level for all Defender owners. I hope one day to meet you. Damiano - 110 Tdi 300 ('97) Keswick Green

[@STYLEHUAHINONAIR]

very nice.

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks!

[@simonroberts9759]

33" vs 32" raises the axle by 0.5" - is it worth it? Raising body height by 2" results in a less stable vehicle made worse if carrying a lot on the roof. Have you noticed this?

[@offtrackfamily]

We like the 33" and wouldn't go back to 32" for MT. It's that little extra height when off track. For sure it's best to have the less possible weight on the roof this if why we changed the roof setup, no more fuel or water cans up there, only bulky and light items in the roof box.

[@HeliRy]

Do Defender owners often change the gear ratio when going to a larger tire? I know it is a common thing in the Jeep world to change to a 4.10 ratio and/or add tougher axles, but I rarely see this discussed in the Land Rover community.

[@offtrackfamily]

It's not usual for Defender owners to put really large tires like jeep owners do. But if replaced with 35 or more we're supposed to change the ratio of transfer and/or diff. We have 33" so we didn't change any ratio but are thinking about it. Also Defender owners often have 2 or more different tire sets for seasons or different uses, so having a different ratio could possibly be complicated and no good.

[@BC-rt3yo]

You mentioned you changed the wheels offset, but did you change it to?

[@offtrackfamily]

We have -20 offset, if this was the question.

[@nicolaslou9497]

Bonjour de viens de souscrire à votre chaîne, elle est très instructive et intéressante. Je viens d acheter un defender 110 td4 de 2007 qui est toujours dans sont état d origine. Je veux faire une rehausse de 5cm avec de nouveau ressors et suspension Pouvez vous me dire sur quelles sites avez vous trouvez les pièces telles que les tirants de pont, arbre de transmission etc s il vous plaît Merci pour cette chaîne très instructive

[@offtrackfamily]

Merci pour le message! Nous avons pris chez Gwyn Lewis

[@geoffholloway9407]

What actual size are your Toyo tyres? How have they lasted? Thanks.

[@offtrackfamily]

Size is 285 75 r16. Difficult to say how long they can last as we dont keep them on all year around, we use winter tires for cold season.

[@XKENXKOOX]

👍👍👍

[@offtrackfamily]

🙂👍

[@onetonlandrover]

By loading capacity are you meaning to increase the load capacity, or make the vehicle better at carrying its existing payload? I don't know about other countries but in the UK the vehicle would need to be re-rated to carry more load, this was done on all the Defenders at my work. They run standard height but have a greater payload plus running winches, roofracks etc.

[@offtrackfamily]

Yes it's to support better the exisiting max load. If someone needs to go over that max load it's best to check out with their country's authorities. Thanks for pointing this out 🙂.

[@onetonlandrover]

@@offtrackfamily No worries, it just wasn't entirely clear. I know our works once have uprated brakes and suspension to take then from a 3050kg gvw to 3500kg gvw. They may just use the old springs off the factory 3500kg versions which were discontinued in around 2012ish? I nearly specified my 110 as a 3500kg version but had no need of it, and there was no updating to the clutch or anything, so didn't bother.

[@mustafaturkoglu1407]

Avoir un suspension haut de 5cm cela peut provoqué une conduite désagréable ou pas ?

[@offtrackfamily]

Le ressenti est certainement très personnel donc pas réellement possible de répondre à cette question.

[@dominica2765]

I had to b51s on my Tacoma For the money probably one of the best shocks made I’m not easily adjustable rather just turn the knob be blessed and they should a video going to run I come in suspension on my tundra pro soon the suspension it came with his very nice but too soft for the wait I’m carrying

[@offtrackfamily]

Good to know! BP-51 are for sure our next set of shocks!

[@overnighter]

👍

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks!

[@erhardt1477]

Well... 👇Frank down here 👇basically said it all... There is so much money being wasted on stuff you don’t really need. Best example I can give is a expensive watch ... who needs a watch that can go down to a hundred meters, or survive a airplane crash..!? It may look nice, but THAT is a different story 👋

[@offtrackfamily]

Thanks! Yes he said it well 🙂