Fella I know has quite a few Disco2...... I saw at least 5 in yard.

That being said he showed me both spring sets and said he deeply regrets going with the heavy duty springs on one of his. That truck has a bumper/winch and a roof rack and he says it's brutally stiff off-road and it actually holds him back from reasonable speeds when off-road. He said he literally can't keep up with the group at times because the suspension is so harsh it beats the vehicle to death to go any faster and strongly advised me to go with the medium duty springs.

For what it's worth, that fella seems to know every last bolt on the Disco. I'll be going with mediums.

-Greg

 

To each his own. Everyone has a personal end goal and different definition of “stiff ride”.

Starting to sound a lot like people’s consensus of an everyday driver is happy with medium duty. Medium duty from different manufactures are different specs- almost like half sizes when you look at all your options.. With a little thought as to what weight you predict to be loading on a regular basis & what you intended to do with your truck- all this info really helps hone a decision.

 

Just as a thought to put out here, usually when one goes with a lift kit, usually, they will also be taking the truck off-roading. Meaning, more weight generally. Food, gear, accessories and so fourth. Just saying. Why go with the medium duty springs and have them close to fully loaded. Also, getting springs, bumpers, winches, roof rack, canopy.....things don’t stop there, then one accessorizes the interior, thus, adding more weight.

 

I went with medium duty and have no regrets. Even with a steel bumper on the back and a nudge bar on the front. Just the other day while giving a friend a ride he commented on how stiff the suspension is and my springs are probably 5 years old.

Of course air pressure in the tires has a lot to do with how it rides on rough forest roads...

 

I noticed that tires make a HUGE difference. When I first did my lift I have 265/70-16 tires on it and it rode better then the stock suspension. I put the stock tires back on it and the ride got rough. I put on 275/65-18 tires and it got a bit softer but it still rides like a truck. I think if you ran 32” tires on a 16” rim you should be able to get a smooth ride. Just stay away from E load tires unless you absolutely need them. They are very stiff.

 

I agree, the Michelins I have are E rated 10 ply, Not everyone needs them but I do traverse some steep very rocky roads that have been known to slice and dice lesser tires.

 

@Dave03S yea Pacific Northwest, I see tons of torn up tires here or complaints about tire life. Mostly Mud Terrain type tires bought based on reviews written by people in places without a lot of hard edged small rocks on nearly every trail.

But as to springs I find the Medium duty very nice, but I have no interest in a winch, roof top tent or full rack. So they work well.

If you figure the 7 seat disco was designed for max load of 1490 lbs you need to add a lot of weight to need HD springs. But if you have 4 people in there, winch, steel bumper roof rack and maybe a roof top tent, and supplies for 5 or 6 days it could be the way to go.

 

I have stock suspension and go on trips fully loaded only, 5 people, tons of camping gear on a hitch rack, 10+ gallon water, food, kayak and boards including paddles and wet suits. The truck sags, but only in the rear, because most of the load goes on the rear axle. After I inflate my air helper springs, the rear clearance is almost back to normal. The ride with air helper springs is great, soft at low excursion, but it gets harder with higher excursion. That helps a lot to stabilize the truck without reducing suspension comfort. Coil springs with air helper springs is a great combo in my opinion. When using MD/2" one should have even less concerns regarding load, given air helper springs are added (they are very affordable though).

 

Discorama,
where can I read more about these air helpers?

 

I was about to ask about this actually.
On an Pathfinder I had some time ago, I installed airbags that slid down the middle of the coil spring to assist with load.
They worked awesome and are cheap.

https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index...BoCm_sQAvD_BwE