Hi all. I have a regular tired old 2003 Discovery, rear springs are sagging bellow what they are supposed to be stock, and I am trying to actually lift the truck a bit. So I found a pair of nearly new Terrafirma +2" heavy duty rear springs that someone tried installing on a Defender and for some reason it didn't work out. How can I make sure that these will fit my Disco prior to buying them? Is there a way? Coil diameter or something? I was also told by one of the parts sellers that if I don't plan to do any serious off-roading, I should used stock shock struts with the +2" springs... Which sounds convenient, as I am on a budget an all. What's the general consensus, anybody has gone through that?
Thanks

 

If your rear spring are died, the fronts are probably just as bad. Buy a kit (springs/shocks) from one of the suppliers and be done with it.

You have several choices...Lucky 8, Atlantic British, Rovers North and across the pond...LRParts, Rimmer Brothers, Craddock, LRDirect, etc, etc.

 

Myoldcars,
The Defender springs can vary(I believe it is 110 springs specifically). This chart may help.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...t?usp=drivesdk

Shocks are also designed for a specific height. I had some Terrafirma shocks that were too short. They extend too far going over a speed bump for example and make the ride harsh. Shocks with the proper length will ride better. You can always try it though.

Spring spacers are a good cheap alternative. That don't fix sagging springs, but they do give you some height back.

What part of the country are you located? I am swapping out springs, and I may have some shocks. The front springs are still on the vehicle though. PM me if you are interested.

 

Hi. As far as spring spacers, that's what I was looking at initially, but:
a. they don't fix sagging springs
b. a lot of people said that it was a dumb idea
c. they're not that cheap.
So far, I got like-new +2" Terrafirma springs being shipped to me for a total of $180. Not dirt cheap, but very reasonable. Also, I initially wanted heavy load/heavy duty rear springs and medium duty fronts - so that the ride is smoother. At times, I tow boat and trailers. So rear springs take a beating, the front ones don't. I don't do off-road, but I do go in the water some times. I am also very much on a tight budget. I'll try installing these new springs and see what happens. Right now running stock tires, rear tires are bad. Want to get an upgrade, something bigger, but reasonable. Either 245/75r16 or 235/85r16, depending. The biggest I'm willing to go is 255/70r16... Looking for best trade-off big tires/decent ride. Basically, looking for Defender tire size, really.

 

On my ‘00 Disco I run OME heavy duty springs front/rear which gave me about a 2.5” lift. I run Nitto Terra Grapplers 275/65/18s as I have ACE.
Truck used for daily driver, with off road limited to trails/fire roads for camping. I’ve been very pleased with the Nittos. Great for around town as well as off road, snow, mud, etc.

 

So, 275/65r18 is still 32", which is generally acceptable, and the 275s must look cool, but this is wider and bigger than 255 stock 29"s, way heavier. So I'm trying to get a compromise tire size - something that will not seriously affect fuel economy, steering and braking, acceleration... but at the same time will be bigger and will look bigger than miniscule stock little wheelies. Also, looking to get some additional clearance by way of bigger tires. I know people have been having really good experiences with 235/85r16s due to them being not as heavy and all. I wish I could try different ones and choose this way, but that's not feasable. ))
How is fuel economy and general driving experience with 275/65r18s?
P.S. last time I measured my MPGs I got 13 MPG of mixed driving, city/hwy.