My 99 HSE is sitting all the way down and my airbags are done. I knew this day would come. Now I am going to replace the air suspension with coil springs. It looks like there are a few places to geta kit for a price that is lower than Atlantic British. Many of the comments I have read say that this can be done by the owner in many cases, rather than taking it to a LR shop. I wanted to see if anyone here has done this themselves and get a sense for how difficult this project is and what kind of tools I would need. Thanks.

 

I wish I had done it myself..

Either way, youre still going to have some expense when you take it to a shop to get the computer adjusted to be in EAS Manual. There is a thread on here about a guy that designed his own fix for much less than shop rates...try lookin through the forums.

 

Get the kit from Arnott Industries, it includes a wiring kit(very easy to install, it uses butt-crimp connections) that will put the EAS into manual and you will not need to take it in to have the configuration change, the wiring converts it.

 

Arnott also sells replacement bags (air springs )

 

I always sit in amazement when someone wants to do this to their RR.

It defeats the purpose of having a RR in the first place and the cost is comparable to stick with the stock air system.

I just installed new bags front and rear in my 96, bought new bags for about 200 each, has worked perfectly since, I would never alter the suspension, especially since it is one of the reasons why the RR is so great off and on road.

Someone, if you get the chance, explain to me why coils are a reasonable replacement!

 

Yes the cost might be comparable when the problem is simply the bags, but thats not always the case..

I had both rear bags leaking. That caused the compressor to overwork, but it was only a problem when we took a trip. The 2 hour drive was extra hard I guess, both bags leaked enough to cause the compressor to overheat/thermal overload/die.

So, a new compressor, new lines, new bags at all 4 corners, and since the computer was in EAS fault mode, fixing all that was around $2700. Faced with that, knowing that they will fail ultimately again, its pretty pricey. On top of that, using the RR as a daily driver, there is no real advantage to having a few inches of play...sure it would be nice to sink down a few on the highway..but not for $2700.

The coil conversion was $1800 installed. Warrantied longer than the EAS, and, I never have to worry about walking out in the morning to the suspension down on bumpstops, never getting stuck an hour from a shop with no suspension...

I would actually ask why anyone would work to keep the original setup on a high mileage Rover. I could maybe see it if it werent a DD and you had money to throw away...but other than that

 

Keeping the original EAS setup can make a lot of sense. Gen II arnott springs aren't insanely expensive and have a lifetime warranty. If proper care is taken the EAS compressor should last for many many years. The compressor can run from $300-750. New lines are next to nothing. I don't know how you figured $2700 unless this was a dealer estimate. Even paying an indy should be less then putting coils on. If the valve block was damaged too then maybe it would be cheaper with coils. Maybe. Cost is not really valid in the coil vs EAS discussion.

And if you do any off-roading or just like the EAS functions, it's worth keeping the EAS. Air suspension in general is acknowledged to have significantly better performance both on and off road.

 

$2700 was dealer estimate with running the new lines. Labor being the majority of the cost. Parts were something like $1100. I got the replacement done at an independent shop that was cheaper on labor than the dealer, and billed by the half hour. That shop quoted $2400 for the EAS repair, compared to the $1700 with coils. I did not ask the dealer about coil replacement, as I'm sure the estimate would have been higher as they want to keep as many Rover parts as possible.

I would strongly disagree that cost is not valid in the discussion. Cost is essentially the deciding factor. I would love to put 37s and Dana 60s with an atlas II under my blazer for the obvious preformance and strength benefits, but the cost is keeping me with my current setup..

So I am not doubting the performance of the EAS system, nor saying that coils are better. What I'm saying is that for a high mileaged daily driver, a partial or whole replacement of the EAS is not worth it due to the cost. The coil system being maintenance free, longer lasting, and less involved to install makes it the better choice for the application. Dont get me wrong, I would love to have the EAS still, but its simply not worth the cost.

 

I'd just repair the EAS myself . It's well documented and requires almost no mechanical skill. And like I said... unless the valve block and every other EAS comp are shot it's cheaper then springs. But I guess if you're taking it to the shop yeah it's a different story. I just want to encourage people to evaluate the costs... because EAS gets gripped about a lot. Undeservedly so a lot of the time. If you're willing to do a bit of work yourself EAS can be cheaper, sometimes a lot cheaper, then coils.

You're right about coils being more at the dealer (if they're even willing to put coils on).

Sorry if I sounded a bit argumentative. Coils obviously were the right choice for you based on your driving prefs and cost (considering you took it to a shop).I just wanted to put out the suggestion to determine what the fault is with individuals EAS and then see if coils or EAS makes sense to them.

 

Thats what burns me every time I think about that expense...I've gotten alot more into suspensions/repairs in the general with building up the Blazer...but at the time the shop was really the only option for me. If it were to happen to me now, I'd just order in some parts and get to it!

My only consolation is that my suspension is warrantied (labor too!) for another 12,000 miles