LR3 Air vs Coil in depth comparison
 

Hi all,

My name is Brian Ribera, a newly retired Navy SEAL after 22.5 years of military service and I’m running the non-profit Military Mobility; which specializes in off-road expeditions and training.

I’m excited to announce the release of our Land Rover LR3 Air vs. Coil Shootout Series on YouTube. This eight episode series compares two identical 2008 Land Rover LR3 HSE’s, one has the stock air suspension against the other with an aftermarket coil conversion.

Over the eight episodes we test their performance in overlanding, carrying cargo, sand, highway, rocks, water fording, and towing. The first episode drops on Friday, February 18th at 3pm EST! Watch the teaser promo below and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and get notifications when a new episode drops each week!

Please ask questions or let me know what you think in the comments. What’s your favorite? Thank you!

https://youtu.be/OOqMvjvadZY

Hi Brian, I love your videos and have exchanged comments with you in the past; glad you found this site. It's a great resource. I look forward to seeing this video. I'm interested to see how the coiler compared to the EAS rig.

....can a coiler do THIS?

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/landrov...99ac340118.jpg
Rear passenger tire gets stuffed, EAS forces air into the other side and pushes the rear driver tire down.

Hello there and thank you! I think you’ll enjoy the series a lot 👍

You’re exactly right, that is a very nice feature that the air can provide that you would lose with the coil conversion. However how much is that actually needed? I’m not to say, but it’s worth a discussion. Many Land Rovers before and since have been through some very nasty terrain without that feature and lived to tell the tale; and they have the added benefit of knowing they won’t get stranded if any of a large number of issues shuts down the air suspension. But the air can also do lots of other stuff too…. Going to be a good series to watch. Thanks for getting involved 🙌

Look forward to the videos, for clarity what is the condition of the suspension of the disco with EAS ? I ask because an aging air system can be problematic if not maintained so could make it an unfair comparison.

It's probably obvious I'm a fan of the EAS. I like to point out the cross-linking because so many people that are going over the benefits of EAS just skip that part or don't realize it. As for your question of how much that's needed....I'd say a LOT! Any time you talk about suspension or articulation you have to talk about the ability to apply a normal force against the terrain, and the cross-linking does that, like a solid axle would. Many Rovers have been through nasty terrain without that, sure, but they were designed to do that, and they have solid axles! I disagree about the "large number of issues" that can shut down the air suspension. I think there are very few. A puncture of an air bag...you know, that is encased in metal, that is one. A compressor dying on the spot; that's two.

That is it, really. One is low probability and the other is avoidable by checking the condition of your EAS before hitting the trail, or even carrying a spare compressor. They generally give signs of dying though. Any other EAS issue can be addressed in the field and if necessary, fuses pulled and you limp on out of there. Heck, a few years back I ripped up the wiring loom in the wheel well. I had a suspension fault but everything still worked! I had a spare wiring overlay, but whatever things worked I wheeled on.

So anyway...just some extra thoughts. I look forward to the video!

Very fair question indeed. We did a lot of planning and preparation for this comparison. As a background we own both of these LR3’s and meticulously maintain them, as with the rest of our fleet. The vehicles are used in our training programs for veterans and civilian fundraising courses. Scout’s honor there are no “mud sucks” or set ups here; just a good honest and transparent test and evaluation of both suspensions.

We’ve had so much fun wheeling these rigs and love the Land Rover community; which offers a great sense of camaraderie. There was so much talk about air vs coil on the forums but we’d never seen anyone compare the two side by side on the same trail u see the same conditions. So we went ahead and did it!

Oh wow, these are all such great points! So when we got our Black LR3 donated to us it was on bump stops and I initially was going to do a coil conversion like our other one. Then I had a friend suggest I give the air a try. So I spent the first half of Covid understanding and repairing the system, and I am very glad that I did. It’s so much fun to have folks drive both rigs and see what they think, and to understand the pros and cons.

To your point from what I’ve seen the air bags themselves may be the least likely part of the system to fail; from our experience they’ve been very resilient. A big failure point to mention besides the EAS system itself (although those components can and do have issues) is the general and very abundant electronics in the LR3. Quirky issues such as a brake bulb being out can disable the EAS from operating, so some of what we discuss is how to be prepared and get ahead of that, and to your point; What to do if/ when you have a hard stop on the trail. Thanks again! Best, Brian

Yep, that is my point about the EAS....bring a GAP tool along, and some spare bulbs and maybe a brake switch and you're fine. So the brake bulb can disable the EAS, but then so what, you raise it back up to Off-Road Height and then pull F26 et al. You're good to go. I've never driven a coiler....I'd be interested in doing that. I also have two LR3s, but both EAS. One has the rear locker the other doesn't. Maybe I should make a video, too!!! :)

BTW, I cracked up a little that you said "first half of COVID." How can we know where the halfway point is when we are technically still in it? Sure hope you're right, though!!!