Vehicle & Technical > Defender

Lifting a 90. Is it worth it?

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muddyweb:

--- Quote from: "jim-willy" ---Candid and honest replys would be appreciated and maybe a picture of a cross axled 2" lifted 90.  Thanks in advance.
--- End quote ---


IMHO, *every* mod you do make on an off-roader should work toward the goal of gaining more traction... without traction you go nowhere, and all the clever bits of stuff on the vehicle don't help.

If your main problem is that you are running out of grip, forget the lift... it only adds a load of other things to consider.  A decent set of tyres and drivetrain updates will yield better results every time.


Here is a cross-axled 90 ;-)

Range Rover Blues:
If your lack of grip is because you are 'picking up a wheel' then you need to look into mods that will allow extra droop travel, like the Scorpion Extreme kit (notice I said 'like') although even this does not allow you to keep an even spread os weight on each tyre, ultimately this is why you loose traction, even if all 4 wheels are on the ground.  I had thought of using an air assisted spring kit to 'divert' body weight to the back wheel that is drooping, so keeping the grounfd pressure more even at the back end.

Anyway, for off-road ability I'd suggest the softest, most compliant suspension so no-anti roll bars, rubber bushes in your radius arms and perhaps longer shocks.  If money was no object what about a front 3-link kit like Bulli has fitted?

datalas:
The question then becomes whether merely having the wheel on the floor will provide much in the way of traction, there will still be more weight and friction on the other end of the axle.   Spinning a wheel on the floor (or more likely in mud / wet grass ) isn't *that* much more effective than spinning it in the air.

At some point the question of whether a locking diff isn't more effective has to be raised,  it ends up being a long and hot debate which will soon descend into personal opinion :) if only because of the relative merits of forced articulation over dislocation, and I think that might be a debate left for another day, or show, with beer, and probably Tim :D

Kenny:
I had this very debate a year or so back - should I ? Should I not ?

Having discussed with various people the consensus that that the 90 as standard is perfectly adequate for off roading.

I had a chat with Dave Marsh (QT Racing) about lifts and he recommended a 1" lift on the shocks and a 2" spring. They found that it gave the best combination especially in the off road events.

I did just that and am more than happy apart from the spring from a dealer based in N London (not allowed to mention names) snapped 6 months in and I had to pay for the repalcement to be delivered and the return spring which came to more than the value of the spring itself. I WILL NEVER use them again!!!!!

Damian

drmike:
Can I just chip in here and ask a related question.

They suggested a +1" shock and +2" spring? I wonder why, did they explain?

What would the effect be to fit just +2" shocks on standard springs?

If we are saying you want more downward droop then surely that's more effective?

Mike

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