Shock absorbers...

[glacierboy]

Just a quick question.... what make of shock absorber would you recommend for a Disco 300TDi that spends most of its time on road, punctuated with some fairly serious off-road work?

Up until now I have kept the car pretty much to its original spec, but the temptation to get something made by Koni, Monroe, Bilstein etc.. is very strong. What would you suggest?

Cheers

[jen.s.f]

Pro-comp........because they have a lifetime guarantee, so if you break one you just send it back and get a replacement!

Are you going for a lift or just standard replacements?

[glacierboy]

I had seen the pro-comps, and they are one of the options. I am not lifting the car at all (too much experience of instability on lifted cars in Iceland), and simply wish to replace the existing shocks (front now, rear next month) to improve ride and handling if possible.

The other question I have is how easy are they to fit? I am a bit of a Haynes manual 'two-spanners' mechanic, and I note in the manual that replacing shocks is a three spanner job... having read the process it seems straightforwards, but are there any pitfalls I should be aware of?

Cheers

[tdi300]

I fitted bilsteins shocks... and the ride is great. I am still running standard ride height.

[Disco69]

Sorry if I'm hi-jacking your thread but is there much difference between the ride with the aftermarket shocks?

I do mostly on road driving and I've always fitted standard shocks, mostly because their just so cheap that even if I replace them twice a year its still cheaper than buying the aftermarket ones!

I know the aftermarket ones perform better offroad because when I was in Australia I drove many 4x4s offraod and nothing could compare with Old Man Emu shocks (standard shocks only lasted about a week in those conditions)

[jen.s.f]

After market springs come with different ratings, so if you are thinking of changing to them then you can just pick the ones that are best suited to your needs (have a look at the Paddocks advert in any Land Rover mag, they do the 4 main aftermarket ones). You should notice an improved ride once they are fitted, as you would with any new shocker, but you might find they this lasts for longer with a better quality part. Also, check the springs when you replace the shocks, if they are worn and saggy then they should be replaced at the same time to save your new shocker from having to work harder than it should. I know after market shocks cost a fair bit more than your bog standard jobbies, but that's one reason we went for the Pro-comp, with the lifetime guarantee!!

It's an easy enough job to do, just make sure you give all the bolts a good does of WD-40 every day for several days beforehand, then, apart from a set of spring compressors, all you need are basic tools, a good jack and a set of axle stands. Couldn't realy say how long it would take you to do, as we did all the brakes and bearings at the same time as doing ours so it took us almost 5 days. The only thing we had to replace when we did the shocks and springs were the front turret retaining rings, they are about a fiver each form somewhere like Paddocks so well worth investing in before you start the job.

[mpi]

hello i know of a few people who use koni shocks on there discoverys . Thay to also come with a life time warranty. thay do 2 types a standard uprated shock for better handeling on the roed and also ther raird heavy track for off road use. might be worth a look.

[12bore]

I fitted Pro-comps to my old 300 and they transformed the handling, plus improved the towing 'feel'.
Fitting rears is a doddle but the front ones are a pain in the a****. Its the bottom nut which is very difficult to undo once the car has got any mileage under its belt. You need a strap wrench or similar to hold the shock absorber through the spring while you undo the nut, or do what Ihad to and cut it off with a hacksaw blade. Not easy, so don't expect to refit the shocker.