Member Since: 16 Apr 2012
Location: Taunton
Posts: 138
Suspension components lifespan
Hello all. My Disco 4 will be 10 years old this year and I'm thinking I may need to spend some money on the suspension. I had a Disco 3 from 2011 to 2017 and living out in the sticks with the world's worst roads meant new lower wishbones every couple of years. I have had the D4 since march 2017 and apart from a brand new set of lower wishbones upon purchase and a new compressor, the suspension has been great. Granted I do far less miles now (just over 30k in 4 years) and don't live in the sticks anymore.......
.....Anyway, as I was saying, I've had a dull knock from what I believe to be the rear left corner for a while now. It really varies on the type of terrain and sometimes goes for weeks without a peep. I took it to my local garage and they couldn't see anything wrong, plus it flew through its MOT without any advisories on anything. It's not a metallic clunk like a wishbone failing, but more of a thud. On my D3 I had this at the front and it turned out to be ARB bushes. What are people's thoughts on this?
This leads me on to the point I'm finally getting to, what sort of mileage would you expect from front / rear upper and lower wishbones, track rod ends etc., ARB bushes and the air struts? I'm genuinely contemplating doing all the wishbones and ARB bushes, as I plan to keep this vehicle for a few years yet. I am noticing the ride isn't as good as of late, not sure if wishbones would contribute to this, or if maybe the air struts / shocks are getting tired? Mileage is approx. 126k.
I look forward to people's thoughts. Reading this will mean 3 minutes of your life you'll never get back - sorry!
Front lower arms are about 50k in my experience. Im at 110k now and need a second set and also rear uppers. Just had a new compressor also.
Last edited by swansty on 21st Jul 2021 5:46 am. Edited 1 time in total
4th May 2021 10:52 am
alex0264
Member Since: 16 Apr 2012
Location: Taunton
Posts: 138
Thanks, that is useful to know. Unfortunately whilst driving down a slip road off the M32 in Bristol, I hit a shocking hole in the road - terrible bang. I have a feeling this may have taken it's toll on the NSF lower wishbone...
4th May 2021 10:55 am
alex0264
Member Since: 16 Apr 2012
Location: Taunton
Posts: 138
An update on this thread which I had forgotten about. A couple of weeks ago I had both upper and lower wishbones replaced, front and rear, as well new stabiliser links. Certainly a big improvement on the cars road presence, it does not wander like it used to. The steering feels more precise and the handling has improved considerably. The only thing I have found is that the ride is now rather stiff! Considering I've only ever had front lower wishbones replaced, I'm wondering if this is simply a characteristic of brand new suspension components, that should soften up a bit over time?
18th Jul 2021 9:25 am
MJA
Member Since: 08 Jul 2021
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 85
From experience with other cars (non LR) it does take a while for suspension and bushes to settle in - 200 or so miles.
I also found changing some components shortly highlighted issues elsewhere but sounds like you have done a thorough job.
The other thing to check is tyre pressures - too high for the load means you loose the tyres damping role in the suspension.
18th Jul 2021 10:06 am
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5075
alex0264 wrote:
The only thing I have found is that the ride is now rather stiff! Considering I've only ever had front lower wishbones replaced, I'm wondering if this is simply a characteristic of brand new suspension components, that should soften up a bit over time?
What arms did you fit?
Genuine tend to be more supple, (a characteristic of the hydra bush in the lower arms) whereas certain aftermarket arms can make for a more harsh ride. As you say, it may soften up over time, but incorrect tyre pressures can have a big effect.
Choice of wheel/tyre/ and amount of wear can have a significant impact also. yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
18th Jul 2021 11:03 am
alex0264
Member Since: 16 Apr 2012
Location: Taunton
Posts: 138
I shall check the tyre pressures next time I go out. I do wonder how well calibrated the garage pumps are sometimes.
The arms appear to be aftermarket components, so perhaps that could explain why the ride is a bit more firm. Is it only genuine arms that have hydra bushes?
18th Jul 2021 8:52 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5075
Yes just the genuine ones but there are some really good aftermarket arms out there. Meyle for example
I wouldn't worry too much about it so long as it tracks and handles correctly. (geometry)
You're right to be suspicious about pressure gauges as there is often a discrepancy. I had a D4 in during the week wit a new set of tyres just fitted by a tyre centre. When I checked the pressures they were exactly 6psi lower on each wheel than they should have been.
I use several gauges which I compare periodically.yµ (idµ - eAµ) ψ=mψ
18th Jul 2021 9:45 pm
alex0264
Member Since: 16 Apr 2012
Location: Taunton
Posts: 138
Thank you all for the helpful replies. I can confirm that the tyre pressures were correct (provided the pump I used was properly calibrated).
The only thing I have found is after entering the parts numbers in to Google, most if not all are actually for the D3 rather than the D4. I'm assuming that this isn't a problem?
I'm trying to put a bit of mileage on it at present to try and soften things up a bit. Agreed, the most important thing is the geometry etc. is all correct.
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