MAX POWER HANDLING
A PERFORMANCE upgrade isn’t just about power output. Before your Land Rover can put all those extra horses on the road, you need to make sure it can handle it. The same general rules apply to all models
All Land Rovers have a lot of bushes. When they wear, the steering feels vague and unstable. The rear axle is more important to stability than the front, and play in the rear bushes can make the car fishtail like a salmon in a flood. For this reason, if you are replacing tyres and can only afford one axle set then put the new ones on the back.
Polyurethane bushes are a popular and effective upgrade, but just fitting a fresh set of good quality rubber bushes will sharpen up an old car. Polyurethane is available in a range of specifications (from performance to comfort and dynamic grades), but if you go too firm you will get lots of road noise.
Shock absorbers: Dampers have a dramatic influence on handling. You don’t need anything fancy unless you are racing, but do buy the best quality you can afford, and always fit new mounting rubbers.
Springs: There’s a huge range of spring heights and rates to choose from. Harder springs can make road handling better, but you will get more noise and vibration; softer is smoother but the car will wallow more. Something in between suits most folk.
Dampers and springs need to work together; think of them as two parts of one system. So properly-engineered spring and damper kits can be a good choice.
Changing the ride height should be tackled carefully. Raising it makes the centre of gravity higher and your Land Rover will roll more in corners, which could lead to instability. Generally speaking, a lift of up to two inches seems to work well if the rest of the suspension is in good condition. If you go higher, then the front caster angle will make the steering excessively light and unstable, and to fix this you will need caster-corrected suspension parts.
If on-road performance is your priority, consider a lowering kit, which will reduce roll and improve stability, but remember to ensure your choice of tyre does not foul the body.
Anti-roll bars: These were fitted as standard on later cars to improve stability on road, and although they do limit axle articulation in extreme off-road conditions, this isn’t usually a problem for greenlaning and general off-roading. Anti-roll bars can also be retro-fitted to older Land Rovers if you weld the brackets onto the chassis,
Air suspension: This can be reprogrammed to change the normal ride height. There are several tools on the market that can do this and it makes getting a one-inch lift a very cheap option.
Brakes: If you go faster you need to stop faster. A set of performance discs and pads will make a surprising improvement, but buy quality parts from a reputable seller.