Bax03SE

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Looks like tapatalk is being weird with those last pics of the panhard modifications? They show up in tapatalk. Ill give it a bit to see if it fixes itself before I try posting them again.

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One other quick project while I was under there, I did a small panhard rod drop using the stock mount. I disconnected the bar from the bracket, and drilled a new mounting hole a little lower and to the right to bring the axle back to center with the lift. There is a small bracket that comes down at an angle to the panhard mount and uses the mounting bolt to attach to the bracket. It’s purpose appears to be to add support to the panhard mount. Since the new hole left this smaller bracket no longer connected, I solved that problem by welding the bracket to the panhard mount. It may not show up well in pics, but both sides of that angle bracket are welded directly to the main panhard bracket now. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here is my stance now. It has a little rake in back, which is what I wanted to keep it level with weight in the back or when towing. I opted not to reinstall the air bags I was using with the stock springs because I don’t think these springs will compress enough to make them useful. I stood on the hitch, and it only dropped maybe 3/4 of an inch, and I weigh 220. That means it should easily handle the trailer I tow that only has about 180lb tongue weight and also have some gear in the back and still sit pretty close to level. The overall suspension set up on my truck as it sits now is Land Rover springs in the rear, and stock struts in the front with a 2 inch spacer. Just for fun, a comparison next to a stock Q in the Home Depot lot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For the install, I tried them first as is, and they fit great, but the height was about an inch higher than I wanted. (Which I kind of suspected based on the height and spring rate. After test fitting as is, I took them off and cut off one coil from each spring. With one coil cut off, this gave me the overall height I was looking for. The rear of the truck sits about 1/2 inch higher than it did with my previous set up with the 2.5 inch spacers. So these springs gave me a total lift from stock of about 3 inches. Before I cut the one coil off, it sat another inch higher. This means these springs without cutting would give about 4 inches of lift, and could be a good match up for people doing a front sub frame drop, and they fit the R50 spring perches without the need for any modifications as with the often used jeep coils. There are other spring options on that list above with a little less spring rate, and also a little shorter. Someone looking for a lift in the 2-3 inch range could go with one of those and be able to install as is with no cutting. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here are some pics of the springs. And a comparison to the stock springs. I replaced my stock springs with oem replacements last year, so these are new stock representations for comparison, not 14 year old sagging stock springs.... Notice the LR springs are not only taller, but also have more coils and the coils are noticeably thicker. The new spring height pretty much matches the stock spring with the spacer still on it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This started in another thread about rear spring alternatives, but I thought it may help others find it if I moved it to its own thread. Another member, Neilca, found out that Land Rover uses coil springs with the same inner diameter (5”) as the R50. This is a great find, because LR offers many spring options with much higher spring rate than what is typically available for the R50, and in many different heights as well. A chart of spring specs can be found here: http://www.red90.ca/rovers/springinfo.html I was personally looking for something that would give me the same lift as my current set up which was oem springs with a 2.5 inch spacer. I wanted a spring that would give me the lift I wanted without the need for a spacer, and also with a heavier spring rate for higher load carrying capacity. I settled on rear springs for a LR Defender 90, part number NRC9448. They have a spring rate of 225lbs which is much higher than the stock springs, and even a bit heavier than some aftermarket medium/heavy duty options for the R50. Ordered from LRdirect I got my springs delivered for $80 to my door, all the way from the UK! Can’t beat that deal! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Confirmed! They fit! Just to make it easier for others to find/follow I’ll post a more detailed write up of the install in a separate thread. Thanks neilca for finding this info on the LR springs! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Springs came in today! I ordered from LRdirect and must say they were great to deal with! Placed the order Weds, delivered Monday, all the way from the UK! $80 and change to my door. I just unboxed them and they look great, very stout springs! They’re rated at 225lbs spring rate and I’d say that’s about right because I weigh about 220, and standing on the spring compressed it about an inch, maybe a tad less. Much stiffer than I remember the stock springs being last time I had them out. Here are a few quick pics. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks awesome!

One thing you didn't mention was the width of the new wheels? Since they're aftermarket, I'm assuming they are 16x8? If that is correct, then the extra offset combined with the wider rim (stock is 16x7 I believe) means the outer edge of your rim/tire is sticking out 38mm further than before, which is 1.5 inches. That's basically the same as the set up I used to be running, which was 245/75/16 mounted on the stock 16x7's but with a 1.5" spacer, and that combination required trimming on the bumper even with 2.5 inches of lift. It really is the wheel size/offset that makes a difference with rubbing up front when turning. I know you don't want to trim the bumper, but you may want to give that a second thought? The bumper is very easy to trim, and if you take your time you can make it look nice and clean so nobody would ever know unless they compared it to a stock bumper side by side. Just a thought. Or if you really don't want to trim, 245/75/16 will fit on your stock rims just fine without hitting the strut, and will also tuck back into the wheel well so you shouldn't hit anywhere. BTW, A great online tool for figuring out wheel and tire combinations is willtheyfit.com. It lets you plug in different wheel and tire sizes and adjust for rim width and offset to compare how different combinations will work. I used it a lot when figuring out how to go about fitting 33's with a relatively small lift and it was a huge help.

Nice pics, looks like a fun trip! Glad to hear the flare trimming is working out.

245/75/16 will generally fit without rubbing on stock wheels which have a 20mm offset, but the -6 offset you have may make it an issue. Especially in the lower front bumper, anytime you push the wheel out further with a lower offset like that it starts getting really close to the bumper when turning.

You've inspired me to become a guinea pig! After much research I placed an order for two drivers side standard duty rear springs for a Defender 90, part number NRC9448. Land Rover likes to vary their spring height by .5 inch from left to right, but since the original Nissan springs aren't like that I decided to order two matching springs to be the same height. The specs on the springs are a free height of 15.3 inches, with a spring rate of 225/inch. If my math is right, that should give me about a half inch more lift then what I have now with the stock springs and 2.5 inch spacers. I'm hoping that little bit of additional rake will be enough to keep me about level when towing and with gear/people in back. My air bags work great, but I've still never liked how soft the stock springs are, and I'd rather have springs that can take more weight without relying so much on the air bags. With shipping from the UK, the total was $80 for the pair...if this works out that's a great deal for what equates to a nice heavy duty spring for the rear. I'll keep you all posted when they arrive.

Nice looking truck!

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265/65/17 should fit just fine. That measures 30.6 high which will clear your strut, and I honestly dont think youll need to trim anything either. If you do, it will be very minimal and only plastic trimming. You might need to remove front mud flaps if you have them.

This could be a great find, keep us posted!

Looks like a great trip!

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That’s the portion of the flare that I took off. And what the rest of the flare looks like now. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk