Range Rover
Please be aware that ECR is now a Defender repair and modification shop only.
We no longer work on Range Rovers, Discos or Series Rovers.
These pages are from work we did in the past and left up for your enjoyment.
1993-1995 and 1995-2000 Air suspension (EAS) "retro"
fit to coil sprung suspension
East Coast Rover Co. can now
install any and all suspension upgrades to 1993-1995 Range Rover Classic
vehicles and remove the sometimes troublesome air ride system (EAS)! You
can also install coil springs into your 1995-2000 new shape Range Rover
to eliminate the EAS!
The air suspension in the Range Rovers can be very costly to repair, and
for less than the price of one or two of the air system's major components
we can install a worry free, coil spring suspension in your Range Rover
that you can upgrade as you se fit.
This opens up a host of options for the owners of 1993-2000 air ride vehicles
from a cheaper one time repair to making a fully modified suspension for
off road use. Now you can utilize the 108" wheelbase Range Rovers
(called LWBs) for off road use in case you need a bit more room. An off
road beast with room for 4 in comfort and all your recovery gear, what
could be better. The retro fit works in both the regular and LWB and new
shape models.
The air suspension conversion itself is a very simple operation and can
be done in numerous ways. The most basic set up for the Range Rover Classic
removes the air suspension in favor of coil springs and can be done for
less than $700. (parts AND labor). New shape Range Rover 4.0 SE
and 4.6 HSE from $1600. (parts AND labor). You can install anything
from a stock Range Rover suspension to a wild Stage III 3 link set up.
The options are now endless, here are some examples:
STOCK EAS CONVERSION:
The "stock" style replacement coil sprung system change for your
EAS Range Rover is simple and cheap. These systems are installed quickly
and easily and will give a very stock appearance to your Range Rover, and
you won't have to break the bank trying to keep your aging EAS system going.
Here you can see another 1995 Range Rover LWB with a stock EAS conversion. As you can see they sit at a nice height, level and look very appropriate.
Installation is simple and takes only a short time. Above you can see another Range Rover LWB here at ECR for removal of the EAS in favor of long lasting coil springs.
A short while later the Range Rover is complete. The air suspension removed, and the Rover ready for the road. This is a great way to cure that sagging air suspension and eliminate the need for costly repairs in your air suspension.
STAGE 1 EAS CONVERSION:
The image above shows our Stage 1 conversion. This gives you a small lift for your old EAS Range Rover and allows for bigger tires and better off road manners, without hurting the on road manners all that much. If you are looking to get started in off roading, or just want some more body clearance for you camp road or hunting trips, this is a great set up to go with.
The owner of this Range Rover LWB had this to say:
"Hi: Trip back to New Jersey was uneventful. Truck runs well and the suspension feels firm and better than the stock air unit. I went to the Far Hills Races Breeder's Cup Saturday. When I revisited my parking space a RR "nut" was laying on the wet ground under the truck checking-out the improvements! He has a 1993 and should be calling you soon to discuss some upgrades."
Thanks again,
Joseph H. Weinkam, JR.
Neshanic Station, NJ
STAGE 2 EAS CONVERSION:
This Black 1993 Range Rover has our Stage 2 conversion. This gives you a nice lift for your old EAS Range Rover and allows for bigger tires and better off road manners with a lot of axle travel and great results off road without hurting the on road manners badly. It is a great balance for a customer who wants larger tires and trail ready Range Rover. If you are looking to hit the trails, or have a very capable dual duty Range Rover this is a great set up to go with.
What follows is an outline of one such Stage 2 coil sprung conversion done at ECR. It utilizes a Safari Gard Stage II suspension, with ECR modifications for extra articulation on a Range Rover Classic LWB.
1993 Range Rover LWB Coil Spring Conversion and Upgrade
This nicely outfitted 1993 Range Rover came to ECR for a conversion to coil springs. The owner had experienced trouble with his air suspension, and he also travels into remote areas with this vehicle, so having a computer sensor shut down his suspension 200 miles from the nearest garage was not what he wanted. We have the answer, install a Stage II suspension system and tweak it for the best road performance and best possible off road performance without sacrificing either.
First step before you modify a suspension... Test the old system.
Our RTI tests (Ramp Travel Index Test: a static test of how flexible a suspension system is) showed that the stock air suspension Range Rover had a respectable score, but it still had that chance to fail on the trail, or on the street for that matter, and when they do fail it is usually a high dollar repair.
Forward the air suspension LWB Range Rover scored a 596
Backwards it scored a 559
The RTI tests were done on ECR's 23 degree ramp.
Next step was to remove the air suspension and modify and install the Stage II suspension. A Stage II suspension had never been fitted to a LWB Range Rover before, so we had to make some corrections in the geometry.
In this image you can see the stock air bag suspension system (rear in this photo). It works well for road use, but with age the air bags break down and crack. When they fail your suspension loses its air pressure and your vehicle automatically lowers to its bump stops. At that time you need to call the tow truck. To remove the air bags you need only depressurize the system and remove the bags and the bag perches. Stock spring perches will bolt directly to the axles allowing a coil suspension system to be fitted.
This image shows the front suspension with the air bag removed. With the air bags removed some work has to be done inside the vehicle to shut down the air computer system and the warning lights.
At this point you could install stock springs and wrap the job up, but we are going for better off road performance and a few other tricks.
To install some upgraded coil suspensions you will need to fit shock towers to the Range Rover to relocate your shocks. This can be easily done, and if you look closely you can see that the LWB Range Rover (ex-air suspension) in this photo has the shocks and shock towers located in the same position as a Defender (shocks inside the spring, not in front of it like the stock air suspension Rovers). That way you can upgrade to any suspension kit on the market.
With the new Stage II system in place on the front of this LWB Range Rover you can see that our coil spring retro kit works very well. We still have a few tricks to make it complete, such as modified radius arms, etc., but it makes a simple and long lasting solution to your air suspension problems. Notice on this vehicle we have modified the front shock towers to accept the Fox racing shocks, installed a 3 inch shock drop kit, install longer stainless steel brake flex lines due to the increased wheel travel, and longer bump stops to keep everything under control.
This image shows the Stage II set up in the rear of the LWB Range Rover. The Fox shock is located in the stock location, new stainless steel brake flex lines, spring retainers and bump stops complete the install.
With the new suspension installed, the RTI scores tell the story:
The stock air ride vehicle gave us a 596 forwards.
The new ECR coil sprung retro fit LWB Range Rover scores a 669 forwards. (shown above)
The stock air ride gave us a 559 backwards.
The ECR coil sprung retro fit LWB scored a 633 backwards! (shown above)
Overall suspension flex is increased but the road handling is still retained at excellent levels. Here you can see the rear axle still level on the ground and the suspension working nicely. The modified ECR front shock mounts give this Range Rover as much travel as possible without altering the front suspension geometry. (You can also see ECR's stabilizer relocation kit, tie rod guard and more.)
This image shows the completed 1995 LWB Range Rover project. It will be trucked back to its owner in PA for use as an overland/ expedition vehicle. The LWB Range Rover now has an increased ride height for better ground clearance off road, a better payload capacity for carrying your gear, better articulation, and the suspension system won't let you down on the trial or on the street. With this set up you could run larger tires or continue the modifications to make your Range Rover kick butt off road.
ECR can handle any suspension modification you can imagine. From a coil spring retro fit in your Range Rover, or a Stage III set up in your Defender 90, or parabolics on your Series IIA 109, contact ECR.
We are your source for Rovers suspensions, old or new, leaf or coil.
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