Branching out from my other thread regarding shock absorbers..

My experience with them have been a bit like goldilocks and the several sets of shock absorbers..

original BOGE units were knackered.
So I fitted Bilsteins thinking they'll be better, and unfortunately the ride was so hard I sent them back and put my originals back on!
The next week she found herself with a set of BOGE dampers I managed to get from Island4x4 and Ebay the ride seemed perfect, far better than ever, for around a month before one started to mist oil!!
As a final ditch effort a set of Terribly ferm shockers were fitted, which have made the ride near unbearable

So i'm back at square one..

As said in my other thread shipart shockers are the only ones left to try and i'm sorely tempted..

Oh and not the "dynamics" or any of that shit, the standard black ones, I just want a soft ride..

Don't care about how sporty it is to drive which is all the manufacturers seem to care about, etc etc

My question is how well should the P38 ride?

Is it supposed to be "magic carpet" I'm guessing with 18" wheels my ride will be slightly harsher than with 16"s

Mine at the moment seems to find every single bump in the road, which ain't ideal...

THKS

H

I'm also on 18s. I wouldn't go so far as Magic Carpet. There's a some jiggle over poor surfaces but it's never uncomfortable and rarely crashy. Once you're on a decent road it's smooth and very pleasant albeit with a fair amount of roll noticeable at low speeds (roundabouts, junctions etc) which is where you get the sensation that you're actually driving a big heavy car. But if you're trying to nip about like a 205 you're in the wrong vehicle.

I got The Duchess because I wanted something that would survive commuting over horrible B roads without breaking bits like the BMWs we had before. She copes with unacceptable potholes very well indeed. You notice the big ones, but you don't lose a wheel or find your rear shocks poking through the boot carpet.

Grip is surprisingly good and braking is excellent with the right tyres. There is no tramlining and no hint of death wobble.
I have standard airsprings, stock Boge black shocks. EBC grooved/dimpled front disks and EBC Green 9000 (I think) SUV series pads. Michelin Cross Climate 2 tyres in standard size.
She arrived with a nasty unpredictable front end that felt like a cross between tramlining, an extreme reaction to off camber corners and a hatred of driving downhill. After many bits and bobs were changed, it's all nice and predictable now.

I have a similar story ... my queen came with orangish cellular dynamics, I've tried two friends' P38s with original shocks and were much smoother and compliant. So I happily bought Boge OEM but I've fitted them and almost immediately one would bottom out and knock, as if it was at the end of the compression ... being a complicated purchase (from where I am) it was not really possible a replacement, so there it was.
When I inquired one of my mates about it, his reply simply was "where did you buy it? If in Land Rover as OE is one thing, if as Boge from somewhere else the quality is not the same even if it says OEM".
Dunno what to say to that, I've got a set of Terrafirmas in a box waiting to be mounted. I am not convinced, but ... what to do?

What Bilsteins did you fit? B4s (I think are black) or B6s (yellow)?
Ride is always firmer with Bilsteins ... a good thing on most cars, not on the RR.

I've since fitted the new Britpart shocks to replace the TF ones, and the ride is transformed it has gone from juddery speedboat to a nice comfy cruise ship. 🆒:D

The choppiness and harshness has vanished and to be fair the handling has improved, I don't drive it like a sportscar anyway I bought a 4x4 not an MX5 so a spongy ride and a bit of body roll doesn't bother me, on the roads I frequent from work it is far easier to maintain the limit "60" without having to slow down when approaching either potholes or undulations in the road.

Before it would hit a pothole or undulation and bounce which was quite disconcerting and it would force me to slow down which was an irritation

Also if it hit a succession of potholes it was truly horrific :mad:

Now even locked in "standard" it is sublime I'm very happy with it..

😂

Thanks.

Even a sports car won't go as fast if when it hits a bump it bounces across the road...

Reminds me of boy racers who lower their cars then have to drive slower than ever over speed bumps otherwise they'll lose their bumper / exhaust lol. Similar story for them with firmer shocks, they might do marginally better on a smooth race-track with firmer shocks but unless they're Colin McCrae re-incarnate they'll probably go slower on potholed roads. Had a boy racer go past me on the motorway the other day, exhaust drone must have been annoying, it also showed off the fact he only had a 4 pot engine under the bonnet.