Shock Question...

[MDDisco]

03 Disco w/ 65K
I need new shocks and I really like the Bilsteins. My only dillema is if I decide to put a 2" lift down the road, will they be too short? I dont really off road a whole lot as of now, but would like to more after I get the lift and some underbody armor.

When I talked to the gentleman at Bilstein, he said they shocks for the Disco have 9" travel.

[MDDisco]

more updated info...
Shock travel: front 8.21" rear 8.15"

[Frank84]

The short answer is - go ahead and get the Bilsteins if that is what you want.

The shocks won't limit your suspension travel - the sway bars will. So you'll be fine with the bilstein's. If you went with a much longer shock and removed the sway bars you'd need extended brake lines anyway. 9" sounds about right for shock travel which translates to about 12" at the wheel if you cross-axle the truck and do the math on the angles.

Have you thought about the OME shocks? They ride nice even without extra weight in the truck and are about 1/2" longer than stock ones - which probably would work better with a 2" lift. You can remove the sway bars with them and the brake lines are just long enough to reach. My dad's DII has them with 160k on the shocks - still doing their job but might be replaced next year with another pair.

[MDDisco]

I have thought about the OME's as well. Thanks for the input!

[Disco96JSWB]

With my Discovery (Series I) I first went with OME medium springs front and rear and Bilstein shocks. It was a nice combination. Good on the road, but with really good off-road flex. (The mistake I made was to go with 245/75 tires rather than 235/85's.)

Eventually, to carry the weight of heavy bumpers and for more lift, I switched over to Rovertym springs and OME shocks with extra drop in the rear. The heavier springs certainly didn't help articulation, and the ride on the road was much softer and bouncier. (The weight of the bumpers really slowed it down too.)

- Jeremy

[MDDisco]

With my Discovery (Series I) I first went with OME medium springs front and rear and Bilstein shocks. It was a nice combination. Good on the road, but with really good off-road flex. (The mistake I made was to go with 245/75 tires rather than 235/85's.)

Eventually, to carry the weight of heavy bumpers and for more lift, I switched over to Rovertym springs and OME shocks with extra drop in the rear. The heavier springs certainly didn't help articulation, and the ride on the road was much softer and bouncier. (The weight of the bumpers really slowed it down too.)

- Jeremy

You used the 2" oME springs right?.. w/ the Bilstein shocks

[Disco96JSWB]

They were the "Medium" duty OME springs. It seemed like a little less than a 2" lift, although it's so difficult to tell exactly.

The story ARB tells seems to be that Medium and Heavy give the same lift when the vehicle is laden in the manner intended, which is probably true. But I used Heavy OME rear springs for a bit (I tried lots of combinations) and they lifted the rear another half inch at least over the Medium rear springs when it was unladen. (For towing the Heavy springs were much better then the Mediums.)

- Jeremy

[pushngo]

I have a 2" OME lift and the matching OME shocks on my D2 and it is fine When you are ready to upgrade to a 3" and Blings you will still get a good dollar for the used OMEs As stated previous you will change suspension many times as you settle into the type of driving you enjoy. I have had 5 sets of springs and 3 or 4 sets of shocks and it is all coming off after MAR for a new ideal setup.