air spring options
- Thread starter thedude
- Start date
depends on exactly what you're looking at/for and your budget.
They're all apples, but you've got granny smiths, washingtons, and fujis....
1-the OEM springs are dunlop (some come from firestone) and are natural rubber, which is where the cracking/dry-rot problems come from in the old ones. I don't know if the new OEM springs are a new/different compound to avoid this but I've not heard many complaints of replacement OEM springs going bad unless mis-diagnosed by testbook and the tech taking the codes as gospel. The Arnott springs are a different compound (I don't know if they're natural or synthetic) and carry a lifetime warranty BUT are just the rubber part, you re-use your top caps and lower pistons, so if you have an issue there you need to find a used replacement or get the whole assembly from LR instead. Being just the rubber they are less expensive than the LR full spring.
Some think installing the complete spring is easier, some think installing just the rubber bellows is easier, it only takes a few minutes to split off the old rubber and push the new onto the old plastic bits.--clamp the old rubber in a vice near the end you're pulling, put a crescent wrench on the plastic and pull...pops right off. or the fun way is put it in a trash can with some airline and inflate untill it explodes
2-the GenIII springs are designed for handling improvements on and offroad over the stock style. the lower piston on the OEM is shaped like a mushroom, which gives a stiff ride in offroad height because of the greater surface area (F=MxA) and a softer ride in highway height becasue of the lesser effective surface area. The GenIII's flip the lower piston (like the springs in the MKIII RR) for stiffer at highway and softer offroad. they are also 2x the price of a standard set of bellows.
Some (including me) prefer the ride/handling of the GenIII's, some prefer the OEM style for the "classic" ride. It's all opinion and everyone has one.
They're all apples, but you've got granny smiths, washingtons, and fujis....
1-the OEM springs are dunlop (some come from firestone) and are natural rubber, which is where the cracking/dry-rot problems come from in the old ones. I don't know if the new OEM springs are a new/different compound to avoid this but I've not heard many complaints of replacement OEM springs going bad unless mis-diagnosed by testbook and the tech taking the codes as gospel. The Arnott springs are a different compound (I don't know if they're natural or synthetic) and carry a lifetime warranty BUT are just the rubber part, you re-use your top caps and lower pistons, so if you have an issue there you need to find a used replacement or get the whole assembly from LR instead. Being just the rubber they are less expensive than the LR full spring.
Some think installing the complete spring is easier, some think installing just the rubber bellows is easier, it only takes a few minutes to split off the old rubber and push the new onto the old plastic bits.--clamp the old rubber in a vice near the end you're pulling, put a crescent wrench on the plastic and pull...pops right off. or the fun way is put it in a trash can with some airline and inflate untill it explodes
2-the GenIII springs are designed for handling improvements on and offroad over the stock style. the lower piston on the OEM is shaped like a mushroom, which gives a stiff ride in offroad height because of the greater surface area (F=MxA) and a softer ride in highway height becasue of the lesser effective surface area. The GenIII's flip the lower piston (like the springs in the MKIII RR) for stiffer at highway and softer offroad. they are also 2x the price of a standard set of bellows.
Some (including me) prefer the ride/handling of the GenIII's, some prefer the OEM style for the "classic" ride. It's all opinion and everyone has one.