Having been through this whole issue I agree entirely with Simon.

Even before our car left the factory it had ground clearance problems and hit the peak of the ramp when going up into the trim shop to have a couple of last minute things fitted. On the way home, fully loaded we must have hit nearly every speed bump. The clearance under the car was less than 9cm!!!

In the end the factory replaced the springs under warranty and a set of earlier 5 leaf springs were fitted. In one way or another the handling of the car was completely stuffed up.

Finally I was an early adopter of first Peter Ballard's SSL front suspension and then the rear 5 link suspension. Both of these I have tuned to my taste and I have even fitted higher rate rear springs. I have also fitted 195/65 R15 tyres to improve the ground clearance.

In the case of the 4/4 I fail to see that the rear end of a 4/4 would have a much different weight than that of the Plus 4. Take away the spare tyre (if a Sport) and factor in the lighter weight of the engine and I doubt that you would reduce the load by more than 10 or 15 kilos per spring. Travelling with or without passenger, and or luggage, and or a full tank of fuel would make more difference!

The springs are certainly a bit flat, ideally they should be like that only when the car is loaded. If you don't want to spend the money on upgrading the suspension, obviously my preferred choice would be the 5 link rear suspension, I would definitely remove the blocks (new U bolts) and, at the same time, fit a set of decent adjustable dampers.

While you are at it I would consider fitting a panhard rod too. Some would say it is not justified on a 4/4 but it will tighten up the rear end and improve the handling at a very small expense.

Peter

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