I replaced my rear dampers with OEM, drop links back & front anti roll etc.. It's like driving a different car. REME .. Rough Engineering Made Easy

Just did 2000 km out of 17700 km of driving on these corrugated roads. The Freelander coped very well, only issue was a snapped roof rack bolt.

Click image to enlarge

You want to try a Discovery 2 (or 1!) then you'll think the Freelander handles impeccably  Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

Outback Australia is Toyota country! I don't know why, when they hit 90k km they need an engine rebuild. I also saw more Land Rovers than Suburbs out there. So they are a dieing car! & Next to no Nissan's out there either, can't cope with corrugated roads!

We slept in the car for 3 months with about 10 days using a tent as we were too lazy to set it up the rest of the time. Also had 80 litres of water on board, 2 tow ropes, tools, tyre repair kit, compressor hoses, fridge, sand flag & other additional tend poles, fuel stove, additional fuel, 3 compressors, air tank, spare engine air & oil filters, 52 ah batteries, jumper leads, 2 weeks food, coffee beans & associated equipment, 6 torches, multimeter, 12 metres of cables for solar panels, 2 extinguishers. Plus clothes, bedding & matrasess!

The 50 litres fuel, second spare wheel, sand recovery tracks & 120 watt solar panels were stored on the roof.

Plenty of room in the car for a comfortable night! http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic32055.html

Maybe the boot needs repacking more efficiently! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Was any remedy ever found for the poor handling???

As this thread was originally started in Jul 2018 and the oldest post prior to yours was posted in August 2018 (5 years ago) and no specific answers probably not. Try starting your own thread with a description of your poor handling and you might get a better answer.
You’ve got a 10 year old car. Lots of things could be worn out. Rubber bushes wear and perish, springs crack and weaken, seals fail, ball joints wear, tracking and wheel alignment need adjusting and even if at correct pressure and a premium brand, their rubber hardens. Any one of these things can cause poor handling.
Good luck!

Thanks for the reply on such an old thread.

I have posted the question myself in the past but to no avail. My Mechanic tells me that the handling of the last face lift models did change.....he thinks maybe the geometry was altered somewhat. A few people with later model SD4's have commented they have a similar driving experience. After all bushes being checked over, including roll bar etc I'm at a loss. So I adjust myself and carry on. Tut.

Thanks Boss

Lunar-Rover wrote:

I replaced my rear dampers with OEM, drop links back & front anti roll etc.. It's like driving a different car.

Hi....I have the same wheel size also.....had the suspension checked, a couple of new bushes were needed but didn't make any difference to the handling.

I'm going to replace the shock absorber bearings soon as I have read when they are worn it can create a floaty like handling....worth a try.

It's not dangerous or anything like that, just sometimes disconcerting as the steering feels so sensitive and a feeling that the car isn't really planted on the road. If the shock bearings are worn then any initial load may be taken up through them before the suspension takes it turn which by my logic would create that immediate tippy/floaty feeling....I'm in Cyprus so getting parts quickly isn't possible for immediate gratification! argh!

Would nice since brexit if suppliers in the UK would deduct uk VAT prior to billing as we now pay import duties and VAT here also....Grrrrr. Hey Ho...

Hi all,

Isn't it infuriating when a thread reaches no conclusion!

So, the very side to side, tippy handling of my Freelander SD4 has been all but cured. It now can be driven confidently on bendy roads without the steering wheel being affected by the driving wheels. If my elbows were not planted on the door or armrest the wheel would sometimes twitch so much it would make my arms go up and down! It felt like the power steering was so overpowered and sensitive that entering corners mean't concentrating just in case it happened.

I had replaced the shock absorbers to no avail even though the old ones still seemingly worked well. I had read on here that the top nut of the shocks need a thread that is recessed to enable it to snug the shock tight. Most aftermarket shocks do not come with the correct nut. I tried to tighten these nuts myself to no avail but ended up snapping off the bolt head of one of the shock mounting plates in the process!!! Damn! So at some point had to drill it out or replace it by removing the mounting plate.

However, having read a one line reply on a thread on here that said the Shock top mounting plates if worn can create a wallowy, wobbly feel to the car so decided to replace them as I needed to replace that bolt anyway.

Two new top shock mounting plates and spring bearings were fitted but in the process I had both lower suspension arms replaced also. What a difference!! The shock mounting plate rubber bushes had worn badly and compressed by about 5mm. This I assume means that any movement of the car was first taken up by the loose mounting before the shock could do it's job. So there was a potential 10mm of slack due to worn rubber mounting inside of the top mounting plate which stopped the shock resisting those small movements in the car body.

The old spring bearings didn't seem worn so not sure they made any difference. The lower suspension arms were replaced cos my mechanic couldn't release the lower shock clamp and when trying to seperate the suspension arm ball joint it became loose or it was already loose...dunno. So needed replacing. Not sure old bushes on the lower suspension arm would have affected how the car behaved previously but for sure new ones tightened things up somewhat.

I never knew at all there were so many components to the spring/shock set up. Lots of rubber and plastic pads, rings, bearings etc and those rubber mounts inside the top mounting plate. Who knew! I recommend when changing shocks to change the mounts also....After 150,000km for sure they are not operating as intended.

Now just the mysterious occaisional gearbox clunk shift in heavy traffic to solve.....yes....software update done.....oil change done twice.....still there. Grrrrr

Happy driving folks.

Well done for sorting it and letting us know.

Well done to sort it out and let us know.
Another valuable contribution to the forum.
Thanks FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

I have had no issues with the car & it's done about 4,000km on corrugated roads: https://vimeo.com/364281135
We would also let it rest regularly so the shocks could cool down as they were getting a hammering. We also let the tyres down to make the ride more comfortable. 24psi in the above video.

I do feel that the tyres that come with the car are a bit small. The car does feel more stable with 255/60r18 as in my case.

It's a tall heavy car, more so travelling with 500kg payload at the maximum with a lot on the roof. The Freelander is not a race car. Mine you the petrol engine is nice!

 Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18