Hard, jarring, harsh ride over holes and road imperfections

[richord]

I recently acquired my 2015 LR4 HSE Lux. When driving on most pavement, the ride is fine. If there is a small pothole or indentation in the road service, the ride is jarring. I thought with the air suspension it would absorb this.

Driving my other cars, a 2024 Lexus GX550 and my 2024 Subaru Outback over these same roads does not result in the thud.

I checked the tire pressure and its correct. There is no clunking noise when this occurs just a thud.

Does the LR4 absorb these conditions without the thud or is this normal?

 

[Rover Range]

Could be front lower control arm bushings. When they are worn, the arms can make contact with the frame.

 

[powershift]

I don't think I've hit any *** holes (we don't have them here), but I'd expect a thud. When I bought my LR4 the lower control arms were worn out, 97k mi. I think the bushings wear quickly because they are softer and the benefit is a better ride. The ride should be plush and cushy over bumps and quiet aside from maybe hearing the tire itself hitting the object.

 

[richord]

The bushings on the lower control arms are orange and I suspect are poly bushings, not factory originals. Are these bushings stiffer than the factory originals?

 

[ugmw177]

yes, the poly bushings are much harder/harsher than oem. The oems are softer and oil filled. I run Meyle HD arms and the ride is great but they last longer than the JLR ones.

 

[BBLR3]

Yup. Poly bushings. I installed those on mine a couple years ago. Ride is definitely firmer than with OEM bushings. I was already on my second set of control arms and the clunking started again. I decided I'm not replacing them anymore and installed poly's to just be done with it. I dont even notice the ride anymore at this point.

 

[m_lars]

What’s it got on it for wheel/tires. Low profile tires will be harsh even with the correct pressure.

 

[ftillier]

I moved away from the poly back to OEM, and it made a noticeable difference in ride quality for the better. Will see how long they last but given how little we drive it, hopefully a good long while.

 

[powershift]

The bushings on the lower control arms are orange and I suspect are poly bushings, not factory originals. Are these bushings stiffer than the factory originals?

Aside from stiffness, there have been failures of 3rd party LCA. You want the Land Rover brand or the company that makes them for Land Rover. Thats what I bought for mine (the latter). When LCA's fail you will lose control of the truck.

If you search the forum there were two reports with pictures of LCA breakage and I think it might also be related to bushings but either way its not worth the risk to buy other LCA's or bushings. Like today there was a 20 MPH bump on the open desert highway I took at 35 MPH by train tracks and it seemed smooth as butter and quiet as a mouse, I'm not sure if that is still hard_on the suspension. Everyone else slows down a bit more.

 

[ftillier]

When LCA's fail you will lose control of the truck.

Had both control arms fail at the front bushing in close succession on a minivan this summer due to rust. Lucky it was on a country road and glad we weren’t on the highway. It’s scary af.