FFRay, thanks that is exactly the info I needed.

Greg, yes of course that can be done but it does not solve the inherent problem on the shocks. I would like to resolve that problem so you won't need to stop and let them cool down

Water mist would work fine, although you'd need quite a reservoir to keep it going. Closed circuit cooling doesn't waste the water.

Splashing water on it when it is hot, is not great due to the temp shock but when do you do it, stop every km or 5 km or 10 km without knowing when (temperature measurement will help there). Also just one splash is not enough, there will be lot of heat stored in the shock so it will take time to get that out and a single splash won't do the trick I'm afraid.

So either air cooling or closed circuit liquid cooling (we don't want pure water since that would freeze and kill the shock cooling system).

Not an easy thing to design and build but I've always enjoyed a challenge. MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

Some of the desert racing stuff has (or had) cooling systems with radiators for the shocks. Possibly overkill unless you live near Mitchell Falls though.

I think that there will be few areas in Oz that would potentially benefit from this modification. Good to hear there is already something on the market, will have a look.

I found already some patents on water cooling of shocks.

I just realized another cooling method using a venturi. We installed them on big electronic cabinets offshore in the GoM.

I would look at installing a finned jacket (fins on the inside and helical shape) and then blowing the cool air (with or without the venturi) through the jacket. From the bottom up. Even if there is no fan running, the air will warm up inside the jacket and natural convection will pull cooler air in. We used that principle as well on the above cabinets  MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

I think there would only be a TINY market for any kind of shock absorber cooling system for Range Rovers, in Australia or anywhere else, since 99.9% of Rangies are NEVER taken off the blacktop. Even LR seemed surprised that I'd taken mine so far off the beaten track into a landscape dominated by LandCruisers and Nissan Patrols.

But THEY suffered catastrophic shock absorber failure too. One Landcruiser owner who actually reached Mitchell Falls, destroying his rear shocks in the process, had two replacements choppered in from Kununurra, at a cost of more than $2,000!

But a cooling system for shocks that was universal - not just applicable to RR - might gain some sort of traction. 2012 L322 TDV8 Luxury
2013 VW Polo GTI
Gone: 2010 RRS 3.0 TDV6, 2007 Audi TT 3.2V6 Roadster

The silicone stuff is ok but for better heat transfer you want to look at thermal paste, something like the arctic silver 5 stuff. a little goes a long way with it as well.

I think a combo of a fin based cooler held onto the shocker and a misting spray, something like what you would find in an Aquamist system would help. Dont forget this will eventually cake up the cooler fins as the dust will only settle and stick to the wet surfaces so require washing out periodically as well. This is of course only for the rear shockers as the fronts and inside the bags IIRC. Though they could be cooled by cooling the bags themselves down with a spray as well...

In a perfect world you would run the feed pipe across the evaporator as well so as to super cool the water even further and aid heat removal, fins painted black as well or ideally powder coated in black and baked for a nice smooth finish to help dirt not stick as much.

Are the undulations not caused by the reciprocating nature of vehicle suspension travelling those roads making the situation worse over time?

If it were me i'd go for the easy option and get some 19's fitted with some MTR's or the new goodyear variant and go a bit faster. Maybe fit a simple scoop that directs some airflow over the shockers would then help as well something like a low profile flat scoop thats no more than 1" high by about 3-4" long and then opens out to the same next to the shocks... FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

One option is fitting Cooper Discoverer AT3 275/55 20's. They would give almost as good a cushion as swapping to 19"s with 255/55 19 MTR"s - and materially better than Cooper Zeon LTZ 255/45 20's; a guy in Brisbane ran the former on his TDV8 when he did the Plenty highway and Red Centre; however - still need to keep speed and weight down to avoid potential rim cracking.

How do the coppers rate against the mtr's and their newer version as I have to say I've only had puncture on an mtr and it was getting a lot of stick on low pressure and ended up getting a pinch puncture  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

BlackPerth wrote:

One option is fitting Cooper Discoverer AT3 275/55 20's. They would give almost as good a cushion as swapping to 19"s with 255/55 19 MTR"s - and materially better than Cooper Zeon LTZ 255/45 20's; a guy in Brisbane ran the former on his TDV8 when he did the Plenty highway and Red Centre; however - still need to keep speed and weight down to avoid potential rim cracking.

why would smaller wheels be better ???

The same OD tyres fitted to smaller diameter rims have taller sidewalls which generally are more flexible so absorb some of the vibrations. However with the advent of the new Disco with its 31" tyres, suitable 255/55R20 tyres such as the GG AT3 and GY Duratrac will hopefully become available in our part of the world although 255/60R19 would be better, especially considering that D4 19" rims fit all L322.

Whilst the conversation has moved to cooled shocks now I've just read the main story - WOW what an adventure Greg. These calamities have a strange way of becoming much better memories had nothing gone wrong. Could you please post the 3000 word version, keen to read the full account!

. Cheers, Greg
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