The EAS suspension uses bladders of air to act as the cushion between the axle and the body of the vehicle. These bags can be inflated or deflated depending on the height set by the operator of the vehicle. Solenoids driven by the EAS ECU control air pressure either into or out of each corner of the vehicle. Thereby controling the ride height and comfort of the driving experience.

Sounds like a nice design, right? Well it is when it works. In my opinion the air springs are critical to the overall operation of the EAS. If the springs are cheap or in disrepair, the EAS system suffers and annoys the heck out of the vehicle operator. From my experience old or cheap bags are the cause of most EAS air leaks.

The OEM Rover airspring can be a troublesome beast. The OEM design employs a beaded rubber junction between the top and bottom pieces of the air spring unit. This beaded design is similar to how an automotive tire is mated to the wheel rim. During extreme articulation, the bead can seperate from the bottom or top piece of the air spring. This can reult in a very loud bang or maybe just a moderate escape of pressure. Either way the bead must be reseated and hope you avoid an EAS Fault. There is also some debate as to whether the OEM air space design is backwards in firming up or softening the ride.

The OEM bags and in fact all bags can eventually develop cracks and dry points in the rubber. Depending on the design, these cracks can create uneven or broken sealing surfaces. These dry spots and cracks cause leaks. Leaks eventualy cause EAS Faults.

The above picture displays a set of Arnott Generation III airsprings. In my opinion, these are the only replacement air springs that a Rover owner should consider. I tried every one of Arnott's different generation air springs and was only happy with the GENIII design. Every owner should just write off the cost and committ to getting the GENIII bags.

The Arnott GENIII air springs are avalaible through Rover Renovations.