gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
Thanks, I’ll let you know if I decide to go that route, I’m just worried about the transmission at this point.
Back in a Rover again, mild LR3 build
- Thread starter gatorgrizz27
- Start date
Thanks, I’ll let you know if I decide to go that route, I’m just worried about the transmission at this point.
Victory_Overland
Explorer
ASFIR and Devon 4x4 make full sets if I remember correctly. Aluminum but you're gonna pay for shipping. Check with Lucky8 cuz I think they sell both. If you need steel, you're probably in the wrong place IMO.
gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
Update on the all terrains, one of my biggest fears with swapping tires was ruining how well this thing drives, and I hadn’t been all that happy with the the change. I was expecting some road noise, the lower speed parking lot rumbling/vibration, a bit harsher ride over small bumps, and a little more pulling/wandering, but it has felt like one of the tires was slightly out of round from 40-70 mph. It wasn’t horrible but it was annoying enough that I couldn’t deal with it on a long highway trip, it would have slowly driven me nuts.
I let them heat cycle, tried a bunch of different tire pressures, and finally went back to Discount a Tire after reading about road force balancing. Of course they talk to you like your an idiot, “yeah it’s going to ride worse,we road force balance all of our tires”, etc. They had also underinflated the front tires to the 33 psi on the door sticker, argued that I didn’t need more than that, and acted like I was wanting to run them at the pressure listed on the sidewall until I told them that was 80 psi.
I found 40 psi F, 45 psi R to handle the best, I didn’t notice much difference in ride quality throughout the whole range I tested. I called BF Goodrich to try to get the numbers they recommend based on what their website says to do, and after a bunch of back and forth and them doing hand calculations, the lady says “we recommend staying below 50 psi.” When I told them I was hoping for specific front and rear pressures, she hung up and eventually called back saying these tires were not recommended for this vehicle. Ok, whatever. They are on half the F-150’s in this town and the LR3 weighs a little more than that. Call it an F-150 with 800 lbs in the bed, probably distributed the same.
I’ve run BFG AT’s, 2 sets of KM2’s, 2 sets of Super Swampers, 2 sets of Ground Hawgs, Toyo AT’s and MT’s, and Nitto and Cooper AT’s, from 32” to 40”. This set of KO2’s was definitely in the worse riding half of those tires, although I don’t know that it would have been noticeable on a vehicle that didn’t drive as well.
They eventually road force balanced them again, and found that one was at 44# and another over 30#, despite them claiming to have done it the first time. They spun those two on the wheel and claim they are all under 8# now. Overall, it’s a MUCH better ride and I’m happy with my choice now.
I let them heat cycle, tried a bunch of different tire pressures, and finally went back to Discount a Tire after reading about road force balancing. Of course they talk to you like your an idiot, “yeah it’s going to ride worse,we road force balance all of our tires”, etc. They had also underinflated the front tires to the 33 psi on the door sticker, argued that I didn’t need more than that, and acted like I was wanting to run them at the pressure listed on the sidewall until I told them that was 80 psi.
I found 40 psi F, 45 psi R to handle the best, I didn’t notice much difference in ride quality throughout the whole range I tested. I called BF Goodrich to try to get the numbers they recommend based on what their website says to do, and after a bunch of back and forth and them doing hand calculations, the lady says “we recommend staying below 50 psi.” When I told them I was hoping for specific front and rear pressures, she hung up and eventually called back saying these tires were not recommended for this vehicle. Ok, whatever. They are on half the F-150’s in this town and the LR3 weighs a little more than that. Call it an F-150 with 800 lbs in the bed, probably distributed the same.
I’ve run BFG AT’s, 2 sets of KM2’s, 2 sets of Super Swampers, 2 sets of Ground Hawgs, Toyo AT’s and MT’s, and Nitto and Cooper AT’s, from 32” to 40”. This set of KO2’s was definitely in the worse riding half of those tires, although I don’t know that it would have been noticeable on a vehicle that didn’t drive as well.
They eventually road force balanced them again, and found that one was at 44# and another over 30#, despite them claiming to have done it the first time. They spun those two on the wheel and claim they are all under 8# now. Overall, it’s a MUCH better ride and I’m happy with my choice now.
gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
I also went ahead and ordered a set of roof bars, I didn’t want a full rack but need the ability to carry small amounts of lumber without my trailer, kayaks, bikes, etc. The only options I found were the factory style ones and the Rhino ones for $450.
Front Runner has some pictured on their site, as well as a bunch of great mounts/accessories. For some reason they don’t carry them in the US, but they carry ones for a Mahindra, whatever a “Seat Leon” is, and several other vehicles that aren’t sold here. Weird.
I bought the ones for an H3 as they were the cheapest by $100 and look like they will work fine, or should with very minimal mods to the mounting bracket base plates that slide inside the factory roof rails.
www.frontrunneroutfitters.com
Front Runner has some pictured on their site, as well as a bunch of great mounts/accessories. For some reason they don’t carry them in the US, but they carry ones for a Mahindra, whatever a “Seat Leon” is, and several other vehicles that aren’t sold here. Weird.
I bought the ones for an H3 as they were the cheapest by $100 and look like they will work fine, or should with very minimal mods to the mounting bracket base plates that slide inside the factory roof rails.
Hummer H3 Load Bar Kit / Feet - by Front Runner
A set of Load Bars with Track Mounted Feet used to transport gear on the roof of your vehicle when there’s no need for a full Front Runner Roof Rack. This low profile, smaller footprint solution includes 4 50mm Feet, 2 1255mm Load Bars, 1 10mm Roof Load Bar Wind Deflector and fitting...
www.frontrunneroutfitters.com
gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
Update time, the Front Runner H3 load bars fit perfectly with no mods other than adding a 5/16” fender washer over the mounting plates. Front one clears the sunroof fine, rear one needed to be moved slightly forward to clear the shark fin antenna housing. Bonus is the dimensions worked out where I should be able to bolt a Front Runner roof top tent directly to the bars without using any brackets if I decide to get one at some point. I also added some Canyon Dancer motorcycle tie down rings to the corners of the bars to strap stuff on easily. They are a stamped angled stainless steel tab, so a strap can clip into it but they don’t rattle like a D-ring would.
There is some wind noise over 50, it is pretty tolerable up until 80. It sounds more like you’re riding in an airplane rather than a more annoying whistling sound, I’ll probably mess with an air deflector sometime soon. We drove down to Destin last weekend and it wasn’t bad though.
I also added a Blue Sea 4-circuit fuse block under the dash, it will be fed by 8 gauge wire to the battery, and then out the rear for a high current auxiliary plug. This one mounts perfectly in the unused 6-pin trailer wiring harness hole.
I haven’t decided how I’m going to control it with the ignition switch yet, so I haven’t wired it up. Good mounting location with easy access though.
The iPad worked really well for navigation on our National Forest trip, so I wanted to add a mount that didn’t require hacking the dash up or it looking like a spaceship. I ended up adding a rivnut to the center trim panel and going with a ram style mount. It allows either the driver or passenger to use the iPad comfortably, and when it’s removed the rubber tray hides the rivnut. There is some flex in that center panel, so I’ll need to lay up bit of fiberglass on the back of it.
I also found this module under the dash, its plugged into the OBD II port. I’m not sure if it’s some type of GPS tracker, or was part of a Scan gauge type deal. There are no markings on it, I’m hesitant to remove it if it’s somehow tied to the security system/immobilizer though. The vehicle seems to work completely normal except the horn doesn’t honk when you lock the doors, which I prefer.
Next step is mounting a pair of Hella Rallye 4000 Compact driving lights I bought, I need to come up with a decent mounting bracket though. They are pretty heavy so flat bar tabs like some guys do isn’t going to cut it. I might end up with a round tube bracket, but I’m trying not to hack the grill up. I’ve decided to mount the switch for them in the steering column trim where the factory power tilt switch would have been.
Also going to add a Redarc trailer brake controller soon, then it will be on to fabbing a front receiver hitch for mounting a winch.
There is some wind noise over 50, it is pretty tolerable up until 80. It sounds more like you’re riding in an airplane rather than a more annoying whistling sound, I’ll probably mess with an air deflector sometime soon. We drove down to Destin last weekend and it wasn’t bad though.
I also added a Blue Sea 4-circuit fuse block under the dash, it will be fed by 8 gauge wire to the battery, and then out the rear for a high current auxiliary plug. This one mounts perfectly in the unused 6-pin trailer wiring harness hole.
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I haven’t decided how I’m going to control it with the ignition switch yet, so I haven’t wired it up. Good mounting location with easy access though.
The iPad worked really well for navigation on our National Forest trip, so I wanted to add a mount that didn’t require hacking the dash up or it looking like a spaceship. I ended up adding a rivnut to the center trim panel and going with a ram style mount. It allows either the driver or passenger to use the iPad comfortably, and when it’s removed the rubber tray hides the rivnut. There is some flex in that center panel, so I’ll need to lay up bit of fiberglass on the back of it.
I also found this module under the dash, its plugged into the OBD II port. I’m not sure if it’s some type of GPS tracker, or was part of a Scan gauge type deal. There are no markings on it, I’m hesitant to remove it if it’s somehow tied to the security system/immobilizer though. The vehicle seems to work completely normal except the horn doesn’t honk when you lock the doors, which I prefer.
Next step is mounting a pair of Hella Rallye 4000 Compact driving lights I bought, I need to come up with a decent mounting bracket though. They are pretty heavy so flat bar tabs like some guys do isn’t going to cut it. I might end up with a round tube bracket, but I’m trying not to hack the grill up. I’ve decided to mount the switch for them in the steering column trim where the factory power tilt switch would have been.
Also going to add a Redarc trailer brake controller soon, then it will be on to fabbing a front receiver hitch for mounting a winch.
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Victory_Overland
Explorer
great idea on the roof mounts and the rivnut on the dash for the Ram Mount! Not sure about the module but I believe you can turn the horn on/off for locking in the CCF with the GAP Tool and/settings page in the dash.........If I remember correctly as I have mine turned off too for locking/unlocking annoyance!
Blaise
Well-known member
Wait a second... did you buy E-rated tires and then air them up to over-OE pressure? And you're asking about ride quality? Have you done a chalk test for pressure check? (A probe gauge for tire temp would be even better but for those of us without a racecar I don't expect you to own one)
I'm not trying to start a tire-rating flamewar (JWest - I promise
), but fact remains if you're going to run a super-heavy duty tire, it's going to compromise ride quality.gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
Wait a second... did you buy E-rated tires and then air them up to over-OE pressure? And you're asking about ride quality? Have you done a chalk test for pressure check? (A probe gauge for tire temp would be even better but for those of us without a racecar I don't expect you to own one)
I'm not trying to start a tire-rating flamewar (JWest - I promise
Yes. “Ride quality” (what I’d term small bump compliance), does not equal the “way it drives.” I was expecting a harsher ride over small bumps, some parking lot vibration from the tread, and some noise at highway speeds.
I did not want to compromise on shaking at speed, wandering, vague steering, pulling on the low spots and paint lines, etc. That’s what I’d refer to as “ruining the way it drives.”
I’ve owned over a dozen different sets of all terrain and mud terrain tires, I knew what I was getting into. The “out of round” feeling when they initially mounted the tires wasn’t normal.
Surprisingly, it rides better than stock over small bumps at 40/45 psi (settled on this based on handling), which I assume is due to the increased sidewall height.
We all know your opinion on E-rated tires, I pull a trailer daily, use it off road regularly, and don’t want to worry about flat tires. I jut got back from a ride in the forest this afternoon where I had to put a front sidewall into a stump, and run the rear directly over a 2 1/2” diameter stump on a tight trail.
gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
The LR3’s are about 1,000 lbs heavier than a D2. They basically weigh the same and have similar F/R distribution as an F-150 with ~600 lbs in the back, hence E-rated tires being a good choice IMO.
E-rated tires do require more pressure than passenger tires as the stiffer sidewalls generate more heat at higher speeds if they’re allowed to flex a bunch. Off road at slow speeds, airing down isn’t an issue.
At the door sticker pressures of 33/42, I could feel a constant vibration through the pedals which I believe was from the tread blocks deforming on the road. I worked my way up to 44 psi in the front based on what other guys are running with the same vehicle and tires, though most are loaded heavier than me.
I found at that pressure the steering got very vague and wandered around, I’m assuming there was a crown in the tires at that high. 40 psi seems to be the sweet spot of smoothness and handling, and the tire deforms and bulges slightly to provide a good braking surface on wet roads, without generating excessive heat.
I noticed almost no difference in ride quality or towing stability with the rears going from 45 to 54, so I’ve just left it alone, but I might go up 2-3 pounds on them just to keep it closer to the factory spread and not have to add air if I load the back up.
BFG was not very helpful at determining the recommended pressures, they just said “we suggest staying below 50 psi.”
The door sticker ratings are really irrelevant unless the new tires have a very similar weight capacity (not just load range). All that should be required to calculate the proper pressure is the weight on the axle and the weight capacity of the tires at various PSI’s. If you’re above that and the tire isn’t getting hot, it comes down to feel. I’ll take 3-4 months less of wear for better handling any day, so I’m not particularly concerned about chalk tests unless I notice bad wear patterns.
E-rated tires do require more pressure than passenger tires as the stiffer sidewalls generate more heat at higher speeds if they’re allowed to flex a bunch. Off road at slow speeds, airing down isn’t an issue.
At the door sticker pressures of 33/42, I could feel a constant vibration through the pedals which I believe was from the tread blocks deforming on the road. I worked my way up to 44 psi in the front based on what other guys are running with the same vehicle and tires, though most are loaded heavier than me.
I found at that pressure the steering got very vague and wandered around, I’m assuming there was a crown in the tires at that high. 40 psi seems to be the sweet spot of smoothness and handling, and the tire deforms and bulges slightly to provide a good braking surface on wet roads, without generating excessive heat.
I noticed almost no difference in ride quality or towing stability with the rears going from 45 to 54, so I’ve just left it alone, but I might go up 2-3 pounds on them just to keep it closer to the factory spread and not have to add air if I load the back up.
BFG was not very helpful at determining the recommended pressures, they just said “we suggest staying below 50 psi.”
The door sticker ratings are really irrelevant unless the new tires have a very similar weight capacity (not just load range). All that should be required to calculate the proper pressure is the weight on the axle and the weight capacity of the tires at various PSI’s. If you’re above that and the tire isn’t getting hot, it comes down to feel. I’ll take 3-4 months less of wear for better handling any day, so I’m not particularly concerned about chalk tests unless I notice bad wear patterns.
gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
A few small mods, I put a REDARC brake controller in as pulling my enclosed trailer has been taking a toll on the brakes and I imagine the front control arm bushings. I still need to put brakes on the trailer so no real feedback on how it works yet, but hooking it up wasn’t too bad.
I mounted the controller down in the lower rubber tray, it looks clean, is within easy reach/view, but out of eyesight enough to not be distracting at night. I did have to notch one of the rear seat A/C ducts and patch it with tape, it didn’t appear to cause any problems. The control box is mounted to the left of the panel under the steering colum with a puck I made from PVC board, so all the wire connections are easily accessible. I ordered a Ford trailer wiring harness and spliced it to the REDARC harness, so everything was plug and play.
I’m still working on getting the Hella’s installed, but I put my switch in where the power tilt for the steering column would have been if my LR3 had it. Easy access from the steering wheel while working the high beam stalk, and again I can see the LED to tell when the lights are on without being blinded by it.
I’ve also come up with a mounting bracket, using a piece of angle iron and some 45 degree round tubing bends I bought off eBay. The angle iron is being notched, bent, and welded up to match the radius of the grill. It will slide under the bottom of the grill/bummer gap and the round tube will be cut flush so everything is in the same plane rather than stacked as in the picture. I also bought a Hella waterproof relay which mounts on the core support and some 10 gauge wire, so I just need a bit of time to get it all done.
The Front Runner load bars had a bit more wind noise than I’d prefer on longer trips, so I bought their fairing but am not thrilled with it. For $185 it does decrease the wind noise some but I don’t feel I got my $ worth out of it. I was considering sending it back and making my own, but eating the shipping cost both ways plus $50 for a piece of 1/8” x 5” aluminum flat bar makes it not worthwhile. I need to bend and tweak it to fit a bit tighter, and fill the gap in between the top edge of it and the load bar, hopefully that will quiet things down some more.
Final mod has been the Coverlay dash cover, as mine was pretty badly cracked and I considered various options from dash mats, used dashes, sanding and fiberglassing it, etc. What it came down to is pulling the dash appears to be a major pita in these trucks, so I went with the Coverlay. I still need to glue the airbag panels on and see if I can pull the top dash vents to install them through the cover instead of sitting underneath it. It was $225 shipped for probably $20 worth of thin molded plastic, but it does fit really well and is the best option considering the alternatives. If it turns out how I’m hoping it will I’ll consider it a success.
I mounted the controller down in the lower rubber tray, it looks clean, is within easy reach/view, but out of eyesight enough to not be distracting at night. I did have to notch one of the rear seat A/C ducts and patch it with tape, it didn’t appear to cause any problems. The control box is mounted to the left of the panel under the steering colum with a puck I made from PVC board, so all the wire connections are easily accessible. I ordered a Ford trailer wiring harness and spliced it to the REDARC harness, so everything was plug and play.
I’m still working on getting the Hella’s installed, but I put my switch in where the power tilt for the steering column would have been if my LR3 had it. Easy access from the steering wheel while working the high beam stalk, and again I can see the LED to tell when the lights are on without being blinded by it.
I’ve also come up with a mounting bracket, using a piece of angle iron and some 45 degree round tubing bends I bought off eBay. The angle iron is being notched, bent, and welded up to match the radius of the grill. It will slide under the bottom of the grill/bummer gap and the round tube will be cut flush so everything is in the same plane rather than stacked as in the picture. I also bought a Hella waterproof relay which mounts on the core support and some 10 gauge wire, so I just need a bit of time to get it all done.
The Front Runner load bars had a bit more wind noise than I’d prefer on longer trips, so I bought their fairing but am not thrilled with it. For $185 it does decrease the wind noise some but I don’t feel I got my $ worth out of it. I was considering sending it back and making my own, but eating the shipping cost both ways plus $50 for a piece of 1/8” x 5” aluminum flat bar makes it not worthwhile. I need to bend and tweak it to fit a bit tighter, and fill the gap in between the top edge of it and the load bar, hopefully that will quiet things down some more.
Final mod has been the Coverlay dash cover, as mine was pretty badly cracked and I considered various options from dash mats, used dashes, sanding and fiberglassing it, etc. What it came down to is pulling the dash appears to be a major pita in these trucks, so I went with the Coverlay. I still need to glue the airbag panels on and see if I can pull the top dash vents to install them through the cover instead of sitting underneath it. It was $225 shipped for probably $20 worth of thin molded plastic, but it does fit really well and is the best option considering the alternatives. If it turns out how I’m hoping it will I’ll consider it a success.
gatorgrizz27
Well-known member
It’s been maintenance time lately, replaced the front brake pads the other week. I went with factory Ferodos after researching EBC, Akebkno, etc. Had the rotors turned too, nothing exciting.
I found out I had the dreaded clogged heater core that blows cold on the driver’s side. Flushing it with CLR made an improvement, it’s still not perfect but passable for N FL weather. I’ll probably flush it again when I swap the radiator. I’ve been getting a coolant smell after driving it, but the tank level doesn’t seem to be going down and there are no visible drips. I’ve replaced the coolant T with a brass one, and there was a new thermostat housing on the truck when I bought it, so my experience leads me to believe I have a small crack in one of the plastic tanks on the radiator. Just going to change it out as well as the coolant reservoir, it’s all due anyways IMO and I don’t trust Rover cooling systems.
I had also been putting off changing the transmission filter due to it not looking like a fun process, but I had ordered the parts, as well as the new electrical connector sleeve to swap out. It started leaking the other week, so today I bit the bullet and put in the new conversion kit with a separate filter and metal pan. It took around 4 hours and the worst part was removing the bolts on the heat shield bracket, as there is zero clearance on the driveshaft. It’s sort of a “gate keeper” I suppose, if you give up on the bracket you can’t get too deep into the job.
I found out I had the dreaded clogged heater core that blows cold on the driver’s side. Flushing it with CLR made an improvement, it’s still not perfect but passable for N FL weather. I’ll probably flush it again when I swap the radiator. I’ve been getting a coolant smell after driving it, but the tank level doesn’t seem to be going down and there are no visible drips. I’ve replaced the coolant T with a brass one, and there was a new thermostat housing on the truck when I bought it, so my experience leads me to believe I have a small crack in one of the plastic tanks on the radiator. Just going to change it out as well as the coolant reservoir, it’s all due anyways IMO and I don’t trust Rover cooling systems.
I had also been putting off changing the transmission filter due to it not looking like a fun process, but I had ordered the parts, as well as the new electrical connector sleeve to swap out. It started leaking the other week, so today I bit the bullet and put in the new conversion kit with a separate filter and metal pan. It took around 4 hours and the worst part was removing the bolts on the heat shield bracket, as there is zero clearance on the driveshaft. It’s sort of a “gate keeper” I suppose, if you give up on the bracket you can’t get too deep into the job.