bad taste in mouth

[ticklemenono]

so the back story; I purchused a 2012 LR4 about 6 months ago and when it showed up it would not start (bat dead), and after the first frew trips in this rig i realise something is very wrong with at least the front end. i take to the dealer (under warranty) and the control arm bushings are toast. takes about 4-5 weeks to get this fixed (dealer is not the greatest). after it was fixed (front end was much better) it is apparent that the rear end also has major handling issue. this car esentualy rides like a mechanical bull, i am never quite sure when or which way it is going to through me. I take it back into the shop on the 27th and am going to leave it until this is completly worked out. i am running the nitto teragrappler 285/60/18 and was hoping to install a johnson rod setup to get a large aspect but i thought about it for a sec today and realised that the previous owner of this vehical has already installed a set of rods. I cant find any literature on the rods other than they SHOULD give 2-2.5" lift. I can find that the height of the vehicle stock should be 74.1" and currently that is the height of this truck with the rods installed.

my questions:

any thoughts on what i should be expecting from the dealer in regards issues with handeling on this vehicle? or any other known issues that i should be aware of?

are these rods known to cause handeling issues over time?

anyone wth these rods installed that can give me the height from center rim (land rover symbol) to apex of the wheel-well? this is the only way i can think of to determain if i am actualy getting any lift from them.

thanks in advance (first post, be gentle)...

 

[jhawk]

The lift rods will increase suspension stiffness and have an impact on handling. You are basically increasing the spring rate to raise the vehicle.

I'd find another place to look at the truck. The arms can be done in less than a day.

Jim

 

[Eniam17]

Front arms are billed at 2-3 hours at the dealer. Even if the blots are frozen and have to be drilled out so issue number one is that dealership sounds terrible. When the vehicle is lifted via rods or electronically it needs a proper alignment or it will handle very poorly. Sounds to me like the vehicle is suffering from combination of previous owner running a lift and not having it aligned properly, as well as incompetent dealership.

If it were me I would return vehicle to a competent dealer, have all bushings /arms, etc checked , and a proper alignment done at whatever height you wil running the vehicle. You definitely lose ride quality and handling when running lift full time.

 

[LR Max]

If you install rods, you'll need to have the truck re-aligned.

Tell us more about the vehicle history. Where did it live before this? Mileage? Sounds like this truck might have been run hard and put up wet.

 

[unseenone]

If the vehicle has never been right, I would suggest to put it back at stock, at least until you get the issues worked out. Find another dealer, there is no reason for the vehicle to sit for a month for arms. That being said, I would suggest carefully checking the upper and rear upper and lower control arms as well. After that, with the stock height rods back in the vehicle, get a height calibration, alignment, and see how it does.

It sounds like you need to find another dealer, there are some great LR mechanics out there at dealerships, but I have also had my own nightmares with some shops.

You can't expect too much from a dealer on making the ride right if the vehicle is not factory spec. You might also check the tire pressures, the Nitto can be quite harsh if you have too much pressure in the tires.

 

[The Rover Shop]

It may be the rear control arm bushings..when these go it tends to make the vehicle steer from the rear and varies with acceleration.. We had one that you could almost change lanes just by backing off the throttle and then getting on it again..

 

[ColoDisco]

The rear control arm bushing may be worn out as well (adjustable upper arm). I have seen this on many LR3's not so much on LR4's but recently had a '11 LR4 with 73k and the control arms were shot. I would have a look at all the bushings and ball joints by a good independent shop. They tend to have more interest in finding the problem. It will not be warranty but in my experience (having been a dealer tech and am currently a independent tech) they will only do what is necessary and not go the extra mile to find problems at the dealerships usually due to warranty times paying so poorly. Good luck!

 

[ticklemenono]

Thanks for all of the responses...

I agree with everything that has been said. The Vehicle came from Nebraska and currently is running 40K on the odometer.

I should clarify here as well, the delay in getting the control arms done was due to miss ordering parts multiple times and once they parts were in hand it only took a few hours.

I will have them take care to look at the rear control arms, I was also pointed toward the sway bars by a friend of mine. has anyone had issues with this?

I have to have this in the shop next week for warranty repair and don't have the factory rods to return the car to factory height. that said, I am still not convinced that the rods have are providing any lift. they were install before i got it so i do not have a point of reference. if anyone can provide a height for stock or lifted for me to compare with that would be appreciated.

Thanks again!

 

[ColoDisco]

With the rods I have only seen 1.5-2" of lift. Sway bar bushings when they fail will be annoying and make clunking noises over bumps but will not cause the vehicle handling to hunt like your describing.

 

[ticklemenono]

thanks.

 

[ticklemenono]

i also have the OEM roof rack system that rattles like crazy over 60. anyone have this issue? the rails that came with it were badged LR and according to the local dealer they "should" be made by thule, but thule after viewing photos i sent said they were not theirs. I am trying to track down a key for these so i can remove to try and fix the rattle in the rack system.

 

[Eniam17]

Whistle a little and wind noise, but rattle is not normal on the Oem rack

 

[Scott Brady]

Did you have a proper alignment done? I can only get a proper alignment from Land Rover Las Vegas. The Phoenix dealership just whined, and got it close, but not right.

The 1.5" lift and larger tires absolutely accelerates bushing wear. That is why I went to the rods+IID Tool and run at +20mm on the highway and then punch in the full 50mm of lift once I leave the pavement.

 

[ticklemenono]

I have had that thought as well (IID + rod) so let's say I get my ride height and tires to where I want them with just rod lift. Even if I want to lower it to increase ride quality, the tire size would remove the option to lower... Unless i keep an alternative rim and tire compilation.

I think for me there are toooo many veriables

 

[Jwestpro]

I have had that thought as well (IID + rod) so let's say I get my ride height and tires to where I want them with just rod lift. Even if I want to lower it to increase ride quality, the tire size would remove the option to lower... Unless i keep an alternative rim and tire compilation.

I think for me there are toooo many veriables

The tire size you listed, 285/60x18, will fit 100% no problem at stock settings after removing the rods. Rods are not required for that size. While some people seem to think adding more wallowing feeling to the handling is just fine or fun, I think it's crap and a bad idea overall. Scott above may be using the rods because he is also pushing the absolute limits on tire size. Even up to 32" there is no real need for these problematic shortened rods. After all, keep in mind that the rods are not magical in that they do not provide any more height than is already available in absolute terms, they are just the cheapest way to get up there the quickest. The downside however is that you cannot then easily ride lower, safer, and retain the best possible handling, regardless of any additional alignments to a lifted lr3. Higher is simply always worse handling and rollover potential.

I don't know what your budget is, but the IIDtool + LLAMS interface is like having rods when you need them, in seconds time, and then not when you don't want them, again in mere seconds. Plus, the LLAMS system allows choices -20mm, +30mm, +50mm. Combined with a preset IIDtool height, it's quite effective and negates any use of shortened rods.

I agree with everyone above, get it back to stock settings and functioning perfectly first, then start with changes.