L322 Overlanding Build and Adventures

bri

Adventurer
The first thing I would do is remove all the crap from the top. Some cool rigs here, but I am done having much if anything on the roof... including me.
 

SSG

Member
Beautiful Rover! How do you like the Copper Zeon LZT? I am considering these and the Wrangler Duratrac for my 2011 l322 HSE.
 

RR876

Member
Beautiful Rover! How do you like the Copper Zeon LZT? I am considering these and the Wrangler Duratrac for my 2011 l322 HSE.

I like Copper Zeons a lot and would definitely consider them again.

Noise
They are almost silent with some slight noise on concrete highways, but nothing noticeable elsewhere.

Grip
They provide excellent grip on and off road. I rarely get stuck due to a lack of grip. (Ground clearance yes, grip no.)

Wear
I haven’t had them long enough to check how they wear in normal operation. I did prematurely wear the the rear tires when I busted a near new upper rear rose / heim joint on a trail and had to drive 250+ miles home with the two rear wheels pointing inwards. I once had a thin nail puncture a tire which I repaired with a plug.

Appearance
I think they look really good. When my car is sitting next to another L322 on standard 255 wide tires, I believe there is a major cosmetic improvement.

Rubbing
As for sizing, I run 285/50R20 on standard rims. I get a bit of rubbing where the fuel filler bulge is on the right hand rear. I believe can be alleviated by heating the inner guard and pushing in the bulge. It’s only a problem when you drive off at normal access height with people in the back. Since I have reprogrammed the EAS to be 35mm higher than stock, I no longer get issues. The left rear rubs on the metal outer arch if the EAS has a fault and drops to the bump stops. Again, not normal operation. Lastly, the front left rubs on the front side of the inner liner when trying hard right, just enough to clean the dust off.

Tire Pressure
I run 44/48 psi front/rear on the road when cold which rises to about 50 psi at the rear after some time on the highway. When airing down, I run 33/36 psi. This gives a noticeable improvement in ride comfort when wheeling. I did once run down as low as 25 but ended up scratching the outer rims.

Going Bigger
These tires are ~31.5” diameter and I get slight rubbing on the inside side, outside side and outer diameter. I cannot understand how people run 33” on these vehicles without a significant issue. If anyone has experience here, please let me know.

Note that I have no experience with any other off-road biased tire as a point of reference.
 

SSG

Member
Thank you for the detailed review. I am considering these two tires (cooper Zeon and Goodyear Duratrac) because they are a direct fit for my 255/55R19 and have great reviews. I am leaning towards the Duratracs because I like the more aggressive look of those tires and they also have great reviews. Also thinking about some black rims as well.
 

krick3tt

Adventurer
I had Duratracs on my 19s and then got 18s (steel from AB) and also had them installed. Same tire on two different rims. Really like them for on and off road. The 19s are stacked in the shop.
 

RR876

Member
Nice truck and build...

Hi. Thanks for your interest.

I have done very little to the L322 in recent times. The truck is running very well and I really don’t have plans to modify it further. I use it every day as my daily driver and also take it out on the trail and camping every couple of weeks or so.

I did fit a Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform slim roof rack. This allows me to more easily remove and refit the RTT with some front and rear clamps that I made from Jeep hood latches. I have also mounted the driving lights and awning to the roof rack rather than the RTT.

Some maintenance items: I replaced the alternator and battery. I also had a check engine light due to an evaporative emissions test not running. The evap pump above the right rear wheel needed replacing for about $60.

In total after 50k miles, that’s about $400 in unexpected maintenance. I did refresh all of the suspension bushes and perform other regular maintenance myself. My steering wheel heater and steering headlights aren’t working but I’ve learned to cope.

My current project is a 2004 Discovery 2. It’s been extensively upgraded with the best that I could find / afford. This will become my hard trail rig with its 4.5” lift and 35” tires. I’ll do a write up soon.
 

TheBucketOfTruth

New member
I would probably run a narrower wheel/tire if I could, but can't go down from 20" with S/C Brembos.. I bought 18" and planned to downgrade front brakes, but still not possible I don't think.
I'm pretty sure you can run 19 inch wheels without an issue. I had some LR4 wheels we put crappy mud terrains on and nothing seemed to scrape or have issue. I was nervous about the offset so I don't run them and am currently considering a set of OEM 19s. I was never able to get clarification on whether the 18" compomotive wheels would fit on our car or not, but I'm having some doubts with the size of the Brembo calipers. I know a Range Rover Sport Supercharged of the same era can run those Compomotive wheels but I believe our brakes are unique and even larger. This guy with a 2010+ HSE was able to fit them (larger brakes than 2009 and prior HSE cars).
 

gatorgrizz27

Well-known member
I'm pretty sure you can run 19 inch wheels without an issue. I had some LR4 wheels we put crappy mud terrains on and nothing seemed to scrape or have issue. I was nervous about the offset so I don't run them and am currently considering a set of OEM 19s. I was never able to get clarification on whether the 18" compomotive wheels would fit on our car or not, but I'm having some doubts with the size of the Brembo calipers. I know a Range Rover Sport Supercharged of the same era can run those Compomotive wheels but I believe our brakes are unique and even larger. This guy with a 2010+ HSE was able to fit them (larger brakes than 2009 and prior HSE cars).

From a tire selection standpoint, there’s nothing to be gained with 19’s over 20’s. It would be interesting if 18’s can be made to fit the RRSC. It would be nice to keep the Brembo calipers with the HSE rotors using some smaller brackets. If a guy could get the CAD file done, it shouldn’t be insanely expensive to mill on a CNC.
 

SDAnon

New member
Great looking L322's on this thread. I have an 07 RRSC as well and just bought Johnsom Rods, 32 inch tires (Nitto Terra Grapplers G2) and some black wheels from KMC.

Does anyone know if there's a company that makes a coil spring lift kit for the L322? I have not seen anything online other than lifts for P38 and Disco's, and profile coil spring conversions for the L322 that offer no lift. Is there anything in the L322 design that would prevent such an actual lift system?

I'd consider a coil spring lift over the Johnson Rods since the former seems more structurally sound for heavy offroading than rubber air struts.
 

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