LR4 multi purpose duty

[ar4me]

Hello all, we recently replaced our 2005 QX56 after 10 years and 140k miles with an LR4 since off-road camping had taken over as primary use over race car towing... The QX56 took us through Barracks trail, White Pocket, Toroweap, Monache Meadows, Papoose Flats, and although successful, nowhere as capable as friends' LR3s and LR4s. We recently traded the QX56 on a 2010 LR4 - love it, made sure to find one with the rear locking differential. The LR4 will serve as daily-driver, soccer vehicle (my 12-year old...), road bike and mountain bike carrier, towing vehicle (enclosed trailer with race car), and importantly, off-road camping and expedition. The first trip will be the Mojave Road Trail in a early December, and then a longer trip to Moab, White Rim Road, during spring break.

I have a long list of upgrades I like to do, but due to its purpose as daily driver, I'd like to keep it somewhat stealth, e.g. no big off-road front and rear bumpers like the ARB or Kaymar, and I'd like to keep the added weight down. The long term (wish) list includes:
- 18" Compomotive wheels (on the way from UK)
- GAP Diagnostics iidtool (already received)
- Interior bike carrier (already received)
- Winch (either Land Rover or hidden in bumper)
- Rear swing-arm tire carrier with ability to hold Jerry cans (that can be easily dismounted after trips, likely home engineered)
- Front lighting
- Rock sliders, skid plates, etc.
- Second battery
- Fridge

I am sure I will have many questions along the way, and I have already read a lot of great threads and posts on here to assist in choices. For the 3 day trip traveling the Mojave Road Trail (we will be 2 LR3s and 1 LR4) I only expect to have wheels and tires sorted. For the 18" Compomotive wheels I will likely go with 275/65-18 sized tires. Due to the multi purpose duty I will keep the stock wheels and tires for daily duty and change to the Compomotive for off-road trips. Hence, I need to order TPMS sensors for the Compomotive wheels, and am looking for input, confirming which sensors will fit the Compomotive wheels and be compatible with the 2010 LR4 TPMS system. I was going to order the HUF-UVS3010 here: http://www.titantpms.com/tpms/land-...ts-Land-Rover-LR4-2010-Tire-Pressure-Sensor_4
Does anyone know if these will fit the Compomotive wheels? Compomotive is trying to find out, but haven't been able to confirm yet. Also, would I need a 5th TPMS sensor for the spare (have 5 Compomotive wheels coming)? I could leave the Compomotive wheels without TPMS sensors since the wheels are only for trips, but since they will likely see quite a bit of highway driving to get to "destinations" perhaps TPMS is nice after all...

Thanks!

 

[DiscoNels]

Ahhhh, fresh money to burn!!! Have fun, and take time to do your research on the items you're planning on installing.

My two cents... ditch the TPMS sensors for the off-road wheels. Ditch them all together if you can defeat the light on the dash that will no doubt shine bright in the absence of sensors. I think it's possible on the LR4 to turn this Off, but not sure (it is definitely possible on earlier model LR3's and have done so on my 2006 LR3).

I have two sets of wheels, street use and off-road use and neither set has TPMS. I use a tire pressure gauge on a regular basis so there is no need.
If this is your first modern LR, an excellent source for all things LR3/4 is http://www.disco3.co.uk

 

[Howski]

First of all, we need pics. Second, we need pics of the racecar. Sounds like you're taking a great approach to your build

 

[bullmrkt]

I am sure I will have many questions along the way, and I have already read a lot of great threads and posts on here to assist in choices. For the 3 day trip traveling the Mojave Road Trail (we will be 2 LR3s and 1 LR4) I only expect to have wheels and tires sorted. For the 18" Compomotive wheels I will likely go with 275/65-18 sized tires. Due to the multi purpose duty I will keep the stock wheels and tires for daily duty and change to the Compomotive for off-road trips. Hence, I need to order TPMS sensors for the Compomotive wheels, and am looking for input, confirming which sensors will fit the Compomotive wheels and be compatible with the 2010 LR4 TPMS system. I was going to order the HUF-UVS3010 here: http://www.titantpms.com/tpms/land-...ts-Land-Rover-LR4-2010-Tire-Pressure-Sensor_4
Does anyone know if these will fit the Compomotive wheels? Compomotive is trying to find out, but haven't been able to confirm yet. Also, would I need a 5th TPMS sensor for the spare (have 5 Compomotive wheels coming)? I could leave the Compomotive wheels without TPMS sensors since the wheels are only for trips, but since they will likely see quite a bit of highway driving to get to "destinations" perhaps TPMS is nice after all...

Thanks!

Just use your IIDTool to disable the TPMS, save $500 and be done with it. That's what I'm doing anyway.

 

[ar4me]

Thanks for the suggestions!

First of all, we need pics. Second, we need pics of the racecar. Sounds like you're taking a great approach to your build

Will take some pictures during daylight, but I am sure you guys have seen a black LR4 before Still completely stock, but should get the wheels from UK towards the end of the week. Will dig out pictures of race car as well.

 

[ar4me]

In the meantime some youtube of the old QX56 on the trail.

Barracks Trail, UT:

Los Pinos Trail near Morena reservoir, CA:

The QX56 is really too big for this - hence the LR4

How do you embed the youtube video? Edit: got it embedded...

 

[bentonrover]

Wow you wheeled a QX56? You a bad mutha. ....
Looks cool. Good luck with the LR4. I love my LR3. Best of both worlds

 

[ar4me]

As promised, a few random race car pictures...

 

[ar4me]

And some of the LR4...

 

[zelatore]

Anybody who races a Milano is OK in my book!

I used to run a 2.5 GTV6 in club events years ago and drove a 3.0 GTV6 as a street car. Also had both 2.5 and 3.0 Milanos over the years as well as bunches of Alfettas and a Spider. Sadly I've been Alfa-less for years; the Spider was the victim of a hit and run driver on 880 in Oakland and I sold the 3.0 GTV6. One of these days I'll do another, but likely an older car that can be a dual-purpose built.

I'm not sure what it says, but I find Alfa ownership a good primer for Rover ownership.

 

[ar4me]

Nice - I have had tons of Alfas: Many, many Milanos, GTV6, 164s, and even a 155 a long time ago in Europe... built another Milano race car (before the one in the pics). Still looking for a 1975 (=smog exempt) Alfetta GT to do a 24v V6 transplant on

Got my Compomotive wheels today. Can't believe how fast they arrived from the UK.

 

[spikemd]

Looks great. Welcome to the sickness of rover ownership.

Sounds like you have a good list of upgrades. As you knkw, they are very capable with minimal upgrades.

One aspect you may want to consider is actually getting an ARB bumper over hidden winch. We were backed into by a friend and the rear of her Volvo was totally smashed in (4k in damage). Our ARB suffered a scratch and saved us thousands in damage if we had the stock bumper as she would have taken out the bumper, lights and quarter panel. Since you have a black truck, it won't look too out of place. My wife drives our lr3 daily. Extra protection is always preferable in my book.

 

[zelatore]

Don't listen to that SpikeMD guy - he doesn't own even a single Alfa!

(OK, so I'd trade every Alfa I've ever owned for his Aston, but that's beside the point )

I have an ARB on the front of my LR3, and would have no problem recommending it but there are a couple of caveats.

1st, ANY bumper install on these trucks is pretty complicated. I think the ARB manual was like 20 pages long. Really. It's a much bigger job than you might think if you're used to say a Jeep or older rig.
2nd, the ARB does you no favors on approach angles. I know you're not looking for a rock crawler but it does stick out there a bunch. On the plus side, it provides a nice shelf to set things on.
3rd, you may need to mod it a bit if you're running a hawser style fairlead instead of a roller. Not bad, but you'll need to drill and tap a couple new mounting holes in the bumper.
4th, the hidden winch is nice for protection but the access to the clutch lever is poor. If the lever is sticking (like on my cheap-o Smittybuilt winch) it can be tough to get enough leverage to engage it.

If I were doing it again, I'd get a Tactical Rovers front bumper. I was torn between it and the ARB when I bought, but wasn't sold on the looks of the Tactical from the pics on their website. At the WNLRR in Sedona this year I got to see one in person and I like it much better than I expected. Since you're in SoCal, you might even be able to run over to the Tactical guys and pick it up to save on shipping.

 

[ar4me]

Don't listen to that SpikeMD guy - he doesn't own even a single Alfa!

(OK, so I'd trade every Alfa I've ever owned for his Aston, but that's beside the point )

Funny

Another concern with the aftermarket protection bumpers is compatibility with parking sensors and the front cameras - for a hard core rock crawler, not a concern, but for a multi purpose vehicle I would like to keep all that operational.

 

[dsm02c]

You don't lose the function of parking sensors... Pretty simple to keep, getting them to not see the spare tire carrier is NBD as well... Use the adhesive style bicycle tube patches over half the sensor (but you probably don't have tubes, do you). I take my tire carrier off my Tactical bumper when I'm not on a trip, 1 bolt (large) and a gas strut... 15 minutes start to tools put away.

Not sure if you can turn off individual parking sensors with the IIDTOOL, I've never dug around...