Overland Journal Project Land Rover Discovery 4 (LR4)

[nwoods]

Paul, enjoying the heated steering wheel and the seats set to "Nuklear"

My kids referred to the two settings on the heated seats as:
1. Waffle
2. TOAST

 

[Eniam17]

FWIW, as a long time fan of the LR3, I would not hesitate for a second to use the IID tool from GAP, whereas, I have never endorsed the use of lift rods.

This is helpful advice, Thanks. Given that the LR3 is hard on suspension components and tires anyway, I've been trying to understand how much the rods would really impact it. I don't think I want to drive around with rods installed all the time.

 

[draaronr]

This is helpful advice, Thanks. Given that the LR3 is hard on suspension components and tires anyway, I've been trying to understand how much the rods would really impact it. I don't think I want to drive around with rods installed all the time.

agreed, can we get a group buy on these?

 

[JimBiram]

okay so let me try to clear the mud in my mind.
Johnson rods, truck is lifted up so all 3 settings are slightly elevated, but truck thinks it is still in stock no messing with the ecu? put on rods, then get it aligned and go on with it, or swap at trail, but don't drive as will cause excessive tire wear if not properly aligned? Why wouldn't people do this method?

LLams or IId, can change it from in the cab, no swapping rods and with IID you can clear and run codes, as well as set values? if you put rods on and used this you would get an even larger lift? would you be able to have the rods on and still drop the truck to the bump stops by setting the values with enough negative?

Nathan explained it very well, but I thought I would toss in my 2 cents. I originally used the Johnson Rods, and took time at the trail head to swap out the rods to increase the ride height. They work very well, but your ride height is "permanently" changed until you restore the factory rods. I was concerned about vehicle stability for on road travel, especially for emergency maneuvers, so I chose to remove the rods at the end of the trail. Process takes about 10 minutes all around, but (1) does take some practice to remove/replace rods, (2) potentially puts strain on the sensor components while doing so, and (3) requires you to climb under the vehicle, which isn't fun if it is raining, muddy, snowy, hot, cold, etc. The advantages of the II-D tool are almost too numerous to describe, but (1) it's convenient...takes less than 30 seconds to change the height, (2) allows quick and easy reading/clearing of faults (ever had the parking brake screech fault or transmission fault?), (3) allows the modification of running lights, etc., (4) allows for real time monitoring of voltages and other data, (5) allows you to raise the height so you can drive in normal mode, without the annoying "chime" and "vehicle lowering" above 30 MPH. That one alone is worth it on rural roads at higher speeds! Those guys are brilliant in their design, which incorporates the information display in such a compact tool that is smaller than a pack of cigarettes. Bravo to the guys at GAP-Diagnostic!

 

[Fivespddisco]

I would like to elaborate a little bit more on this. The J Rods are a nice and you cant beet the price but in my opinion with a tool like this on the market they are becoming a bit of a false economy.
The main reason everybody puts on the rods is the lift their truck to fit larger tires. The rods only come in one size and they do not fit everyone's needs. With the IID tool you can set the lift to fit your specific needs and keep the truck low for daily driving but sill have it the height you need for Off Road use.
Why is this important?
At 2.5 inches the CVs are pretty cranked for daily driving. and if you're running a 30 inch tire you do not need the same lift as a guy running 32 inch tires. Why put all that additional wear and tear on your vehicle if you don't need it?
This does not even touch the other functions the tool provides that you're going to want and need as these trucks age. I'm sorry to say fokes but third-generation Land Rovers need computer support in the field.

 

[Scott Brady]

Lots of snow driving the past week. We spent some time in Pagosa Springs with friends and had the opportunity at miles of unplowed road. In snow mode, Stephanie felt completely comfortable ripping around the ranch. I tried a few other modes and actually settled on "mud and ruts" as a favorite. We also tried normal and ESP off for some fun - this truck rips in the snow. It is interesting comparing what I like about my 1995 Discovery vs. the 2012 - so different and both cool in their own way.


But the primary reason for driving in all that snow was to pick-up the newest ExPo team member

 

[greggNJ]

But the primary reason for driving in all that snow was to pick-up the newest ExPo team member
View attachment 138647
View attachment 138648[/QUOTE]

Thats a cute little pup there! (I like the LR too :smiley_drive

 

[Eniam17]

What a cute puppy, congrats. Looks like a great trip.

 

[EricTyrrell]

Hope we'll be seeing more of your newest member.

Snow depth? Powder, wet, frozen? Did the tires cut, plow, or float? It seems like those wide tires would try to float, but the weight would force it to plow instead of cut or float. Plowing is not a strategy I'd like to have in snow.

 

[khronus79]

I was in Pagosa Springs last week, Now in Aztec, NM. Lots of fun to be had out here,some beautiful scenery.

 

[David Harris]

Have to admit I'm getting more and more tempted to get one of these trucks. Hmmm. . . maybe I'll sell my D2 (once I replace the blown engine) and take the plunge into modernity. (Keeping the Rangie though. . . )

David

 

[David Harris]

The IID Tool allows you to set new values for suspension height, so you can go +60mm and normal mode will now be nearly "Off-Road" and as a result, "Off-Road" will now be +60mm higher as well. It is a software adjustment instead of a physical adjustment like the Johnson Rods. The clear advantage to the IID tool is adjustability and the other functions it allows modifications of. If you are only looking to make the suspension taller and keep it that way, then the Johnson Rods are a good value.

So with the IID tool, you can adjust suspension heights at will, but wouldn't you still be limited to a certain base setting from the standpoint of alignment? In other words, you can adjust the height electronically, but still have to manually change the alignment to match. If so, then, like the rods, one would have to decide what lift they wanted to run on all the time, if they wanted their alignment to remain correct?

David

 

[Scott Brady]

So with the IID tool, you can adjust suspension heights at will, but wouldn't you still be limited to a certain base setting from the standpoint of alignment? In other words, you can adjust the height electronically, but still have to manually change the alignment to match. If so, then, like the rods, one would have to decide what lift they wanted to run on all the time, if they wanted their alignment to remain correct?

David

This is very true. You will want to set the alignment for the most common street/highway height. Now that I am migrating to the IID tool, we are actually going to run a little lower on the street in general (about 20mm) and will be the position we align to. I am primarily concerned with the CV axle wear at the current rod height.

 

[SteveMfr]

Hi David,
As Scott said, this is definitely true. The difference to rods is, that you drive on the street at an optimized alignment and then add lift when you reach an off-road section in your journey without crawling under the car to change or adjust links. You simply plug the IIDTool in, select the height settings you need, exit the menu and you are done. Jim Biram describes this (and how he used to change links when entering a trail) a page back. And 2 pages back I added a vid showing height changes being made.
We have also included several memory slots so that you can make the changes even quicker and save 'profiles' such as street, off-road, etc.

For those who are not interested in full diagnostics, we also have the EASControl which is basically the EAS functionality of the IIDTool only (including fault reading and clearing). The EASControl sells for not much more than many link kits.

As an aside: at the moment all LR EAS systems except for the 2002-05 L322 Range Rover can only be adjusted as a block - that is if you adjust the settings up by 10mm, all height settings from off-road to access will be increased by 10mm. In contrast, the early L322 RR can have off-road height increased while standard height is decreased and motorway is decreased even more. We have plans to implement this for the other vehicles as well. It will entail re-flashing the EAS ECU (sort of like chip-tuning for the EAS ). We hope to be able to get to this after we finish the final functionality for the IIDTool firmware and the IIDtool Pro (shop version) in the coming months.

 

[Breadfan]

This is very true. You will want to set the alignment for the most common street/highway height. Now that I am migrating to the IID tool, we are actually going to run a little lower on the street in general (about 20mm) and will be the position we align to. I am primarily concerned with the CV axle wear at the current rod height.

Can the truck go higher with after market rods and the IID tool or can it reach the same heights with the fatory rods and IID tool?