Overland Journal Project Land Rover Discovery 4 (LR4)

[oradba69]

Aaahhh awesome. Yes experienced the same in my Disco 4.
Was mentioned in an article posted by one or other Ausie boasting the Wrangler was awesome but you guys had to abandon the trail due to the LR4 suspension 😉

http://www.expeditionportal.com/adventures/2945-an-aussie-goes-to-moab.html


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[SteveMfr]

qoute from "An Aussie goes to Moab"
Rubicon performed spectacularly and while I do own a jeep, I am not really a Jeep person. The Rubicon in completely stock form took on this track with gusto, and with so little effort, I may have been converted. Sadly we couldn't do the full trail as in true Land Rover fashion, the LR4's air suspension started to play up. It was still a good trip.



Troy may not be a "Jeep person" (despite owning one), but he certainly is not a LR person either now, is he?

Scott, how much up-and-downing are you guys doing? I don't usually switch between off-road and standard height very often (unless the ECU drops me because I've exceeded 50kph) but in 15 years :shock: of playing with air sprung LRs, I have never had a compressor overheat on an otherwise intact EAS. As this is not the first time the OJ LR4 is having this prob - could it be that there is an issue with the compressor / EAS?

 

[Scott Brady]

Steve, I will likely change the suspension height less now, given the overheat warning we received on the last run.

I do change the height often, as ride quality, stability, articulation and performance reduces in off-road mode. With the 33" tire and the 60mm of lift I have in "normal" mode, the LR4 performs exceptionally well for almost all conditions. However, on a trail like Hell's Revenge, the are numerous obstacles that require the ground clearance improvement of "off-road" mode to clear approach/break over/departure. So I was raising and lowering the truck as needed for clearance, but running 90% of the trail in "normal". That cycling is what caused the heat warning.

 

[mcieplinski]

Hi all - I got 54mm lift on my 2011 D4 with the GAP tool and thus don't see a reason for rods as this would bring my CoG to the levels that are very very dangerous in a tippy terrain.

 

[umbertob]

Hi all - I got 54mm lift on my 2011 D4 with the GAP tool and thus don't see a reason for rods as this would bring my CoG to the levels that are very very dangerous in a tippy terrain.

Even if you were only able to get 40-45mm of lift out of the GAP tool, I still would see no reason for adding rods, personally. I mean, that up/down button in the car still works after all, how often on a trail do you really need to be super-extended?

 

[mcieplinski]

Even if you were only able to get 40-45mm of lift out of the GAP tool, I still would see no reason for adding rods, personally. I mean, that up/down button in the car still works after all, how often on a trail do you really need to be super-extended?

I fully agree - I do the full lift of 54mm while offroad BUT only drive at regular height. This allows me to retain a high offroad clearance when going above 30mph when on dirt roads. ONLY when hitting a very challenging terrain and with a right spotter I raise the car to the offroad height which with the additional 54mm lift is really enough to go over 99%of the terrain that you would want to go through. The things that will really affect your offroad capability is really not the clearance (as with the right line you can do a lot) but the fact that D4 is a wide car and with raising the car your CoG is affected.

 

[Scott Brady]

It really depends on the car. Some are pretty far in the tolerance range for the arm, so you need to shift everything higher, and then adjust with the IID Tool. For example, my MKIII Range Rover only allowed 20mm of lift because one of the rear arms was so far that direction already.

 

[SteveMfr]

Yeah, they do vary. The 2006> RR generally has less lift adjustment available than an LR 3/4 due to rear height sensor arm geometry, but 20mm is on the low side even here.

 

[brickpaul65]

So is the best way to use the rod lift and or IIdtool is to leave the vehicle in normal (previous off road height) until the clearance is needed? I have been simply leaving it Off Road height the minute I get on the trail due to the rocky areas I have ridden. My compressor also runs about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes after raising the vehicle.

 

[engineerd]

What I'm hearing is use the IID Tool to set your Normal and Off Road heights based on clearance required for tires, trail clearance, etc. If this is still not sufficient, then rods are required. With the rods installed, you would then need to reprogram Normal and Off Road heights.

For any of these cases, you should get your alignment set for the Normal setting.

Is this correct?

 

[Adrenalinsports]

I noticed that the White commercial package LR4 from Austria on this forum is running the 275/70 R18 tire (33.2 x 10.83) But doesn't seem that anyone here in the states is running that large of a tire. Anyone know if it would fit on my LR4 with Gap Tool maxed at 48mm and Compomotive wheels? My wheel wells have also had all the plastic and other bits removed.

I would like this size tire because I like looks of the bigger tire and that it would give me more off road tire options like the Nitto Trail M/T and the Goodyear Wrangler MTR. For daily driving I would swap back to the stock 20 inch wheels and run a 32 inch tire like the BFG AT, Wrangler AT, Nitto Terra Grappler, Toyo AT etc.

I know Scott (Overland Journal) is running 265/70 R18's (32.61 x 10.43) but I can't find that tire in a Mud Terrain. It looks like another option might be the 285/65 R18 (32.59 x 11.22) That would be almost exactly the same height but a little wider. And then I could get the Nitto Trail M/T's. Would those even fit?

FYI, I am currently running 275/65 R18 (32.07 x 10.83) BFG A/T, but they are about due for replacement.

Thanks,

Jud

 

[Finlayforprez]

I fully agree - I do the full lift of 54mm while offroad BUT only drive at regular height. This allows me to retain a high offroad clearance when going above 30mph when on dirt roads. ONLY when hitting a very challenging terrain and with a right spotter I raise the car to the offroad height which with the additional 54mm lift is really enough to go over 99%of the terrain that you would want to go through. The things that will really affect your offroad capability is really not the clearance (as with the right line you can do a lot) but the fact that D4 is a wide car and with raising the car your CoG is affected.

I do the same thing, as I have gone back and forth about getting rods, but I just don't need the extra lift for everyday driving. When I am on the trails, I use my IIDTool to go the full lift and then use off-road mode as needed.

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of a lifted D4, but I already have enough junk on the roof that I don't need to affect the CoG.

 

[Finlayforprez]

It really depends on the car. Some are pretty far in the tolerance range for the arm, so you need to shift everything higher, and then adjust with the IID Tool. For example, my MKIII Range Rover only allowed 20mm of lift because one of the rear arms was so far that direction already.

Sorry for being off topic a little now, but Scott if you see this..... any words of wisdom for me.... I am planning to install the ARB front bumper on my 2013 LR4 tomorrow (along with a WARN 9000XD winch). I may just disable the front sensors with my IIDTool and not bother, but will wait and see. I am a bit nervous about the install.

 

[Scott Brady]

The install is extensive, but not difficult. The most painful part is cutting the fender flares

 

[Finlayforprez]

The install is extensive, but not difficult. The most painful part is cutting the fender flares

Yep, that part is scaring me the most - along with the electrical stuff. A friend of mine in our local Land Rover club is helping me and he is really good at this stuff, so hopefully everything goes smooth. I have been studying the installation instructions and it just seems straight forward (famous last words!!!).