off road mods..... opinions please

i am looking for a bit of advice from those who have already performed the following mods and would like to know the benefits and drawbacks of the following mods...... (300tdi discovery)

1) suspension lift. budget kits from £250/300 advanced kits nearer a grand... are the budget kits goint to send everything 'to cock' re: braking, steering, on road handling etc. more importantly, on a daily driving disco will it be a pain to live with?

2) snorkel. how much impact will it have on fuel economy? i have heard it will knock a couple of mpg off. is this true?

3) tyre size. knowing that speedo's work on PCD on most cars, if i change my tyre size i am guessing my speedo will become inaccurate. how much effort is it to get it recalibrated?

4) if no.3 is no problem... can the standard landy alloys support larger tyres? if so, what size will they be ok up to without needing to modify and steering / suspension settings?

Hi jax13,

I've got a 300tdi 95 model when i brought it the suspension was shot!
I change the springs for HD and a set of Pro Comp shocks change and the suspension bushes for poly ones.Tyre size fitted is 245/75/16 copper stt on standard alloys the only small adjustment needed was to the steering stops.
With the tyres and springs it seats about 1" higher than standard I use the disco every day for work about 60 miles round trip not had any probelms with handling at all

where did you buy the suspension goodies??

how much work is involved in changing the steering stops?

Got the suspension stuff from MM4x4 Land Rover parts spares Range Rover parts spares Discovery parts spares Freelander Parts Spares Accessories Defender 90 Defender 110 Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Spares Parts Accessories MM-4x4 good bunch of guys helpfull
You don't need to change the steering stops there are adjustable they stop the wheel and tyre fouling on the suspension radius arm when on full lock, the only downside is you lose a little bit of full lock on the steering

When I bought my first land rover I was told a wise piece of advise - get a second set of tyres with 265 (or 245 if you don't want any problems!!!) MT.

I ignored this, bought a steering guard, a winch, 205 AT tyres and other protection. the result my car got stuck all the time because it was too heavy and didnt have enough clearance. i took that all off (got an aluminium guard) a snorkel and MT 245 tyres. brilliant!

snorkels don't really make a great deal of difference to your MPG, depends on how you drive. a safari snorkel is very very easy to put on. but if you've got a TDI there is very little (waterwise) that will trouble it, unless you're going through rivers a lot. If you get a snorkel make sure you've also got breathers on the necessary engine alxe points.

2" lifts are fine, but can put stress on your props. they make road driving a lot less pleasurable.

tyres above 245 can be a problem on discos as the tyres can make contact with the wheel arch.

alloys will fit all disco tyre sizes, however it is much easier to buy steels, they're cheap and they can take a battering - alloys cant.