Sea sick in a straight line?

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tasker-bumble

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I realise this may open a can of worms and those suffering from a terminal case of no imagination will jump at the chance to say "keep everything standard" but I will ask.

My Discovery 2 is great, dose the miles and copes with what ever I choose to do (bearing in mind my level of off road ability), however the rear air shocks are leaking, the front drivers shock is no longer level with the passenger side, and i need 3 new tires (including spare). So now would be a good time to consider how best to spend some money.

Having been to a couple of Pay and play days and lots of play time at home on the farm I would quite like to do more and learn how to do more off road. However the reality s that 80% of the time the car will be on the road and I have no intention of going too far and i dont want a dedicated toy.

Now I have read many posts regarding lift kits and tires etc and quite like the idea of a modest lift and replacing the tires with some 265/75/16 General Grabber AT2 and change the rear from Air to springs but many of the posts seem to suggest that at anything over 45 mph the car will be akin to a shopping trolley on ice and the noise will make my ears bleed!

My questions are........
Just how bad a road car will it be with a 2"lift and new tires?
Will it still be able to travel at the speed limit?
Will the noise be so bad that my head will explode?
Or is it possible to just learn to drive again as we all did the first time we got behind the wheel of a Landrover after a saloon car.

I face some expense getting the car right so I may as well spend the money to get the car I would like it to be. I was assuming and budgeting for:
Springs,
Shocks
Trailing Arms
Radius Arms
Also going to replace the brakes and front bearings while Im at it.

Also please note that I have no wish to get a second set of wheels just for play time and the car must remain a practical road car capable of road miles at normal (but not excessive road speeds). I would also like to avoid too much hacking of the bodywork.

I have read the piece on the perils of lifting but would like to hear form anyone who has done this to their car and still use it everyday on the road.

Many thanks.
 
How long's a piece of string?

The problem is no two Landrovers are absolutely identical, especially as they get older, so there isn't a 'yes this will happen' or a 'no this won't work' answer. Some people lift 2" and have no worries, some people lift 2" and have ****e .. props break, UJ's lock, axle brackets break, all kinds of grief.

Best thing in my opinion is read again and try to understand what might happen ... the articles you're on about are peoples own experiences ...

Then just do what you want to do ... ;)
 
I went the a no-pay and play site and drove a new D2 around for an hour in the rain and mud and it coped with every thing so I would say for the "normal" owner leave things the same as it left the factory.

Mind u Paul D's raised disco looks like it will also go anywhere. Shame about the shiny bit on the N/S :behindsofa:
 
Thanks for the quick response.

Replace everything back to standard?

Can I assume you would only recommend standard Landrover parts NOT after market alternatives. I can hear my local dealership rubbing their hands with glee.
 
Before doing anything you might be better just making sure of exactly what you want. The first part of your first posts suggests that all you might really need is a good fettle of parts and maybe some AT style tyres.

The second bit says you think you want a lift kit, and immediately after you say it needs to remain a decent road car ...

I'd say, if you want a definite yes/no answer, that yes, replace the airbags, fettle the bushes etc and keep it standard. A D2, as suggested, is a pretty competent vehicle and doesn't need much to enjoy it on road or off road, so long as you're not entering challenge or trial events .. ;)

And yes, stick to Landrover oem parts. They lasted this far, they'll last the same again if fitted correctly. That doesn't mean necessarily taking it to a Landrover main stealer, do the work yourself, parts are reasonable .... ;)
 
Paul D thanks.
There are indeed several parts to my post.

The crux of it was however, how bad are things going to be if I do go down the lift route. Reading lots of posts on lifting it seems that (as mentioned by yourself) some people do it and the car rides fine on the road. We know that doing so will raise the COG by a couple of inches but lets face it, we are not talking porsche cornering.

I guess what i was looking for was confirmation one way or another that this is a practical option and that by doing the lift etc and not cutting corners i can have both.

Has anyone done a 2" lift and tires and ended up with a car that is drivable on the road at motorway speeds?
 
My 200tdi had a lift when i bort it, it was little scary if not terrifying on bends when i first drove it obviously the way i drive it now compensates for it imo i wouldnt lift one.
 
nathan 5436
Thanks for the post.

Are you referring to the silver car in your profile?

Slow in Fast out on the road? What about wondering in a straight line? Higher speeds on the motorway (legal ish)? And road noise? are you on road tires or ATs and if so what sizes?

Lots of questions but good to ask some one who has done it.

Hope you can help.
 
Mine's not really 'lifted' despite how it looks ... wider and larger diameter tyres but with the Heavy Duty springs it doesn't 'sag', so they effectively lift it a tad, maybe an inch, maybe more ... it's been suggested to me that these are what sell as +40mm springs on ebay ... ;)

No worries at motorway speeds, solo or towing the caravan. Only issue I have is tram-lining, sliding into and over the ruts left by trucks in inside lane, which it does with a vengeance. This has certainly not improved with the wider tyres, I dunno if the springs made any difference to this.

It's better off-road as it's a slightly tighter turning circle 'cos I also have 8j wheels on with a slightly different offset to the standard 7j wheels, and there's a tad more approach, departure and ramp-over height. I should have cut my rear arches, but didn't and now (after five years or so) they're a tad bent .. ;) Fronts didn't need anything, even steering lock stops were fine.
 
So moving forward i had a look at the tire fitting guide for the tire options available and saw that if I go the 265/75/16 route without the lift a Discovery 1 would require Rear Fender & front end cap trimming, steering stops and bump stops and spacer needed for the spare tire.

Any one know if the same is required for a Discovery 2?

This would at least save on the lift kit and the stress on the parts that get wacked by the lift.
 
Paul D Thanks.

What wheel/tire combination are you using?

This could be the way forward as the springs need sorting any way.

Just to confirm you are using heavy Duty STANDARD springs & Standard Shocks.

Many thanks for the info. Any thing else need changing if you go this route?
 
Another thought just crossed my mind, If you have a 2" lift can you stil get under 6'6" height restrictions like found on many car parks?
 
there is no point in lifting a disco until uve got underbody protection, possibly HD bumpers or atleast better front recovery points, and the other offroading kit that goes with it, if you spend enough money and get it done right a 2 inch lift will handle fine if very interestingly around corners. Unless you after a 'show' truck to show off on your drive or you go offroading every other weekend then a lift would be a waste of cash
 
BFG AT 31 x 10.5 R15's, from BlackCircles, cost £400 fitted locally, but sold my old set for £250 (25k miles and 8mm tread left) on Steel 8j wheels from Paddocks. Standard height Heavy Duty springs, rears I was given by a mate who'd bought them and never fitted them before swapping his Disco for an L322, fronts off ebay about £20. Standard dampers/shocks. I haven't cut anywhere, but like I said, the rear arches could have done with a Camel Cut ... Steering locks fine, front end's fine but I also cut my bumper valance off and endcaps down, again more 'cos of catching them when offroading, not to fit the springs.

I'd stick whatever you want on and see what it needs .. no point adjusting anything until stuff's fitted, you may not need it!

As V8 says, I've also got diff guards on front and rear and a steering guard. Removed standard towbar and fitted a removable socket, this also gives some fuel tank protection too. This was all done before I fitted the HD springs 'cos I've always green-laned and off-roaded it. Thinking about removing the front disc stone guards, as I seem to get stones caught every time I go out, but dunno how much of this is necessary for a small 2" lift.
 
tasker-bumble said:
V8.

Can you describe "Very Interesting in corners"

What about on the motorway?
Click to expand...

straight line is fine, but if you get soft springs the body roll is more than noticable, so you will have to slow down to go round corners and take care when travelling on motorways so you dont have to do any emercency lane changes
 
tasker-bumble said:
So would Heavy Duty ie stiffer springs be a better option?

Could it reduce the body roll?
Click to expand...

you can get different spring rates, check out the Terrafirma website will explain some more. HD springs are really designed for exactly that, heavy vehicles, eg: fully loaded or vehicles that are used a large amount of time for towing. I have heard that they give a very harsh ride on a standard vehicle as they are rated too high for the vehicle weight. Terrafirma do 3 different load ratings for the springs, different manufacturers will have different handling characteristics so its something worth researching fully before purchasing
 
I have also read about (on this forum) fitting an HD Roll Bar could help.

I realise this is something the dedicated off road crew normally remove for more articulation but keeping in mind my requirements are not that extreme the need for absolute max range of movement is not an issue.

It was suggested that Bearmarch produce HD anti roll bars, anyone tried them or have an alternative?

Thanks for the advice.
 
tasker-bumble said:
nathan 5436
Thanks for the post.

Are you referring to the silver car in your profile?

Slow in Fast out on the road? What about wondering in a straight line? Higher speeds on the motorway (legal ish)? And road noise? are you on road tires or ATs and if so what sizes?

Lots of questions but good to ask some one who has done it.

Hope you can help.
Click to expand...
Not the silver one, me other one.. its a 91 200tdi, slow in fast out yes or body roll becomes scary, straight lines fine , road nosie is fine, its on at's 235/70/16
 
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