Who's a happy boy!

[Bernd VonCrashen]

Finally I got a Defender[biggrin] 2005 Model with less than 100k on it.

Actually got it a few weeks ago, so excited I have made any excuse to drive it and get accustomed to its perks n quirks. No official name for it yet, but Ping Ping is what most are calling it due to looking like a panda...

I can't wait to start turning the Deefer into a solid camping/touring vehicle. Now that I am getting used to it day by day i am starting to (over) think what to do to it.

To start, will be driving it of course and then the EGR, exhaust and intercooler mods and some temp gauges. Followed by suspension??? I have sag at the front due to winch and bull bar and as I will be carrying all the gear when I go touring, I am sure it will sag further. Then somewhere some more omph via upgraded ecu re-map, then drawer/shelving system, dual batteries, driveline and sound protection to block out swmbo when I mention these, the list goes on.. Actually she is quite happy and has no concern on what I spend/do to it. As she said, as long as we can go anywhere I don't care.

Sorry getting carried away, just so excited to have a real camping/touring vehicle. Our previous campmobile has been retired from these duties, due to its shortfalls (unfortunately found out).

Well I'm happy, not sure if I mentioned that enough... Apologies in advance, as I probably will start asking a million and one questions now. Well back off to reading the good oil for me and all other good read threads:):)

Who is a happy boy... James is:cool:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[BilboBoggles]

For a reliable outback tourer i would personally not do the remap. Just egr. It's hard to find people on Aus skilled with td5 remaps, and getting them right for your situation. Too much risk if wrong. Stock Defender power is ok for touring.

I'd spend the money on springs, shockers perhaps uprated shock mounts. Perhaps a new radiator to be safe. Definitely a full service including all fluids. And a computer driven abs brake fluid flush.

Enough there to break the bank...

Nice td5!

[Bernd VonCrashen]

Thanks Bilbo.

Out of curiosity why is the computer drive abs flush important? I take it there is an element that is not completed with a normal flush.

As for suspension, I personally would prefer something that can take the weight and keep it at standard level when full. What are the benefits of a 2" lift. I can only see the ability to fit bigger tyres and longer travel for articulation, but whats the point if your diff stays much the same height? Is this the offset to bring the vehicle back to standard height. I thought a good set of springs and dampers/shocks would do this.

Cheers J

[BilboBoggles]

The ABS has a flush mode that engages the ABS pump - that way any old fluid is pumped out of the ABS unit.

Personally I think the benefits of a 2" lift don't outweight the costs. The main benefits are related to ramp and breakover angles. The slightly higher clearance means you could drive over a bigger rock or tree trunk or .. you get the idea. For me - I only require greater rampover and entry/exit clearance - on very occasional club outings or perhaps on a severe off road track. I don't do those things very often - and if I do - I prepare with recovery gear etc.

There are other costs too with a lift
- Harder to get in and out of especially if you have kids or a non athletic wife..
- Higher center of gravity - making the vehicle a little more tippy in corners and making your kids ever so more likely to throw up every where...... ;-)

- harder springs can make the ride at anything less than full load unpleasant. I like my Land Rovers to glider over the terrain - absorbing bumps and gently floating along dirt roads. The ideal option for me would be to replace the springs with air suspension - but I never got around to that. So the next thing I did was have longer slightly softer springs installed. This mean the defender sits level now, but is very comfortable to drive on rough roads - it also means the traction control is more effective as the wheels stay in contact off road. BUT the cost for me is that if I were to put 1000kg in the boot it would sit down a little bit more.

That's why I never bothered with a lift - as I wanted a tourer not an all out comp vehicle. and with the slightly softer springs - for me it's a good compromise.

The shockers are important too - at 9 years old - you may find your factory shocks are a bit knackered. This is important on dirt corrugated roads - as you may experience excessive axle bounce and end up in a ditch. We used to have an amazing peice of dirt road near where I live - it was angled off to a fairly deep ditch - and became havily corrugated after a few months. Hit that at the wrong speed with knackered shocks and you would hit that ditch no worries!. For me I replaced with a set of factory OEM shocks. I had a really good run with the originals - and I liked the way they handled dirt roads so it was a low cost repair.

[gusthedog]

IMHO there are plenty of Aussies who can write a tune for a td5. I had a Toombie remap in my defender for years without issue and a Davis Performance one in my disco TD5. Whilst not quite as driveable as the Toombie map, my disco is worlds ahead of a std one. Or you could try 'the entertainer' on this forum who also does remaps.

For springs in the front, try 130 springs if you don't want a lift as they are more heavy duty than the 110 spring. The are about perfect for a 110 with a bar and winch. I ran them for years and my defender was nice and level.

Just remember you don't have to spend heaps on a deefer as out of the box they are more capable than most drivers :wasntme:

Nice looking bus anyways :D

[jackiec]

Finally I got a Defender[biggrin] 2005 Model with less than 100k on it.

Actually got it a few weeks ago, so excited I have made any excuse to drive it and get accustomed to its perks n quirks. No official name for it yet, but Ping Ping is what most are calling it due to looking like a panda...

I can't wait to start turning the Deefer into a solid camping/touring vehicle. Now that I am getting used to it day by day i am starting to (over) think what to do to it.

To start, will be driving it of course and then the EGR, exhaust and intercooler mods and some temp gauges. Followed by suspension??? I have sag at the front due to winch and bull bar and as I will be carrying all the gear when I go touring, I am sure it will sag further. Then somewhere some more omph via upgraded ecu re-map, then drawer/shelving system, dual batteries, driveline and sound protection to block out swmbo when I mention these, the list goes on.. Actually she is quite happy and has no concern on what I spend/do to it. As she said, as long as we can go anywhere I don't care.

Sorry getting carried away, just so excited to have a real camping/touring vehicle. Our previous campmobile has been retired from these duties, due to its shortfalls (unfortunately found out).

Well I'm happy, not sure if I mentioned that enough... Apologies in advance, as I probably will start asking a million and one questions now. Well back off to reading the good oil for me and all other good read threads:):)

Who is a happy boy... James is:cool:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=81165&stc=1&d=1406414314
nice car mate welcome to the Defender owners club,dont forget to wave when you see another Defender