2016 SDV6 SE Add ons

[Smocky]

Haven't stopped grinning since I picked up the car on Friday. :D

So this thread is for me to keep track of progress and things to do as well as hopefully providing some info for others that may not be as handy (brave) as some in upgrading their daily drive.

Our lovely white LR4 is my daily drive and our families main car. I'm a Venturer leader and our family still likes to head out camping in the bush (we have a CT). So camping, touring and off road are all very important. We didn't buy it to keep it on the sealed roads!! :) But.... I don't want to turn it in to a bush basher either. It's replacing a Pajero Exceed with bar, winch, suspension lift, snorkel, bash plates etc, so we now know what we use and don't use.

Rather than conversations in here, I'll link specific threads as it will be better for searching and better filing. Suggestions are always welcome !!!

So here's my starting plan:

Will do:
Tinted (DONE)
Rear rubber mat (DONE)
Brake controller
Traxide with Anderson plug at rear
Conversion from round to flat plug
Rear drawers with fridge slide (the ones from the Pajero may fit)
Rear 12v aux socket
UHF and aerial
AT Tyres (probably 19s)
Roof rails and storage
Side steps
Mud flaps
Compressor plate for protection
Parking light upgrade and other globes to LED
Interior lights to LED

I MIGHT do:
Mitch Hitch or similar
Llams (not sure of the need/value)
Front bash plate
Fuel tank plate
LED light bar
Upgrade main battery
Cargo barrier

I probably won't do:
ARB Bar (although I'm a little shaky on this. Roos make a mess)
Winch
Snorkel
Rear wheel carrier
Long range tank

Cheers,

Smocky

[rar110]

I thought the D4s had a 12v socket in the cargo area.

[BJM]

I thought the D4s had a 12v socket in the cargo area.

Mine does :BigThumb:

[~Rich~]

D3's do too!

Smocky for me LLAMS is a first off mod, doesn't need to be serious 4wding to have the need for it. An example is outback dirt road travel LLAMS enables you to choose either a +30 or +50mm height increase regardless of vehicle speed.
Without LLAMS (or Rods) you will get a warning at 40kph and the vehicle will drop at 50kph as many roads have whoop de doo's and standard height suspension will bottom out.

High ridged sand tracks is another example.

[AnD3rew]

Welcome and nice car.

I agree with Rich that Llams would be my #2 mod after AT tyres. Those two things will do more than anything else in terms of real improvement in off road ability. 18" wheels is probably the third in that category.

There is a 12v outlet in the back but it is starting battery, the Traxide kid with Anderson plug will also come with 2 12v sockets to put in the back which are to 2nd battery which is much better for camping and if you will have a fridge in there.

I think you are on the right track. I have the front bar and winch and have yet to use either in anger but still nice to know they are there and the winch is handy for all sorts of non recovery things as well. I also have a safari Snorkel and so far there is only 1 time I really needed it when I dropped into an unexpected hole in a river crossing and I have no doubt it saved my motor but to be honest that was a bit of carelessness on my part I'm sure if I hadn't had the snorkel I would have been more paranoid and checked the crossing more carefully.

I fine the long range tank very useful but again as long as you plan carefully and if you have capacity in the camper to carry extra fuel it is not necessary.

I can honestly say that the tank and bar definitely change the handling and feel of the car and not for the better, it handles it fine and it isn't a problem but I do ocassionally mourn the wonderfully nimble car like feel of the Disco pre mod.

[Geedublya]

Definitely LLams, rods or IID tool, I'd go the IID tool if you are only adjusting the height for off road use and want a diagnostic tool as well.

Why are wanting to upgrade the main battery? The standard batteries are large and decent quality, with the Traxide kit and a decent second battery I don't think this will be needed.

I didn't bother converting my trailer plug on the D4, I did it on the D3 and it is pretty tight in there. I just made my own conversion cable and leave it attached to the camper.

I got the Traxide kit with 2 rear merit sockets.

If you aren't towing the trailer in serious off road territory the D4 hitch is adequate. I have a Mitch Hitch from my D3 and haven't installed it yet.

Side steps that aren't a proper slider will get damaged quickly and can damage the sills.

[Smocky]

I thought the D4s had a 12v socket in the cargo area.

Is it permanently powered or only under accessories?

[LRD414]

Is it permanently powered or only under accessories?
Factory one is accessory power only.
Traxide one is permanent feed and with the D4-5S Traxide kit the factory one is upgraded to permanent feed.
EDIT: this may also be true with other Traxide kits but this is the one I got.

Scott

[Smocky]

Factory one is accessory power only.
Traxide one is permanent feed and with the D4-5S Traxide kit the factory one is upgraded to permanent feed.
EDIT: this may also be true with other Traxide kits but this is the one I got.

Scott

Thanks Scott, that's what I suspected. The Traxide is a high priority as are electric brake controller, due to the electric brakes and battery system on the CT. I have a Traxide unit in my Pajero, so familiar with Tim and his work.

[Graeme]

The cargo area outlet can easily be converted to permanent power by replacing its relay in the passenger fuse panel with a jumper wire.

[Smocky]

Welcome and nice car.

I agree with Rich that Llams would be my #2 mod after AT tyres. Those two things will do more than anything else in terms of real improvement in off road ability. 18" wheels is probably the third in that category.

I think you are on the right track. I have the front bar and winch and have yet to use either in anger but still nice to know they are there and the winch is handy for all sorts of non recovery things as well. I also have a safari Snorkel and so far there is only 1 time I really needed it when I dropped into an unexpected hole in a river crossing and I have no doubt it saved my motor but to be honest that was a bit of carelessness on my part I'm sure if I hadn't had the snorkel I would have been more paranoid and checked the crossing more carefully.

I fine the long range tank very useful but again as long as you plan carefully and if you have capacity in the camper to carry extra fuel it is not necessary.

I can honestly say that the tank and bar definitely change the handling and feel of the car and not for the better, it handles it fine and it isn't a problem but I do ocassionally mourn the wonderfully nimble car like feel of the Disco pre mod.

Hi Andrew,

The car I am coming from has ARB bar, winch, snorkel and lift. But it badly affected the road handling and I do a lot of road miles. Would I like them on the Disco? Yep. Do I want to sacrifice noise, road handling manners and fuel economy etc for it? Nope. Thanks very much for your thoughts on this, there's no right or wrong answers, it's all about balance. CT has jerry can holders in it too, so I have that covered when touring.

Now on to Llams. A few of you have said it's a high priority. I was surprised that the "off road" height drops down at 50km/hr. I certainly have belted along some rough roads at 80+ but I did expect that the Disco would have ample clearance for that kind of road. I'm going to have to look more in to that and take if off road to see for myself. I just want to keep the ride and handling as unaffected as possible, having learned from turning my previous lovely car in to a tank. :D

[Smocky]

Definitely LLams, rods or IID tool, I'd go the IID tool if you are only adjusting the height for off road use and want a diagnostic tool as well.

Why are wanting to upgrade the main battery? The standard batteries are large and decent quality, with the Traxide kit and a decent second battery I don't think this will be needed.

I didn't bother converting my trailer plug on the D4, I did it on the D3 and it is pretty tight in there. I just made my own conversion cable and leave it attached to the camper.

I got the Traxide kit with 2 rear merit sockets.

If you aren't towing the trailer in serious off road territory the D4 hitch is adequate. I have a Mitch Hitch from my D3 and haven't installed it yet.

Side steps that aren't a proper slider will get damaged quickly and can damage the sills.

Didn't realise the main battery was good. I ran a 100A/Hr marine battery as main battery in previous car, which meant i never had to worry about accesories, radio left on etc. Mind you, I had a winch so it was for that too.

I tow a few different trailers, for Scouts and other things, so I wanted to avoid using an adapter all the time. However, if it is a PITA to convert to a flat plug, then I'll leave it. It's not a priority really.

We do take the trailer off road usually, so I am unsure whether the standard hitch is good enough or not. I guess time will tell on that one.

Steps on the Pajero were good and don't fold up easily. But steps provide height access for putting things on the roof as well as protection from underneath. The sliders with stand off bar will stop you bashing the bottom, but won't stop the door getting sand blasted much. I'll have to keep looking at options there.

Thanks heaps for the feedback.

[BobD]

Now on to Llams. A few of you have said it's a high priority. I was surprised that the "off road" height drops down at 50km/hr. I certainly have belted along some rough roads at 80+ but I did expect that the Disco would have ample clearance for that kind of road. I'm going to have to look more in to that and take if off road to see for myself. I just want to keep the ride and handling as unaffected as possible, having learned from turning my previous lovely car in to a tank. :D


Llams has no effect on ride and handling unless you turn the knob to change the height setting, in which case it is for the better. It is just a way to change height independent of the car's height change switch. It doesn't change the suspension in any way. You can't do 80 along a sand track without either Llams or Gordon's rods.

[phl]

Didn't you get a round to flat adapter with the car? Mine came with one. One thing that I should have done is get the Traxide with the Anderson plug, and change the white round plug to Anderson, so that I can charge the batteries through that, although charging through the white does charge the main batter rather than just the Aux (which, if the main is low, may not charge the main as it is isolated).

I'd also agree that rater than get the LLAMS, get the IID Tools BT, and you can control the height from there (there are presets), as well as have diagnostics and CCF editing.

If the interior lights are not LED (my MY13 weren't), change that to LEDs; much lower consumption when camping (opening and closing doors), and brighter too.

Also suggest a cargo barrier.

[LRD414]

I'd also agree that rater than get the LLAMS, get the IID Tools BT, and you can control the height from there (there are presets), as well as have diagnostics and CCF editing.
I have both Llams and an iiD Tool. You can get the height preset functionality with the iiD, so I agree that this approach saves money. However, the convenience of Llams should be considered as well. No waiting, no plugging in the iiD each time the height setting needs changing. Also, I'm not sure if the iiD Tool would have the recovery mode that Llams has. This gets you normal height if an ABS related fault has dropped the car to Limp Mode height (hope I've got that technically correct). The iiD may have equivalent functionality but either way, I think these are other factors worth considering.

Scott

[shanegtr]

I've got a mitch hitch on my D3 and it sets up my camper with the perfect drawbar height for off road work. The original would have been totally unacceptable, but then again the D3 factory hitch was a hell of a lot lower than the D4 one.


I was never going to bother with LLAMS myself, but I found a second hand unit at a good price so decided to get it - I've found it useful for more than just changing heights - my D3 gets an intermittent YAW sensor fault every now and again and that shuts off DCS and a few other things, but also drops it down to access height. Previously I had to shut the engine off and restart, but now with the LLAMS installed I just flick the switch around to +50mm and normal ride height is restored without having to shut the car down.

[phl]

This gets you normal height if an ABS related fault has dropped the car to Limp Mode height (hope I've got that technically correct). The iiD may have equivalent functionality but either way, I think these are other factors worth considering.


Should be able to; the LLAMS fools the sensor, whereas IID Tools re-calibrates the height the sensor works to. Different sides of the same coin.

[Disco-tastic]

Should be able to; the LLAMS fools the sensor, whereas IID Tools re-calibrates the height the sensor works to. Different sides of the same coin.

IID tool might also clear the fault that caused the suspension to drop.

Cheers

Dan

[Smocky]

I'd also agree that rater than get the LLAMS, get the IID Tools BT, and you can control the height from there (there are presets), as well as have diagnostics and CCF editing.

If the interior lights are not LED (my MY13 weren't), change that to LEDs; much lower consumption when camping (opening and closing doors), and brighter too.

Also suggest a cargo barrier.

Definitely going to look in to the IID. I would only really use the height adjustment for off road use, so I like the "dual purpose" nature of the diagnostics tool.

I changed all my lights in the Pajero to LED, so that's a good one to add, thanks. I changed my tail lights and indicators too, not sure if I will go that far in the D4.

I have drawers and a fridge slide in the Pajero, so I am not sure about the cargo barrier to be honest. I frequently put that back seats down to get length in the back, but it's a good suggestion.

Thanks all.

[phl]

I have drawers and a fridge slide in the Pajero, so I am not sure about the cargo barrier to be honest. I frequently put that back seats down to get length in the back, but it's a good suggestion.

Thanks all.

Never did get the drawers for the Pajero, but did have a cargo barrier as I stacked things up.

I do have drawers on one side in the D4 (so I can still raise the seat on the right to get to the spare wheel winder), but have the fridge on the dropped middle back seat so that we can get cold drinks whilst driving, so have the fridge strapped to the barrier. Also have a solid water tank strapped to that too (obviously on the load bay side). I also have my tent up against the barrier, as it fits in just nicely with sleeping mats on each side (against the windows).

[Smocky]

OK, enough fun driving around, time to fit some mods.

Have ordered the D4-5S from Tim @ Traxide and that will be fitted as soon as he can get through his backorders. :D I am happy to wait for quality, so no issue there.

The second immediate thing is the brake controller for the electric brakes on the CT. Almost too much information on here, but it looks like the Redarc Tow Pro. I had the Tekonsha P3 in the Pajero, but I think the discrete fitting of the Redarc is too good to pass up.

I am open to suggestions of where to buy it from or point me in the right direction for the most up-to-date fitting instructions for the D4.

Thanks for all the great advice and support guys.

Smocky.

[DI5CO]

I got the tow pro elite and LED load box installed internally and a switch to turn the box on or off if I am towing a trailer with LED's. As I can tow different trailers with work, this was the best option for me. This was done by driven auto electronics, he came out to me. I got the tow pro installed next to the light switch, was also asked if I wanted it where the electric steering wheel controls would go as some people like it there, it's just a personal preference.
I haven't actually towed with it yet but from what I've heard the tow pro has been great.
http://www.drivenae.com.au/

[Smocky]

I got the tow pro elite and LED load box installed internally and a switch to turn the box on or off if I am towing a trailer with LED's. As I can tow different trailers with work, this was the best option for me. This was done by driven auto electronics, he came out to me. I got the tow pro installed next to the light switch, was also asked if I wanted it where the electric steering wheel controls would go as some people like it there, it's just a personal preference.
I haven't actually towed with it yet but from what I've heard the tow pro has been great.
Driven Auto Electrics > Home (http://www.drivenae.com.au/)

Thanks mate, I am going to fit mine myself as I will be doing the Traxide at the same time. I like where they have fitted it on yours.

The LED load box I still haven't figured out. Do I need one on a 2016 D4?

[TerryO]

As a number of others have said the single best accessory item there is for a D3/4 is a Llams kit. I drive both the 3 & 4 at minus 20 on twistys and the handling is much nicer and it's as simple as turning the knob one click while driving, if the roads turn to poo and -20 mm becomes to bumpy then I simple turn the knob back and it's at normal height and the ride becomes smoother.
The convenience and practicality of being able to select any of the additional heights at the turn of a knob is priceless when you need to make that selection in a hurry while on the move for what ever reason.

A Llams kit allows you while sitting in the drivers seat to put your Disco from normal height to sitting on the bump stops right up to Super extended height or any other of the available heights in between in less than one minute or as fast as your compressor will allow.

Sure having a iid tool is good as well but no where near as practical or convenient or quick. Sometimes spending a few extra dollars is worth the cost and this is one of those occasions in my opinion.

[LRD414]

.... point me in the right direction for the most up-to-date fitting instructions for the D4....
Two main options for location of the Tow Pro main unit:

1. Behind the panel under the steering wheel
Many have done this, as an example strydes posted a bracket detail on page 45, post 442:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/97935-d4-electric-trailer-brakes-45.html

2. In the rear compartment passenger side
Good photo & description by Nod on page 47, post 466:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/97935-d4-electric-trailer-brakes-47.html

Both options work well but have slightly different wiring requirements running from front to back that you would install at the same time as Traxide.
So you mainly need to decide between these two options so you can run correct wires with the Traxide wires.

Cheers,
Scott

[LRD414]

The LED load box I still haven't figured out. Do I need one on a 2016 D4?
Yes you need to do something. This summary by Basil135 is good (copied below). It's in the D3 LED Light sticky thread:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/85396-discovery-3-led-trailer-lights-29.html
This assumes you're making it up yourself in the vehicle but obviously you can also simply buy pre-made units that plug in between trailer and vehicle.
I bought a unit and fitted it to the drawbar of my camper trailer. I'm not worried about small box trailers etc because I don't tow these very often.

If you regularly tow different trailers then fitting a resistor set into the vehicle seems like a good solution. Described well in here:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/97935-d4-electric-trailer-brakes-47.html

You only NEED 1 resistor for the car to recognise there is a trailer attached, and for the functions to work.
Adding a second resistor has the benefit of giving the indication on the dash, regardless of which way you are turning.
The resistor (s) should be in a metal box, to absorb and dissipate the heat, although your indicators would have to be on for a long time for this to be an appreciable problem.
The D4 does NOT need relays. The D3 DOES need relays to stop the "pulsing" or "flickering" of the LED's.

Cheers,
Scott

[Smocky]

Thanks guys, appreciate it very much. Plain English is what I was looking for. I'm a practical person. :)

Scott, that's a good point about the box trailer. Again, just to be clear...... towing a trailer with LEDs is fine without a control box, but the car won't know there's a trailer so won't do it's fancy stuff. For a box trailer to the tip, this doesn't matter.

Towing a trailer with normal globes, is perfectly fine.

Towing a trailer WITH LEDs and WITH the control box, just makes the car know there is a trailer so it does its "trailer connected" clever stuff with suspension management, lights on the dash and auto turn off of rear sensors.

Want to be understand is all, because I will likely fit a box to the CT then in due course but won't rush and do it. Wiring the Traxide and Brake Controller are my priority before ANZAC weekend.

[BMKal]

Unless you're mounting the load devices inside your car (in which case, you will need a switch to enable the circuit to be switched off when not towing a trailer) - you don't really need a box.

I have simply run three wires to the trailer plug -

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/104.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

- One connected to pin #1 for left indicator
- One connected to pin #4 for right indicator
- One connected to pin #3 for earth

and run these out along the cable to the drawbar, where I have mounted two Narva load resistors direct to the drawbar beneath the tow hitch. The first two wires are connected, one to each resistor, and the earth wire is connected common to both resistors to make up the circuit.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/03/105.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

It is only recommended to mount the resistors to a metal surface to allow for dissipation of heat - not that this would be a significant issue with indicators in any case. The resistors are waterproof and can be mounted externally like this with no problems.

Alternately, I could have mounted the resistors at the rear of the trailer and picked up on the wiring at the tail lights, but I found it much easier to do it this way.

Also, as Basil 135 has said, I need only have used a single resistor on one of the indicator circuits - but it's just as easy to run three wires as it is to run two, and the resistors came as a pair in a blister pack from Supercheap Auto anyway - so now I've got the green trailer indicator on my dash flashing with both left and right indicators rather than only in one direction as would be the case had I installed only one resistor.

I've only got two trailers that I tow - so found it easier to do this to both trailers rather than mucking around with a box and switch inside the car somewhere. If I ever have to tow another trailer at any time, I'll either put up with the reversing beeper, or quickly wire up something similar on that trailer if I think it's necessary at the time. ;)

[Smocky]

OK Big week on the car for an office guy like me. :D

Have a few of the important ones ticked off now.

So here's my starting plan:

Will do:
Tinted (DONE)
Rear rubber mat (DONE)
Brake controller (DONE)
Traxide with Anderson plug at rear (DONE
Conversion from round to flat plug (Converted trailer plugs instead)
Rear drawers with fridge slide (Considering options)
Rear 12v aux socket (DONE)
UHF and aerial
AT Tyres (probably 19s)
Roof rails and storage
Side steps
Mud flaps (DONE)
Compressor plate for protection
Parking light upgrade and other globes to LED
Interior lights to LED

I MIGHT do:
Mitch Hitch or similar (Towing for first time this weekend and will decide)
Llams (not sure of the need/value)
Front bash plate
Fuel tank plate
LED light bar (Highly likely to do this now)
Upgrade main battery (No need, now have second battery)
Cargo barrier

I probably won't do:
ARB Bar (although I'm a little shaky on this. Roos make a mess)
Winch
Snorkel
Rear wheel carrier
Long range tank

I think roof and drawers are next.

Smocky.