Disco 4 xxv special edition. Tips for towing setup

[Ozmoto]

Hi all

My old man recently purchased a xxv special edition and is planning on using it to tow his 23 foot lotus Freelander (one stupidly big caravan imo)

The car has 20" rims, worried that the tires aren't ideal for such a big van. The the calipers look rather large and he might struggle to find a smaller rim - does anyone run a 19 or 18 on their d4? His preference is to have a second set of wheels with a/t's for trips and keep the 20's on highway tires dor around town.

He is hating the factory reverse camera, has anyone got experience swapping out the camera? I'm suggesting he run a camera on the rear of the van to a review mirror/monitor.

Given the ridiculous van size I was considering fitting a slimline winch in the front- he isn't planning on spending much time off the sealed roads but it would not be hard to pull off a road and have this thing seriously stuck quick, I have a vision of a 2.8 tonne disco and a 3.5tonne van digging holes like a wombat


Any tips or tricks for towing with the d4 would be great, this is the old mans first 4x4 and van.

The motor in the d4is seriously impressive and makes my dmax seem like a Carolla when I hook up the 23 foot monstrosity van!

[Tombie]

Using factory rims he can change to a 19"
There is currently only 1 18" option - from Green Oval Experience - made by Compomotive. They are designed to clear those large callipers.

You can't swap out the camera - what is the issue he's not liking about it (they work very well).

Make sure the Brake controller is installed by someone VERY in tune with Land Rover Discovery 4s... there are some specifics in the wiring or he will have problems... look at the Redarc Tow Pro for your controller..

Consider also - a Mitch Hitch upgrade for the tow bar assembly (and NO WDH!)

A slim line winch - there are discrete mounts, factory winch mounts and obviously bull bar set ups - with that kit it won't be a small unit - minimum 9500lb.

They're a great towing vehicle - he will go fine..

[Briar]

Beat me to it Tombie.

I tow a 24'4" van with the D4. Goes fine I have standard 19" rims which I'm happy to stay with. I'm running the Maxxis Bravo AT's. Great tyre, better than the OEM. The 20" tyres will be OK for blacktop but if money is no object you can pick up a set of virtually unused 19" Discovery Rims for about $1600 for 4 wheels.

19 inch Genuine LAND ROVER DISCOVERY4 2015 MODEL ALLOY WHEELS | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/19-inch-Genuine-LAND-ROVER-DISCOVERY4-2015-MODEL-ALLOY-WHEELS-/331862212272?hash=item4d44877eb0:g:2fwAAOSwEOxXQaO V)

The standard vehicle reversing camera is great. Use the "tow hitch guide mode". Having a camera on the rear of the van is wise. I have it running much of the time when travelling on highway. Great addition to mirrors.

I'll second about the Red Arc Tow Pro brake controller. I got mine installed by the dealer, however, I got a 12 pin plug done by a local auto electrician.

I've had 4WD's for 35 years and towing caravans for about 10. If this is your Dad's first 4WD and Van , I'd suggest some sort of caravan towing course. The caravaners forum may have some advice about this so if this is his first van (and it is big) a training day would be very wise. Towing a big van is more like driving a big bus than towing a small trailer or even camper trailer, however, the potential for instability is greater than a rigid bus due to the pendulum action of a heavy mass hanging off the rear of the Disco. Setup of both car and van for towing is critical.

Too much to say in this limited space but my advice would be:
1) Ensure Discovery is loaded up to near GVM when van ball weight is included. ie, make the vehicle as heavy as possble.
2) Ensure ball weight of van is in the range of 7-10% of vans ATM.
3) Put as little mass on the rear of the van as possible
4) ESC on the van is not a solution to a swaying/ yawing van. Nice to have if the proverbial hits the van but it will not make a van stable for towing.
5) Make sure you find out the vans GTM (weight on the axles) and get the correct tyre pressures, this is really important.
6) Stick to less than 90km/h when towing until you really know the rig.
7) When towing make sure you adjust the Disco's tyre pressure according to the placard, eg for my 19" tyres when towing I run 42 in rears and 36 in front.

Trevor

[ytt105]

x2 for the towing course!!

Most important addon you can get.

[Ozmoto]

Thanks for the advice!

We had a Red Tow pro brake controller fitted before he picked up the van.

I will jump in and play with the camera- I am sure he doe-sent release it has tow hitch guide mode.

He has had plenty of towing time with large boats and holds a Medium Rigid Licence, So I think I will have a hard time getting him to attend a course. He has spent most weekends out practicing taking the can down different local highways and around town getting the feel for it.

I will still advise he looks at one- more knowledge cant hurt!

I think Factory 19" wheels may be be the go, a lot less hassle than getting the 18's from perth.

Question on the Mitch Hitch- The website didn't really sell it to me- The std hitch location seems quite appropriate on the disco? can some one correct me if I am wrong?

[Redback]

Thanks for the advice!

We had a Red Tow pro brake controller fitted before he picked up the van.

I will jump in and play with the camera- I am sure he doe-sent release it has tow hitch guide mode.

He has had plenty of towing time with large boats and holds a Medium Rigid Licence, So I think I will have a hard time getting him to attend a course. He has spent most weekends out practicing taking the can down different local highways and around town getting the feel for it.

I will still advise he looks at one- more knowledge cant hurt!

I think Factory 19" wheels may be be the go, a lot less hassle than getting the 18's from perth.

Question on the Mitch Hitch- The website didn't really sell it to me- The std hitch location seems quite appropriate on the disco? can some one correct me if I am wrong?

Big difference between a MR licence and knowing how to tow a long combination, just because you can drive a truck, doesn't mean you know how to tow, anyway, the D4 is fine if you're not towing offroad, as long as the van is level with the car, it's all good, if the van is high off the ground however it would be advantages to have a higher hitch, you can get adjustable tongues if you need to raise the tow point of the van to level things out, rather than replace the D4 hitch, you may want to see what costs are involved between the two options then decide from there.

[LRD414]

Question on the Mitch Hitch- The website didn't really sell it to me- The std hitch location seems quite appropriate on the disco? can some one correct me if I am wrong?
The main advantage of the Mitch Hitch is height and therefore offroad clearance.
This is less of an issue for large caravans that have a low draw bar height anyway.
The height of the standard factory hitch will most likely give you a level draw bar on the van.

You do need to be careful with using the factory hitch and ensure that it engages properly.
There has been a few threads on here where people have had issues.
And I would not leave it installed when not using the van so that it doesn't corrode.

Cheers,
Scott

[Ozmoto]

Thanks for your input,

Re the hitch- The hayman style towbar and the off road hitchmaster coupling that is fitted to the car sits level with the big van so I think it is suitable for the application. I will keep an eye on it when I see it hooked up next,

Plenty of hours towing 20ft+ boats, heavy water carts and hay trailers and the occasional comp truck/nissan patrol doesent have me too concerned about his ability to tow. MR comment was in regards to being comfortable with a big vehicle on the road and understanding the amount of weight your are driving/pulling.

I think there are many terrible examples of caravan owners operating unsafely but in my experience is an attitude problem combined with poor skills/loading knowledge combined with disregard for safety. Old man is clear of those catergorys but I will still recommend a course.

Ill chase some 19's and AT setup and get him on the weighbridge to sort our his GVM and GCM for a first step.

[Redback]

Thanks for your input,

Re the hitch- The hayman style towbar and the off road hitchmaster coupling that is fitted to the car sits level with the big van so I think it is suitable for the application. I will keep an eye on it when I see it hooked up next,

Plenty of hours towing 20ft+ boats, heavy water carts and hay trailers and the occasional comp truck/nissan patrol doesent have me too concerned about his ability to tow. MR comment was in regards to being comfortable with a big vehicle on the road and understanding the amount of weight your are driving/pulling.

I think there are many terrible examples of caravan owners operating unsafely but in my experience is an attitude problem combined with poor skills/loading knowledge combined with disregard for safety. Old man is clear of those catergorys but I will still recommend a course.

Ill chase some 19's and AT setup and get him on the weighbridge to sort our his GVM and GCM for a first step.

Agree 100% with this, and it's always good to get more knowledge:D

[cripesamighty]

Apart from the caravan issues, I would look at doing one of Gordon's "Green Oval Experience" driving courses (GGHAGGIS on this forum) to get the most out of the Discovery. If you can get onto one of Gordons classroom or offroad courses (Green Oval Experience Land Rover training, Range Rover modifcation (http://www.greenovalexperience.com)) he periodically runs when he goes East I would jump at the chance. It covers everything you need to know about late model Land Rovers (Discovery 3 & 4, Range Rover Sport, Range Rovers etc) and shows you how to use the systems. He also provides an invaluable guidebook for your troubles. Being your dad's first 4WD, it will give him a lot more confidence in his choice of vehicle and help counter some of the poor advice he may get from other Grey Nomads driving other makes of vehicle which probably don't apply to his Discovery. Good luck with it, and great choice in tow vehicle!

[Chops]

Apart from the caravan issues, I would look at doing one of Gordon's "Green Oval Experience" driving courses (GGHAGGIS on this forum) to get the most out of the Discovery. If you can get onto one of Gordons classroom or offroad courses (Green Oval Experience Land Rover training, Range Rover modifcation (http://www.greenovalexperience.com)) he periodically runs when he goes East I would jump at the chance. It covers everything you need to know about late model Land Rovers (Discovery 3 & 4, Range Rover Sport, Range Rovers etc) and shows you how to use the systems. He also provides an invaluable guidebook for your troubles. Being your dad's first 4WD, it will give him a lot more confidence in his choice of vehicle and help counter some of the poor advice he may get from other Grey Nomads driving other makes of vehicle which probably don't apply to his Discovery. Good luck with it, and great choice in tow vehicle!

Totally agree with this. I've been driving 4x4's for nearly thirty years now, and to jump in behind the wheel of the D4 was mind blowing.
Having done Gordon's course was probably the single best investment I've made with the car I think.

[cripesamighty]

Almost forgot, Gordon runs a classroom based training session (brilliant) which you should do first and where you learn about the systems. Even if that is all you do, it will open your eyes up to how capable these cars really are.

After that if you have time/money/opportunity you can go onto the several different car-based offroad training days where you get to apply what you learned in the classroom. Enjoy!