~Rich's~ D4 build

[~Rich~]

Well, 10 yes after Scott started his D4 build and I'm back in a Disco after a 6yr absence.

I have a lot of knowledge from my D3 build and that helped a lot!
Here is my journey of my build.

Car was standard SDV6 HSE Fuji White with Black pack.
F

First mod was of course LLAMS!

Next was UHF under the passenger seat with mic socket in the cup holder in the centre console.

Next TMPS using external sensors.

Then I made up a bracket for my ARB compressor in front of the battery. It also houses my fuses for the Redarc BCDC 1240D which I mounted behind the grille.

Next was tailgate emergency release and spare wheel winder adapter.
I removed the rear most seats as well.

Then extra support for my drawer system out of the D3 and Fortuner.
Wiring was added for tailgate lights and making the factory cig lighter socket with permanent power from my battery system.

I had build myself a Lipo4 240ah battery as a long slender battery which is mounted in front of the drawers, I have had this battery for about 2 yrs and it's fantastic.

I run a 2000w inverter to power Induction cooktop, kettles, toasters and even an Air Fryer.

The Foxwing 270 degree awning is mounted on S/S brackets to fold down flat on the Rhino platform.

Tuff Ant sliders are now fitted with Tuff Ant Pilbara steel wheels and Nitto Ridge Grappler tyres next in 265/65 R18s
Yes I'll be deflating the spare to fit it underneath!

Cheers Rich

[Disco4TT3]

Looking good! Which TPMS did you get? I'm on the hunt atm and prefer compact wired vs solar.

[~Rich~]

Its only an eBay wired one.
Lasted 7yrs so far, apart from changing sensor batteries.
I like this one because:

1 its adjustable brightness makes it easy to see night and day.

2 it has options for 2 people in the car or 5.
I have 2 people set for off road pressures and 5 or on road, works well.

3 has both temperature and pressure alarms.

I had a look on eBay but can't find one similar any more.
Next time I'll get something like this:
Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!
AU$79.39 32%OFF | Deelife Car TPMS Android iOS Tire Pressure Monitoring System Spare Tyre Internal External Sensor BLE TMPS
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPv7Sy2

[Aussie Jeepster]

Curious about the app on your phone for engine/vehicle management?

[~Rich~]

It's Torque, used to be Torque (free) and Torque Pro ( paid)
On my Fortuner I could monitor torque converter and auto pan temperatures.
Also monitor DPF level and initiate manual burns.
I have an IIDTool but find it's a pain to setup what you want to monitor everytime.

[Disco4TT3]

Its only an eBay wired one.
Lasted 7yrs so far, apart from changing sensor batteries.
I like this one because:

1 its adjustable brightness makes it easy to see night and day.

2 it has options for 2 people in the car or 5.
I have 2 people set for off road pressures and 5 or on road, works well.

3 has both temperature and pressure alarms.

I had a look on eBay but can't find one similar any more.
Next time I'll get something like this:
Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out!
AU$79.39 32%OFF | Deelife Car TPMS Android iOS Tire Pressure Monitoring System Spare Tyre Internal External Sensor BLE TMPS
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPv7Sy2

yea the android ones are tempting but id need to get a new head unit, maybe that slick looking 'Tesla screen' - which I'm nervous about connecting to the CANbus... damn pessimism!

[~Rich~]

Just use an old Android phone as another display!

[~Rich~]

Tuff Ant rims and Nitto Ridge Grappler tyres
Just had my tyres and rims fitted.
Tyres are 265/65 R18, managed to get the spare to fit underneath as well after removing the heat shield.
Also yay or Nay to the side decal?
So many White D4's around.

[loanrangie]

Yes to the decal, breaks up the appliance look a bit [bigrolf].

[Tombie]

Tuff Ant rims and Nitto Ridge Grappler tyres
Just had my tyres and rims fitted.
Tyres are 265/65 R18, managed to get the spare to fit underneath as well after removing the heat shield.
Also yay or Nay to the side decal?
So many White D4's around.

I'd never trust the spare after a year or so with the heat shield missing... but hey, what would I know :)

[~Rich~]

I'd never trust the spare after a year or so with the heat shield missing... but hey, what would I know :)
I'll be rotating tyres regularly to share it. ;)
It's close to 80mm away from the exhaust!
That should be heaps of air space.

[goldey]

Was that spare with it deflated and the heat shield removed? I could only get min in fully deflated (kind of defeats the purpose of a spare if I forget the air compressor [bigsad]). I'm running Tuffants and 265/65R18s as well.

[loanrangie]

Was that spare with it deflated and the heat shield removed? I could only get min in fully deflated (kind of defeats the purpose of a spare if I forget the air compressor [bigsad]). I'm running Tuffants and 265/65R18s as well.

Same and i found it didn't help removing the shield on my D3, didn't gain anything.

[~Rich~]

Was that spare with it deflated and the heat shield removed? I could only get min in fully deflated (kind of defeats the purpose of a spare if I forget the air compressor [bigsad]). I'm running Tuffants and 265/65R18s as well.
Yep deflated to about 10psi.
Got a ARB compressor fitted 👍

[Tombie]

I'll be rotating tyres regularly to share it. ;)
It's close to 80mm away from the exhaust!
That should be heaps of air space.

Go for a decent drive on a hot day then shove your hand in there [bigrolf][biggrin]

[DazzaTD5]

I'll be rotating tyres regularly to share it. ;)
It's close to 80mm away from the exhaust!
That should be heaps of air space.

I can't see it being a problem, the end of the exhaust is never going to be that hot.
see how hot the road tyres and the road gets on a 45 deg day.

[~Rich~]

I've been installing PPF on 4WDs and caravans for about 18mths incl 2 new 300GR sports!
Applied as discussed with the owners, mostly both sides and sometimes bonnet and tailgates.
I first used it to fix my daughters Swift with the old yellow/dull headlights.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53719691606_592ccd2d71_w.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pR2sKq)

Bonnets can be tricky with deep recesses too.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53719902843_1c7709ce2b_w.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pR3xxr)

Wheel arches require stretching.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53719471809_9d7ed1df8a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pR1kpP)

Vents are easily removed for installation of PPF.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53719471959_f4ebb808c7_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pR1ksp)

Gloss level is fantastic, the PPF is actually thicker than the paint!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53719471824_73e33dd9c0_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pR1kq5)
Door handles and some lettering are templated and cut around.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53709029876_8d7a6eb15d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pQ5Pou)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53719926693_1ce545815a_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pR3ECD)

I've taken vehicles down overgrown Lantana tracks with the PPF on and after a bit of sunlight the scratches disappear, mud falls off easily! Love the stuff.
I'll be doing both sides, bonnet and front of the roof on the D4.

[~Rich~]

I found the standard high beam is pretty poor in the D4 compared with my last vehicle.
Didn't want to fork out heaps for Driving Light brackets as well as the lights themselves.
Searched Stedi and found these replacements for the Fog lights which I never use.
STEDI™ Boost Integrated LED Driving Lights For Type-A Fogs (https://www.stedi.com.au/boost-integrated-driving-light-to-suit-type-a-fogs.html)

I've fitted them yesterday and found that there are 2 wires for the DRL part of the light.
One connects up to turn on the DRL and the other connects to the indicator so it turns off when the indicator is on.
I didn't like this feature as it flashes alternatively with the blinker so I disconnected that wire to just keep on with the DRLs.

I know that they won't be as good as larger spotties but I'm sure they will be better than the standard High beam.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53774543751_e2b988005e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pVSAo4)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53774543761_1bde13267d_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pVSAoe)

[veebs]

I know that they won't be as good as larger spotties but I'm sure they will be better than the standard High beam.

Keen to hear your experiences with these - they had caught my eye previously, but the lack of real-world experience/review has steered me clear to date...

[RANDLOVER]

I'll be rotating tyres regularly to share it. ;)
It's close to 80mm away from the exhaust!
That should be heaps of air space.

I think it'll be fine as my heat shield is half worn away from dragging on the middle hump on tracks, or all the sand and stones from the dirt roads I drive have sand blasted it away, and I recently had to put the spare on, it looked okay and didn't give any trouble for the week or so I had it on the front axle, with quite a bit of freeway driving, it has been under there for years as I don't bother rotating the tyres due to the back ones being noisy from new.

[RANDLOVER]

I found the standard high beam is pretty poor in the D4 compared with my last vehicle.
Didn't want to fork out heaps for Driving Light brackets as well as the lights themselves.
Searched Stedi and found these replacements for the Fog lights which I never use.
STEDI™ Boost Integrated LED Driving Lights For Type-A Fogs (https://www.stedi.com.au/boost-integrated-driving-light-to-suit-type-a-fogs.html)

I've fitted them yesterday and found that there are 2 wires for the DRL part of the light.
One connects up to turn on the DRL and the other connects to the indicator so it turns off when the indicator is on.
I didn't like this feature as it flashes alternatively with the blinker so I disconnected that wire to just keep on with the DRLs.

I know that they won't be as good as larger spotties but I'm sure they will be better than the standard High beam.

They should punch out in front of the high beam as the spec's look similar to the Great White spotties that I have on my D3 in the same position, they don't seem to make them anymore but IIRC mine were 1 lux at 333m vs your 1 lux at 327m.

[Tombie]

They should punch out in front of the high beam as the spec's look similar to the Great White spotties that I have on my D3 in the same position, they don't seem to make them anymore but IIRC mine were 1 lux at 333m vs your 1 lux at 327m.


Recommended Lux levels for safe driving are ~20-30 lux... 1 lux is enough to barely read a newspaper (its less than moonlight on a clear night)

When choosing driving lights it pays to consider what level of lighting is needed to see beyond the reaction / braking distances.
Given it takes 3.27 seconds to cross 100 mtrs @ 110km/h and that is the cut off point for 27.5 lux on these units you'd be easily out-driving them on the highway.

Good at slower speeds for sure!

[John_D4]

In comparison, 1 lux is about a good push bike light

[DiscoJeffster]

In comparison, 1 lux is about a good push bike light

Not on my bikes and the speed I went at. I was running a 1700 lumen light to light up the trails on the mountain bike at night.

[RANDLOVER]

Recommended Lux levels for safe driving are ~20-30 lux... 1 lux is enough to barely read a newspaper (its less than moonlight on a clear night)

When choosing driving lights it pays to consider what level of lighting is needed to see beyond the reaction / braking distances.
Given it takes 3.27 seconds to cross 100 mtrs @ 110km/h and that is the cut off point for 27.5 lux on these units you'd be easily out-driving them on the highway.

Good at slower speeds for sure!

Mine are for lower speeds mainly as I live in the burbs and when I return home from a drive in the bush in the evenings, there are still lots of cars around and I can hardly use the high beam never mind the spotties. Just this weekend I had some panicky person in a hatch back flashing their brights just because they could see my spots over the hills and must be deathly afraid of being blinded were I to crest with them still on!

Yes, for a long time I've wondered how far I can see a kangaroo at night, but it is such a drama to find out, 1st catching a kangaroo, then tying it to a suitable tree or fence post, then pacing out the light beam length, then releasing the roo, (it is not going to be happy), then running away from the roo.[biggrin]

Conversely, I have a theory that the roos, cows, etc see me coming a lot sooner now with the spotties and move out the way as I've had a lot fewer sightings since getting the spotties, the last being as I crested a hill, when two roos were in the road but looking the wrong way.

[John_D4]

Mine are for lower speeds mainly as I live in the burbs and when I return home from a drive in the bush in the evenings, there are still lots of cars around and I can hardly use the high beam never mind the spotties. Just this weekend I had some panicky person in a hatch back flashing their brights just because they could see my spots over the hills and must be deathly afraid of being blinded were I to crest with them still on!

Yes, for a long time I've wondered how far I can see a kangaroo at night, but it is such a drama to find out, 1st catching a kangaroo, then tying it to a suitable tree or fence post, then pacing out the light beam length, then releasing the roo, (it is not going to be happy), then running away from the roo.[biggrin]

Conversely, I have a theory that the roos, cows, etc see me coming a lot sooner now with the spotties and move out the way as I've had a lot fewer sightings since getting the spotties, the last being as I crested a hill, when two roos were in the road but looking the wrong way.

The other way of looking at it is:

The said kangaroo can’t hear your motor but sees your spotlights and thinks ‘oh wow the sun is coming up early today, I might hang around on the side of the road and eat grass for a bit longer’!

[Graeme]

Then there are the ones that hide in the bushes then jump out because you're getting too close and that the well-lit path across is clear.

A wild goat decided to race out of the scrub to beat me to get across the road, but then realising that it wasn't going to make it, skidded on all 4 legs as it emergency braked whilst turning alongisde. It would be good if roos did the same.

[Tombie]

Mine are for lower speeds mainly as I live in the burbs and when I return home from a drive in the bush in the evenings, there are still lots of cars around and I can hardly use the high beam never mind the spotties. Just this weekend I had some panicky person in a hatch back flashing their brights just because they could see my spots over the hills and must be deathly afraid of being blinded were I to crest with them still on!

Yes, for a long time I've wondered how far I can see a kangaroo at night, but it is such a drama to find out, 1st catching a kangaroo, then tying it to a suitable tree or fence post, then pacing out the light beam length, then releasing the roo, (it is not going to be happy), then running away from the roo.[biggrin]

Conversely, I have a theory that the roos, cows, etc see me coming a lot sooner now with the spotties and move out the way as I've had a lot fewer sightings since getting the spotties, the last being as I crested a hill, when two roos were in the road but looking the wrong way.

Haha

Can make it easy for you - come over this way for a visit. Drive at Dusk onwards...

Pretty confident a test subject or two will present for you. [bigwhistle]

[~Rich~]

I found the standard high beam is pretty poor in the D4 compared with my last vehicle.
Didn't want to fork out heaps for Driving Light brackets as well as the lights themselves.
Searched Stedi and found these replacements for the Fog lights which I never use.
STEDI™ Boost Integrated LED Driving Lights For Type-A Fogs (https://www.stedi.com.au/boost-integrated-driving-light-to-suit-type-a-fogs.html)

I've fitted them yesterday and found that there are 2 wires for the DRL part of the light.
One connects up to turn on the DRL and the other connects to the indicator so it turns off when the indicator is on.
I didn't like this feature as it flashes alternatively with the blinker so I disconnected that wire to just keep on with the DRLs.

I know that they won't be as good as larger spotties but I'm sure they will be better than the standard High beam.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53774543751_e2b988005e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pVSAo4)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53774543761_1bde13267d_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2pVSAoe)

So after my trip I can say that while they do improve the standard highbeam they are not a alternative to proper driving lights.
Tombie my son hit of all the animals a goat! During the day at 2pm under blue skys. Goats are normally smarter than that. Ripped off 1/3 of the bumper but at least the 4wd was still drivable.

[Arapiles]

In comparison, 1 lux is about a good push bike light


My StVZo compliant bike lights are between 70 and 100 lux.

[loanrangie]

So after my trip I can say that while they do improve the standard highbeam they are not a alternative to proper driving lights.
Tombie my son hit of all the animals a goat! During the day at 2pm under blue skys. Goats are normally smarter than that. Ripped off 1/3 of the bumper but at least the 4wd was still drivable.

Who doesn't like a good goat curry [thumbsupbig].