Thread: Any Suggestion on Off Road Modification for Disco 4

Originally Posted by gghaggis

The whole article is probably pertinent, as long as one puts the comments regarding issues in the context of being 5 years old.

The number 1 mod for off-roading a D4 is a decent set of tyres (of which there are now more choices).

The number 2 would be more control of the height (of which there are now at least 2 choices).

Cheers,

Gordon

Gordon.
Most of us have the height under control,tyres in 19 inch are limited,in your vast experience where should we be looking until we can afford your rims???
Andrew

Just come home from a four month trip around Central Queensland, Cape York and a double crossing of the Simpson Desert including East & West Macdonnell Ranges.
What issues did I have to manage.

Replaced a engine battery in Alice Springs.

EAS compressor failed two weeks from the end. Would have caused a major inconvenience if a didn't have one of Gorden's Air Up Kits installed. Was a matter of pulling fuse and re-inflating individual air shocks by tyre air compressor. Was fully loaded so helped air compressor by using a high lift jack to take some weight of the corners while inflating to what I thought was off road height by using a tape measure at each wheel arch to wheel centre. As the wife and I were travelling most of the last section by ourselves I didn't want to compound the situation by burning out my tyre air compressor. Adjusted height depending whether i needed off road or normal height. Finished the trip including a west to east crossing on the French Line across the Simpson Desert.

Picked up a 4 inch nail as we drove into Charleville, pulled it out then inserted a plug...easy repair.

So in my case the essential items I needed were:
1. GOE Air Up Kit (large) i.e. don't leave home with out it installed and tested, would not want to be plumbing either kit in on the side of a track!
2. Decent air compressor ( at least to 150psi) for both tyres and EAS.
3. High lift jack. Had a exhaust jack as well but can't beat a high lift for speed. Could do both fronts and backs air shocks re-inflate with a single lift at the front then back.
4. Tyre repair kit.

Didn't use a code reader, but it'll be my next purchase. Might be able to retire my 13mm spanner from hard reset duties.

Oh, just another thought, if your travel companions are in a overloaded BT50 extra cab ute, take a dozen or so 2.5mm welding rods, steel plate and heavy jumper leads so you can do a chassis repair whilst in the desert. Saved him a expensive call out from Birdsville and only took 3 hours to plate and weld both sides. Made him cut up his own beatifully made drop down frig slides for the plate and use his own batteries x2 for the weld. Was told to bring some off cut steel plates with him before he left, but he was in a bit of denial about the the high possibility of damaging his chassis. He ended up having to head home via the Plenty Highway instead of returning by the French Line.

Cheers
Peter

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Gordon.
Most of us have the height under control,tyres in 19 inch are limited,in your vast experience where should we be looking until we can afford your rims???
Andrew

Certainly in WA, the Hankook ATM RF-10's are the best value with a reasonably strong construction. I have them on both the Sport and the D4, although they're just starting to drone a little on the Sport (could be my poor alignment though, which I've just rectified).

Cheers,

Gordon

The Nitto Terra Graplers that I have on D4's 20" rims after 30,000 k's are now starting to drone Gordon, how many k's do you have on the Hankooks?

Originally Posted by TerryO

The Nitto Terra Graplers that I have on D4's 20" rims after 30,000 k's are now starting to drone Gordon, how many k's do you have on the Hankooks?

Only around 15000, but as I mentioned, my alignment has been out for a while, so I suspect it's taken its toll on the (front) tyres. I'll monitor the D4 for a while and see how they wear on that - so far only 3200 km!

Cheers,

Gordon

When you swap them Gordon try them on the opposite sides.Should help with evening the wear on the tread blocks by running them backwards,this should quieten them down
Andrew

Originally Posted by gghaggis

The radius of curvature is greater for a larger rim, so for the same profile, a larger rim will give a greater footprint. As most larger rims are fitted with lower profiles, you start to trade that off, but the difference is nowhere near what most people think. The real issue is how much more vulnerable the larger rim + tyre is when you air down a low profile tyre.

With respect to power and torque to weight, the D4 SDV6 has a 50% (power to weight) and 20% (torque to weight) advantage over a standard D90, which is considerable.

Cheers,

Gordon

Thanks for sharing the experience. I will try to get hold 18" compomotive rim with 50% AT tyres. One question, will Land Rover void the warranty if I fit the height sensor rods and Liam's?

Cheers,

Gary

Gary,

Your warranty can only be voided by an aftermarket accessory if it can be proven that the accessory caused or contributed to the fault. Also, you would not typically fit aftermarket height sensor rods and Llams. It's more of an either/or proposition, with each having pros and cons.

Cheers,
Scott