Thread: Trip through SA, WA, NT & NSW with new D4

I have had the Hankook ATM (RF10) 255/55R19 on for over 26000km now and 9000km of that was towing the caravan.
I am still very happy with them.

Originally Posted by LRD414

Not sure how you'll get another 15k if the tyres are that bad
Cheers,
Scott

The back two tyres have only done about 4,000 kms and are in really good shape, so I was hoping to rotate them with the spare to get the 15k's out of the lot.

Originally Posted by NTB

I have had the Hankook ATM (RF10) 255/55R19

Thanks - an interesting option. Tread looks robust as well.

Peter

Sounds like you had a great trip!

We got our D4 earlier this year and took it to Birdsville for the Big Red Bash with our camper on tow. Same as you - we are impressed with the power the new engine has - and our D3 was no slouch either!!

Unlike you I was not gane enough to take the OEM tyres to Birdsville and got a set of Hankooks (which worked a treat!). Given that the OEMs only had 4.5 thousand on them when I bought the Hankooks, I have put them back on after returning from our trip and am wearing them out now. Tried selling them, but no takers..

Originally Posted by theins

... Tried selling them, but no takers..

If I had known you were selling them, I could have bought one from you while in Alice Springs - maybe for less than $517

Peter.
Can you expand on the "critically low" oil warning please.
When or how did you get the warning,ie startup???
Cheers
Andrew

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Peter.
Can you expand on the "critically low" oil warning please.
Andrew

Sure Andrew - here is an account of what happened. Hope it doesn't bore you!

We were camping at Yulara N.T. and had to make a 450 km dash to Alice Springs to get to a caravan repairer by 12 noon the next day. We left early in the morning - about 6.00am and saw the sun rise over Mt Connor, listening to a Wilbur Smith audio book, the Discovery just silently cruising along the Lasseter Hwy pulling the van at about 95 kph - we were in a "peaceful easy feeling" sort of mood
Then just past Curtin Springs which was about 130 kms into our journey, I glanced at the instrument panel and saw a red triangle with the "Critically low oil" message under it - heart went thump .
At that time the Discovery had done 17,000 kms since we picked it up new in late May and nearly all of those kms was pulling a > 3t van; going down some horrific tracks and 4wding on beaches, up mountains and down side tracks off the Nullabor - so I thought that the oil must have "evaporated" with all of that hard work
I pulled over, switched the engine off, let it sit for a moment, started it again and all was good - no message! However after about another 10 minutes it came up again - panic! Looking at the map, there was a Roadhouse about 50 kms further down the road - Mt. Ebenezer. It was only 7.30am, but if we drove slowly we would get there at about 8.00am when the Roadhouse opens. Got to the Roadhouse, it was just opening, went straight over to the oil stand - no 5W oil So I read the manual and it just about said that death would occur if you put in the wrong oil

In the end I thought that if I just put in 1 litre of 10W oil it would get me by - so I did. No "Critically Low oil" message. Drove another 56 kms to the next Roadhouse - Erldunda on the Stuart Hwy, bought another litre of 10W oil, rang the LandRover hotline who put me onto my dealer in Port Macquarie and he said it would be ok to put in 1 or 2 litres of 10W oil as long as I changed the oil fairly soon - but he was concerned that it happened at all even with the extreme conditions that the vehicle had been through. Was there a leak? I got under the vehicle and ran my hand under the sump area and was surprised how clean it was even after all what we went through! No leak!

I booked the Discovery in for an oil change and service in Alice Springs and told them about the "Critically low oil" message. They were not overly concerned and when I picked it up later that day there was nothing to report. I since learned from a service manager at the Tamworth LR dealership, that the gauge just measures the top 2 litres of oil in the reservoir. So even when it said "Critically low oil" there was still at least 3 litres of oil in the engine - so I am now sure that I didn't damage the engine by letting the oil get low .

Interesting story re the oil warning! It must have been a little heartstopping in the middle of nowhere .
However, I'd rather the messages were on the conservative side rather than the opposite, as happened in our Hilux in 2007 when the service mechanic left the sump plug untightened at Broome and we drove to Port Hedland with a steady drip following us all the way and arrived with very little left and absolutely no warning messages whatsoever from the car