Thread: Discovery 3 for towing advice

Originally Posted by ozscott

The S will only be Ok offroad with a lift...then you have potential accelerated CV wear like any other IS vehicle. And it doesnt simulate live axles like the air suspension does...another offroad negative....think Pajero. From memory the coiler does not have terrain response so it would need lockers to do the same tricks offroad....

Cheers

I too would vote for the air suspension and terrain responce models over a coiler, but a modified coiler is far more capable off road than most who have never owned one would think.

This repeated chat about extended use wearing out CV's is exaggerated, I know one bloke who has driven his 65 mm jacked coiler all over Australia's icon rough tracks several times each over a number of years and from memory the one thing he has not replaced is CV's.

Having said that if new CV's are required you can now buy aftermarket heavy duty replacements.

Cheers Terry.

A coiler V6 petrol with just rear diff lock and lift might be a nice compromise. Cheers

I did think of coiler a while ago instead of doing the 4.6 conversion and bibs and bobs on my D2...same cost! In the end i kept the D2 and the 4.6 is a great motor for towing but perhaps the coiler D3 is written off too easily. From memory there are a few owners of them on here...but lift is mandatory for most offroad stuff. Cheers

When the chance comes up for a decent D3 at a good price Scott grab one, you will not stop smiling and giggling like a young girl. ... that is apart from when service time comes around and you then get a chance to fix all the little and occasionally big things that went wrong since the last ten thousand kilometre service. ...

Cheers mate. Although i have my fair shair of mirth when the hi comp 4.6 is on song through the high flow exhaust!

Cheers

OzScott

Just to put towing with the disco into perspective for you.

My previous car was a 2000 P38 4.6V8. I loved it. Fantastic car. BUT.

It only has 4 speeds in the gearbox, so towing my 1.8t van was great on the flat, but crap up hills. Always in a gear too low or too high.

Changed over to a 2005 Disco TDV6. 2.7 diesel, 6 speed box. Absolutely the best tow vehicle by a country mile.

Tows my new 2.2t van up hills with no problems at all. It goes up Clyde Mtn with the van on as well as the P38 did without the lighter van.

Do it. You wont be dissapointed!

PS. The disco sounds pretty good under full throttle, though I agree, not as good as the V8.

Originally Posted by Journeytower

Thanks for your input. Yes I'm going the diesel, the Terracan is a good vehicle but just a little under powered. On paper the Disco 3 has quite significant more power & torque which should equate to easier & more economical towing. After writing off a caravan & very nice TD5 Discovery the first day of a 4 month trip at 75 kph & only travel at around 90 maximum, even without the van on. Enjoying the scenery.

Journeytower
We went from a 2.9 CRDI Terracan to the D3 2.7.
Honestly the motor in the D3 does not feel that much more powerful under normal driving with no real load probably because the D3 is a lot heavier, but 3 things are a real plus over the Terracan.
1. The gearbox (6 auto) is just magic especially when towing. It just gets the gears where the they should be.
2. The ride & stability is about 1000% better (air suspension)than a Terracan towing or not, &
3. Off road they are not even in the same game, the Terracan is OK, the D3 is awesome.
We loved our Terri but it wasn't a D3.


Jonesfam