Trip to the Cape, D4 prep advice

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Originally Posted by JGuestyBoy

Do you guys recommend sticking with the genuine replacements for the arms?

Do both the upper and lower arms need to be replaced?

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Originally Posted by meloyelo78

I see you're from Brisbane. Don't know if you've come across MR Automotive in Redcliffe, but they are Land Rover specialists, do excellent work and have been really helpful on a couple of occasions when I've phoned them from Back-of-Beyond with mechanical issues. I got them to do a pre-trip vehicle inspection before my Cape trip, and they offered advice on spares to carry. They even put together a basic spares kit - air filter, oil filter, brake light switch, pollen filter - on the basis of return it for free when you get back and only pay for what you use.

Cheers
Pete

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This is a good idea for everything, trip prep and a service, they will let you know if anything needs attention and the spares offer is great.

Just as an alternitive if you don't get the intercooler hose, get some hose repair tape, I carry 3 rolls just in case and if you only use it to get to help it's all good and worth it.

Silicone hoses should fix the issue of rubber hoses splitting. I am progressively replacing mine. Did the turbo and intercooler first.

Going to invest in a IIDTool BT for the trip.

It should allow me to adjust to a greater height during travel on the corrugations and provide a diagnostic tool in case something should happen.

What do you guys think?

The Disco is also booked in next week for the guys to go over all the points you have all made, fingers crossed for it to not be too much $$$!

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Originally Posted by JGuestyBoy

Going to invest in a IIDTool BT for the trip.

It should allow me to adjust to a greater height during travel on the corrugations and provide a diagnostic tool in case something should happen.

What do you guys think?

The Disco is also booked in next week for the guys to go over all the points you have all made, fingers crossed for it to not be too much $$$!

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I would say it costs what it costs... cheaper than recovering a vehicle from a remote area...

Make sure you upgrade your motoring organization membership to premium or whatever it is called to cover extended recovery.

No mention has been made of time of trip
If you just want to drive to seisia in July

A Hyundai Getz will do perfectly - by this July there will be only a few hundred km of dirt left of the PDR

If you want to drive the OTL in May , especially this May, after this wet
Trade in your D4 for something more MOG like

May 2017 after a pretty poor wet, we had to winch DOWN into palm creek.
The wagons in our convoy (200 and Pajero) bailed not wanting to drop 1m into 1m of mud before getting into palm before winching our the other side .....

But just two weeks later on our way south it was driveable


Timing is everything

Steve

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Originally Posted by JGuestyBoy

Hi,
Going on a 3 week trip to The Cape. Has anyone done it in a Disco4? What do you recommend doing to the Disco4 to ensure it makes it there and back? I'm told under guards are essential plus AT's? What else?

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My wife and I drove to the tip in July 2017 in our D4 MY13 SDV6 HSE towing a 2.5 ton off-road JB Caravan. The D4 is stock standard except for a Traxide dual battery system to power an Engel 24/7 and a new set of Maxxis 980 Bravo A/T tyres to give a bit more grip than the standard tyres. The Peninsula Development Road (PDR) condition was quite variable; from lengths of good bitumen to unsealed corrugations (the majority) with short areas of sand. If you go at appropriate speeds (slow) and change tyre pressures to suit conditions you should have no problems. For us, none of the water crossings did more than wet the tyres. The D4 performed magnificently giving no trouble at all. The caravan didn't fare quite so well, but survived well enough to be a comfortable home for us on the entire trip. We did not travel on the more severe stretches of the OTT out of deference to the caravan, but we did travel through Lakefield National Park and found the roads there no worse than the PDR and sometimes much better.

The trip to the tip was a part of a 24,000 km, 5 month lap of Oz. A very comfortable trip in the D4 and not a scrap of bother from the car.

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Originally Posted by StewG

My wife and I drove to the tip in July 2017 in our D4 MY13 SDV6 HSE towing a 2.5 ton off-road JB Caravan. The D4 is stock standard except for a Traxide dual battery system to power an Engel 24/7 and a new set of Maxxis 980 Bravo A/T tyres to give a bit more grip than the standard tyres. The Peninsula Development Road (PDR) condition was quite variable; from lengths of good bitumen to unsealed corrugations (the majority) with short areas of sand. If you go at appropriate speeds (slow) and change tyre pressures to suit conditions you should have no problems. For us, none of the water crossings did more than wet the tyres. The D4 performed magnificently giving no trouble at all. The caravan didn't fare quite so well, but survived well enough to be a comfortable home for us on the entire trip. We did not travel on the more severe stretches of the OTT out of deference to the caravan, but we did travel through Lakefield National Park and found the roads there no worse than the PDR and sometimes much better.

The trip to the tip was a part of a 24,000 km, 5 month lap of Oz. A very comfortable trip in the D4 and not a scrap of bother from the car.

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Where did you go after the Cape? We are about to start our own lap, so curious on your route.

Cheers!

I hope I've managed to attach 3 x mud maps.
went to the tip Aug and Sept 2017.
D4 towing AOR Quantum S4 off road van.
I used the uni filter over the snorkel inlet the air filter on our return was in dire need to be replaced. so would suggest spare air filter. Good AT tyres and two spares.
And of course tyre pressures 20 -25 front and 25-30 rear. A good way to test you're going at an acceptable speed is when your wobbley bits wobble the least. it was recommended for females to wear a sports bra.
didn't travel on the OTT too many flooded and written off.
Have a great trip.

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Originally Posted by jimbotron

Where did you go after the Cape? We are about to start our own lap, so curious on your route.

Cheers!

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hi Jim. Starting a 4 month trip to WA and back leaving April 28th. Attached our proposed route, subject to roads being open. solid blue line away dotted blue line return.
Bob.