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Thread: 2014 Range Rover Tyres and Suspension for Australian conditions.

  1. #1
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    2014 Range Rover Tyres and Suspension for Australian conditions.

    Hi everyone,

    I have a problem. I want to buy the new Vogue. I love ALMOST everything about the new Vogue diesel V8 but can't seem to get my head around a couple of things that make me question it's suitability for Australian conditions. I'm hoping that if I explain where and how I intend using it some of you more experienced Range Rover owners might be able to throw some light on the validity of my concerns.


    My context and declaration of bias:

    Firstly, I live in country/state where Toyota reigns supreme. There are dealerships in pretty much every remote town and every second car you pass on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere is a Toyota. I myself currently own the last of the 100 Series diesel Landcruiser Sahara's and have done 200,000km of motoring without any spend outside of the scheduled servicing and tyres etc. In a nutshell, my Toyota has been incredibly reliable and I've driven into the middle of nowhere knowing that if something did fail I could probably have it repaired in the next closest town where it's likely that they would have parts on hand. On the other hand, Range Rover dealers are pretty thin on the ground outside of Perth AND Land Rover vehicles actually have a big reputation for being unreliable

    Now, I know that there will be some of you ready (and able) to jump to the defence of the claimed reliability issues that are causing me concern (in truth I want to be persuaded otherwise) I really want to hear from you so hit me with as much as you can tell me here. I know that although my own Toyota hasn't had any problems, Toyotas aren't without fault. I also know through reading endless reviews that many are claiming that the Land Rover reliability issues of the past have seem to be resolved in the current suite of Land Rover models. Is this actually the case? I also know that if I did buy a new 200 series Land Cruiser and it failed it's likely that it would have to be put on a flatbed truck and carried away like any other highly computerised new car. I have also heard that the fine print on the roadside assist offered by Land Rover has also changed and is not as good as before.

    My usage pattern: 80% of the year the car is my daily runner - although this only represents about between 30% - 40% of the actual kilometres that I do. The rest of the kilometres are clocked up touring this vast country (towing an offroad camper trailer) - mostly on sealed roads but often (about 10%) on a combination of gravel and sand surfaces. Our unsealed gravel roads are often long and arduous and almost always have very long stretches of corrugation. The driving surfaces are often rough - covered with sharp gravel or rock and are the most common cause of tyre failure. It's the effect of corrugations and road service on the Vogues suspension and tyres that make me most nervous. Experienced drivers in the outback mitigate their risk of suspension and tyre failure by using suitable large(ish) profile AT's that they can deflate just enough on the rough stuff so the tyres themselves absorb much of the impact that would ordinarily carry through to the suspension on a car where the tyres are fully inflated.

    It appears that I can't get the Vogue with rims smaller than 20 inch. The dealer also told me yesterday that there is an after market 19 inch rim available for sale but that by using these I'd loose my warranty on related parts of the car.

    All of the following links point to reviews that generally rave about the Range Rover. However, every single one of them has something in common - in their testing or usage, ALL of them did a tyre (or two) and a couple of them blew out their rear suspension/shock absorbers

    Range Rover Vogue SE TDV6 (2014) long-term test review | Road Testing Reviews | Car Magazine Online

    Range Rover Review | 2013 Vogue SE SDV8 Off-Road | The Motor Report

    Range Rover Vogue TDV6 Outback Review

    Drive - 2013 Range Rover Review

    Gibb River Rd

    I'm trying my best to convince myself that the V8 diesel Vogue would be suitable to do the driving I like to do. Has anyone with a Range Rover used it in a way similar to way I intend using it. If so, I'd love to get your points of view. Thank you in advance.

  2. #2
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    They are an absolutely awesome car I would love one!! I've got a new Discovery 4 and love it just eats up the dirt roads great so I'm sure of you got the new Vogue and only had 20" tyres you could put the Cooper Zeons on. As with all new Land Rovers since 2010 tata has taken over spent an absolute fortune and it's really starting to show the reliability issues are long gone they are great cars and you won't regret one.

  3. #3
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    Look up "GregMilner" for some of his posts on his travels up North with his fairly new Range Rover.

  4. #4
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    Thanks for that reassurance and info - now off to hunt down posts from someone who sounds as though he's using the car for exactly the same things I intend using it for.

  5. #5
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    Thanks cripesamighty.

    I found Greg's blog post and it was the same post as I linked to in my opening comments. Greg's experience is one of the reasons that makes me shake with fear about buying a Rangie - especially now that the smallest rims that can be fitted on the SDV8 are 20 inch.

    The guys in the Drive Vogue outback review also had the same problem with the stock shockies on the SDV8 they were testing.

    I've done the Gibb and Mitchell Falls in both a mid 90's Pajero and my 100 series Land cruiser - no issues with either of them. I guess that I could get the V6 with 19 inch options but I test drove both and enjoyed the V8 much more.

    Do you know if there are any aftermarket shocks that can be fitted to the Rangie that are better than stock, or more specifically, designed specifically for our kind of corrugated roads. I totally understand that the shockies that come stock are part of the well thought through engineering package that gives the Rangie its perfect ride and handling package for sealed roads - where it is most used. If I was able to do a temporary shockie swap I'd probably be less inclined to worry about the suspension.

    Cheers

  6. #6
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    If there's a base model that doesn't have the CVD shocks then they would be expected to fit but you'd want to at least unplug the current shocks first to see to what extent and in what way the CVD ecu objects. Alternatively remove the CVD ecu's fuse to see in what way other systems react and if they pose an intollerable restriction.
    MY12 RRV 4.4 TDV8 AB, +LLAMS, +e-diff, +ACC stop/go. Produce LLAMS for LR/RR, Jeep GC/Dodge Ram
    VK2HFG and APRS W1 digi

  7. #7
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    Hi Graeme - I'm both a newbie and not super mechanical - though I do understand the basic engineering principles as they relate to the physics of the movement of a vehicle. I don't however have a knowledge base yet that allows me to fully understand what you're explaining...

    I think that what you are saying is there might be a shockie that they use on more basic models that would be more suitable for the type of use I'm describing. If there is, they should fit on the Vogue without too much drama but it could be that brain in the Vogue goes "Hang on, I don't recognise these new shockies" and potentially even worse it might say "bugger you, I'm not driving anywhere with those shockies on"

    Whats the CVD stand for?

  8. #8
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    CVD is LR's acronym for continuously variable dampers. The shocks are fitted with a solenoid operated bypass valve that is opened to varying degrees under ecu control depending on suspension movement frequency and extent utilising the height sensor signals to allow some oil flow through what LR calls the soft valve rather than all through the firm valve. My thoughts from the reported very smooth ride over bad surfaces for extended periods is that CVD is overworking the shocks and therefore plain old shocks may survive better, albeit likely not with the same smooth ride.

    The CVD ecu is effectively a separate ecu to the suspension ecu even though these days they occupy the same physical container probably because they now use the same height sensor signals. The earlier version used dual height sensors and distinct ecus. However as the ecus send messages to each other there is a possibility that one or more of the other systems may go into some sort of limp home mode.
    MY12 RRV 4.4 TDV8 AB, +LLAMS, +e-diff, +ACC stop/go. Produce LLAMS for LR/RR, Jeep GC/Dodge Ram
    VK2HFG and APRS W1 digi

  9. #9
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    Graeme, you are bloody guru. Thanks for that. I guess what I'm leaning towards is leaving the Vogue suspension as stock and acknowledging that the designers didn't really have Australian outback corrugations as part of their brief when they did the engineering. It does sound that our roads will push the car to its absolute limits. It isn't the end of the world I guess - probably means that sometimes the Rangie will stay garaged while the LC200 goes out for a play - which probably won't be that often given how much I reckon I'll want to be driving the Vogue.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ozjet View Post
    probably means that sometimes the Rangie will stay garaged while the LC200 goes out for a play
    You had better have a better 200 series than my brothers 6 month old Sahara TDV8 - its front suspension has already sagged and has never seen a corrugation.

    Garry
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    2007 Range Rover Sport TDV6
    1977 FC 101
    1976 Jaguar XJ12C
    1973 Haflinger AP700
    1971 Jaguar V12 E-Type Series 3 Roadster
    1957 Series 1 88"
    1957 Series 1 88" Station Wagon

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