Thread: Thinking about getting into a Discovery Sport

Originally Posted by Mamil

I've just bought some 17" Style '105' wheels off Gumtree to keep as a spare set for off-roading.

Brilliant idea. Changing four wheels over is a bit of a chore, but if you’re otherwise running 19 or 20 then pretty much necessary for going off road.

What tyres are you going to run?

Originally Posted by TB

Brilliant idea. Changing four wheels over is a bit of a chore, but if you’re otherwise running 19 or 20 then pretty much necessary for going off road.

What tyres are you going to run?

I tried the new wheels on Saturday and was actually surprised how quick it was to swap them over. Using a trolley jack makes it so much easier as you can change two wheels at a time, and you don't have to wind that stupid little scissor jack up and down! I also took the front valence off at the same time to expose the front recovery point, and removed the small plastic air deflectors in front of the front wheels as I was afraid they'd rip off if I ended up to the axles in the sand! I'd expect to get the whole operation down to about twenty minutes with some practice - not quite up to the standard of the F1 teams in the pits, but not bad for an amateur

Haven't decided which tyres to fit to the 17" rims yet, and have been following your progress with interest. I'm thinking along the lines of a 245/65 R17 as that'll give me 4% increase in width and 13% increase in sidewall height, with only a 1.5% increase in overall diameter compared to my current wheels. The BFG A/T K02, General Grabber AT3, and Bridgestone Dueler A/T all come in this size, but are pricey. But the benefit of having a separate set of wheels just for bashing around at the weekend is you don't have to drive around on the tyres the rest of time, so can go for one of the cheaper brands and not worry about wear/noise/drag/speed rating etc. So, I'd be interested if anyone has any suggestions of cheap and cheerful A/Ts that come in my size?

Originally Posted by BrianElloy

g'day Guthrie -sorry to hear that mate!

I didn't bother. not enough car for the $ IMO. stick with a Disco if that is what you're used to. If you were coming from a freelander then I'd say check it out, but coming from a Disco4 (and mine's a V8) they are an absolute world apart. Good deals new (and slightly used) on D4's ATM.

best of luck

I went from D3 V8 HSE to a Disco Sport HSE TD4. Both cars are great cars. What decided things for me was the cost of running the D3 was getting too high to be sustainable for me.

The DS is quite different, though it is quite spacious. My kids - from 15-21 - reckon there's at least as much legroom as the D3. The car is quite powerful, though in a different way to the D3. The V8 had power that just kept on going...I loved it! But the DS has good power at the speeds I normally drive. Overtakes easily. Tows my caravan easily. And running costs are significantly lower. And it's a great car to drive.

Originally Posted by Mamil

I'm thinking along the lines of a 245/65 R17 as that'll give me 4% increase in width and 13% increase in sidewall height, with only a 1.5% increase in overall diameter compared to my current wheels. The BFG A/T K02, General Grabber AT3, and Bridgestone Dueler A/T all come in this size, but are pricey. But the benefit of having a separate set of wheels just for bashing around at the weekend is you don't have to drive around on the tyres the rest of time, so can go for one of the cheaper brands and not worry about wear/noise/drag/speed rating etc. So, I'd be interested if anyone has any suggestions of cheap and cheerful A/Ts that come in my size?

Have since found these online Goodride SL369 SUV OFF-ROAD 245/65R17 107S Tyres - Buy Online Price $166 Good price, and seem to have good reviews. Anyone got any comments good or bad.....?

Originally Posted by guthrie

Sorry if you posted this somewhere.... but what 17 inch rim did you get (current brochures show a five spoke "522" or ten spoke "105")?

Also what size tyre do the 17"s come with?

They are 5 spoke "522" with 235/65R17 tyres.

Originally Posted by willem

I went from D3 V8 HSE to a Disco Sport HSE TD4. Both cars are great cars. What decided things for me was the cost of running the D3 was getting too high to be sustainable for me.

The DS is quite different, though it is quite spacious. My kids - from 15-21 - reckon there's at least as much legroom as the D3. The car is quite powerful, though in a different way to the D3. The V8 had power that just kept on going...I loved it! But the DS has good power at the speeds I normally drive. Overtakes easily. Tows my caravan easily. And running costs are significantly lower. And it's a great car to drive.

When you say the cost of running the D3 was unsustainable. What context do you mean?

I’m curious, because laying down the coin on a shiny DS is a significant outlay as opposed to fixing a free hold vehicle.

Certainly very different vehicles and I agree both very nice in their own way.

Originally Posted by Tombie

When you say the cost of running the D3 was unsustainable. What context do you mean?

I’m curious, because laying down the coin on a shiny DS is a significant outlay as opposed to fixing a free hold vehicle.

Certainly very different vehicles and I agree both very nice in their own way.

Willem might be along later but he bought both his D3 and DS as repairable write offs for a very low cost. We bought the D3 from him and paid the same low price that he paid several years ago, including getting it repaired, so the capital cost was effectively zero for the D3. Hence, he is only worried about running costs.

Originally Posted by Tombie

When you say the cost of running the D3 was unsustainable. What context do you mean?

I’m curious, because laying down the coin on a shiny DS is a significant outlay as opposed to fixing a free hold vehicle.

Certainly very different vehicles and I agree both very nice in their own way.

We do a lot of kilometres every year, and the D3 had 210 000 on it. Eventually things wear out, and with a big and complex car like the D3 the costs are big and complex. It was still a great car, and for someone not doing as many kms as us - about 30 000 kms per year - it will still be a great car. We really liked the car and when Bob drove it away it was quite a wrench.

It has proved to be the right decision. Both our fuel costs and our maintenance costs in the DS are down considerably, enough to cover the cost of purchasing the newer car. We drove from Geelong to Warrnambool and back today, all up about 450 kms - a grandson's birthday! - and the fuel costs were less than half that of the D3. Over the thirty thousand kms we do every year that adds up!

So we were very happy with the D3, and it was the right car for the family for the three years that we had it, and now we are very happy with the Disco Sport.