A couple of questions from a new owner..

[WasabiPimpNinja]

Hi Guys,
I've been lurking around here for a while and have finally purchased my own P38, so I thought i'd say hello and ask a few questions.

The car I've bought is a 2000 HSE 4.6 with about 160,000kms on the clock. The EAS is still intact and the valve block was just replaced by the previous owner. It's seen very little off road work other than the odd gravel road by the look of things.

Question 1: It currently has the 18" Hurricane rims on it with stock size Continental tyres (255/55/R18). I'm looking at replacing these with an AT tyre and was wondering which tyres and sizes people had used without much fuss. The car is mainly going to be a tourer/camper with a look to make it more capable in the future. Ultimately I will be purchasing some 16" rims for an MT tyre to switch to when we go out to play in the hard stuff, but just looking for something to keep me happy on and off road till then.

Question 2: As I said, I'm looking for some modifications to make it more capable off road. As far as I've read, it appears a set of Arnotts Gen3 airbags and maybe some spacers will acheive enough lift to fit a 33" tyre, and supply enough articulation to conquer most obstacles without too much rub. Are there any other modifications people would or wouldnt reccommend for this kind of driving?

Question 3: Being fairly mechanically minded I have no issues jumping in a fixing up a few things when they go wrong. Can anyone give me some advice on special tools I should get or certain things to look out for before things start to go wrong? Basically an "Essential P38 Owners Kit"

I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions along the way and I look forward to your replies.


Cheers,
Keelan.

[LavisLane]

I'll be interested to see the replies on the wheels.

On the "Essential P38 Owners Kit" i'd start with a cordless electric screwdriver - so many screws, so little time... This is the tool i use the most. Next would be a the soldering iron, jack, wheel stands, socket set, spanner set, emergency EAS kit for airbags. Replace the tire iron with something stronger - the stock one is crap. So many more things to add from the regulars. Just my 2 cents as a starter...

Dave

[Junosi]

Replace the tire iron with something stronger - the stock one is crap.

Completely agree, I bent mine into a pretzel the first time I used it

1. As for wheels/tyres, mine had 22" 'bling' wheels on it when I bought it. I removed them almost almost immediately and put 16" rims on, the choices for 16" tyres are vast and easy to replace when you have to, whereas 18" is a much more difficult size - probably stuff you already know but worth mentioning. I put four new BFG 265/70 R16 AT KO's on mine, which I'm fairly sure is the largest/tallest you can go to without modification - even with those I had to remove the front mudflap things.

2. You might be interested in http://www.carrollrovers.com/fast_flex.htm too if you're planning on doing some heavy duty flexing.

3. Essentials tools - I'd suggest the EAS unlock software and make up your own EAS cord too. Put the EAS software on a cheap laptop with a copy of RAVE on it. An elmscan 327 is small, cheap and pretty handy too for seeing your engine obd figures (just engine though, no other info) or spring for the complete blackbox/rovacom software.

[Hoges]

Essential tool #1 is....knowledge
study Range Rovers and scroll down the page to "Common Problems and fixes" re. the 4.0/4.6 (= P38)
RangeRovers.net • Index page provides all sorts of stuff re. P38 and a whole section on "Diagnostics"
Once you have the "knowledge" you can then work out what (other) tools you need.

[parasnoop67]

An EAS buddy box is a very handy bit of gear when the EAS fault sign appears. Had to use mine a few times yet my suspension normally behaves quite well. Only takes around 1 minute to put it on and put it away after.

[wayneg]

one little essential is a 6mm air hose straight connector, This can easily fix any punctures to the airlines running around the car. Are we going to see you out with the WA group trips? I always carry a laptop with EAS software and connector, so far not needed .

[WasabiPimpNinja]

Thanks for all the replies, I've made some head way in working out what I'm doing.

Firstly, tyres. I thought this was going to be a hard decision to make given all the factors, but luckily a friend has come to the rescue. The tyres I'll be running will be Maxxis BigHorns in a 275/65R18. Although a large tyre, I think they should fit based on peoples experience running 285/60R18 without issue. They will be the equivelant of ~ 32". The main reason for these tyres is 1) They're cheap through my mate 2) I had BigHorns on my Sierra and loved them, 3) Although I didnt initially want an 18" MT, it's going to work out a lot cheaper easier than running two sets of rims and tyres.

I have downloaded the EAS software and will look at soldering up a cable to have a play and see how it works. It looks like I will have to ressurect one of my old laptops to turn it into an emergency Rover tool... It's all a bit different, this is only the 3rd behicle I've ever had with EFI let alone more than one ECU :P

Hopefully the Arnotts GenIII bags will be on their way shortly. Where is the best place to purchase these from? Direct from Arnotts or is there an Australian supplier/dealer? Once these are ordered and in, I'll pump a little bit of extra height into the system to make sure the BigHorns clear.

I've also looked into the swaybar disconnects and I'm pretty sure my suspension guy does a generic kit that will work out just fine. Just have to get some measurements to make sure...

As for heading out for a WA group trip, I cant see why not. I'll wait till I have the car sorted out how I want it, and then it's on Unfortunately my work has me rostered on a lot of weekends, but I'm sure something will be worked out. I'll be taking the car to Albany in a couple of weeks and am keen to take it out for quick fourby with the boys while I'm down there.

So it's all progressing slowly but surely... I'll be sure to keep everyone updated..

[Junosi]

The tyres I'll be running will be Maxxis BigHorns in a 275/65R18. Although a large tyre, I think they should fit based on peoples experience running 285/60R18 without issue.

I'd be surprised if they don't rub without some modification. 275/65R18 is 10.4% taller than standard height whereas the 285/60r18's are only 8.3% taller (that's not looking at the increased width either). Or another way is diameter of 813mm(275/65) vs 799mm(285/60) vs 738mm(stock).

I think at the very least you'll need to remove front mudflaps. Check for rubbing in rear well at full articulation too.

re. arnotts - from my investigations so far direct from Arnotts looks cheapest

[parasnoop67]

My off road rubber is Goodyear Wrangler MTR's in 245-75-16.

These touch on the front mudflaps quite easily but with the suspension set on high they aren't a problem off road. They are ok just at low highway setting, touching over driveways etc with a bit of lock on.
They are excellent apart from that, good on any surface I've been on. (not sand yet)

[WasabiPimpNinja]

I'd be surprised if they don't rub without some modification. 275/65R18 is 10.4% taller than standard height whereas the 285/60r18's are only 8.3% taller (that's not looking at the increased width either). Or another way is diameter of 813mm(275/65) vs 799mm(285/60) vs 738mm(stock).

I think at the very least you'll need to remove front mudflaps. Check for rubbing in rear well at full articulation too.

Between the 285's and the 275's there is a total difference of around 16mm over the whole set up, this is only ~8mm per sidewall and shouldnt cause too much drama. I've heard most of the rub issues are due to being at full lock during full articulation, so more of a problem with width than height. And with the 275's obviously being skinnier than the 285's, I think it will work in my favour.

As for taking off the front mud guards, I've heard a lot of people have to do this with tyres much smaller than I'm thinking of using so I had kind of already planned for it. Possibly some inner guard trimming as well. I may also think about relocating the air intake to somewhere a bit higher and more protected, given that I may have to chop up the splash guard that covers the intake when trimming the guards.

Ah well, I'll work it all out when they're on there and it's flexing