Extended and Super Extended Height

[101RRS]

Over the past couple of days I have been doing some testing after installing LLAMS.

Doing that I needed to determine what the heights the car could achieve as the benchmark with no LLAMS fitted. Access onroad height is within specs, offload is about 5mm lower than advertised but basically OK. Like most people to get into extended I put a jack under the car and lowered it down forcing it to into extended mode. I was in offroad height and selected onroad and the dash indicated it went into extended mode - when I measured the height it was actually 5mm lower than offroad height. I then tried to go into super extended height but nothing happened.

Looking at this further this morning I put a block of wood under the car and lowered it to onroad but the wood was too short and the car did not touch it - lowering further to access height the car went into extended and lifted - measuring the height it was only at onroad height.

Now I always thought that when extended was engaged the car went to 35mm above onroad height but it seems that it only goes to 35mm higher than the height setting - so in the last test the height went to 35mm above access and my measurements seem to confirm this.

Is this other peoples understanding - also why can I not get into super extended?? anyone have any trouble getting to this height?? There is supposed to be a gong when the car accepts the command but what other display do you get that you are arrived at super extended height.

Thanks

Garry

[Mike_S]

You're not the only one, I've only once managed to get mine into super extended mode and that was by accident when on a 2 post lift. I've tried the block of wood trick several times when in extended mode, never once managed to get it into super extended by that method.

The time it went super extended on a lift, the damn thing was so high I couldn't reach the switch through the window to drop it down. Bit of an issue there as we couldn't open the doors to drop it down....

[Normthe1]

I was under the car last week trying to work out my coolant loss issues and being too lazy to get the jack out I used a milk crate to get it from off road to extended. When I got down to get back under the car I noticed no discernible difference in height got out to check. The display definitely said Extended Mode so I put it down to access and back to off road and then to extended but I was buggered if I could see any difference.

I didn't have anything to accurately measure it with but put it down to the car not being warm and not having enough time to get enough air into the shocks...

Bit of a disappointment really...

[camel_landy]

Foot on the brake and hold the suspension 'up' until the gong... That should put you into super extended from extended.

However, IIRC, there are certain circumstances when the car enters extended mode and it is essentially in super extended mode. Therefore, it isn't able to go any further.

...unfortunately, I can't remember what those circumstances are!!

M

[Graeme]

Now I always thought that when extended was engaged the car went to 35mm above onroad height but it seems that it only goes to 35mm higher than the height setting - so in the last test the height went to 35mm above access and my measurements seem to confirm this.

The WSM indicates that extended mode is automatically provided in any height mode rather than only off-road mode and your findings seem to support this.

The WSM also states that the extra lift when in extended mode only applies to later software, so perhaps your vehicle's suspension ecu software is too early for this feature.

[101RRS]

The WSM also states that the extra lift when in extended mode only applies to later software, so perhaps your vehicle's suspension ecu software is too early for this feature.

Didn't know that - the handbook certainly has it listed as a feature - but then it also says I supposedly have folding mirrors but I do not. Interestingly it also says that you can only get into extended if the body grounds AND traction control activates where the reality it that it only needs to belly out.

Now starting to get the warning that suspension is slow to raise even when the system is cold. So I guess the system will need work soon.

Garry

[wyperfield]

I havn't played with the extended height at home, but have used it off-road. I got stuck over a mound recently, with the underbelly bottomed out and all 4 wheels had no traction.
I was thinking of winching myself, then remembered the extended mode.
The extended height worked as per the instructions and "presto" the extra lift got some traction on a couple of wheels and I could drive over the mound.
Its a pretty cool feature and seems like the car needs to know its bottomed out completely.

[NauticAl]

I went on an offroad training day with Gordon from Green Oval Experience in Perth last Sunday and for one steep climb in deep ruts Gordon showed us how to get into exended mode. As mentioned earlier, it was necessary to first lift the car into off road mode, then lower it back into on-road mode, down onto a jack ( a block of wood the right length would do) and when the chassis grounds on the obstruction, a message flashes up on the screen - I forget the exact terminolgy, but it was something like "oy dickhead, there is something stuck under the car!". When this message flashes up (and not before, or it won't work) you put your foot on the brake and hold down the lift button until something goes beep. Worked for me!

We were very impressed with the offroad ability of the cars ( we had new 2 D4's, one of them mine, one D3, one Freelander and Gordons RRS). The Freelander was amazing - apart from the lack of low range and the sometimes lack of ground clearance, it went almost everywhere we did.

I would recommend the day out with Gordon and GOE to anyone in the Perth area - it was great fun, very instructive, and Gordon and his wife put on a great lunch!

Cheers

Al

[Celtoid]

I used extended mode when I had my front RH wheel in a bog....car was almost on it's belly. I had offroad height selected and had one of the offroad setting selected....can't remember which....either M&R or RC. I'd tried rocking but due to the crap Wranglers and the fact that the TC doesn't work real well from zero speed, I was getting nowhere fast....well, actually I was...deeper in the hole. The CDL just allowed the other tyres to demonstrate how much they weren't gripping too...LOL!!!!

Anyway, I wanted to act early while I still had a little clearance on that wheel. I was just about to get the shovel out (which I later discovered I'd left at home anyway ) and dig, when I rembered extend mode.....I'd just read about it on this forum.

I selected normal or access and the waring (about hitting something below) came on the screen, I selected down again, the car went down and then up and the instructions for extended appeared on the screen. Can't remember verbatim but it was something along the lines of press footbrake for X amount of seconds, whilst holding the raise button. More upwards movement and then a gong and an indication maybe that I was in extended mode. Can't remember what the selector indicator light was doing....whether it was flashing or solid. I kept rocking and the car popped out of the hole.

It's also happened when I've been changing a wheel, following the OEM instructions of selecting offroad height first. I'm not sure why but maybe the upwards force of jacking the car was interpreted the same as bottoming out.

Same indications though. So effectively extended mode is enabled but you have to follow a further procedure to actually make it happen.

In my garage the extra height was really noticeable.....it sits pretty high.

Cheers,

Kev.

[Greg J]

Why not just go with a rod lift? It's so simple and easy to install. You can have extended mode by pushing the button. This seems an easier solution and can get you larger tires. See tire size chart here: http://johnsonrods.com