Out with an old D3 and in with a 'new' D4, advice welcome (and needed)

[Dropowar]

Hello Everyone,
A decade ago I took quite a lot of inspiration from this forum (and Robert Pepper's blog) when I bought a 2005 Discovery 3 SE and set it up for touring. The car took my family and I all over Australia. Including the Gibb three times, Cape Leveque twice, Exmouth, every track in Litchfield and Kakadu numerous times, all over New England, lots of the Vic High Country, a number of road trips from Darwin to Newcastle; and it was dunked in and out saltwater more often than I care to count. It only ever seriously let me down once, when it blew an alternator stranding a mate and I between Mt Barnett and Home Valley Station, and with no power we couldn't get the tailgate upon to get at the beer (a few lessons were learnt).

DSCN2333.jpg

The Old 2005 model

Alas running and maintenance costs have become increasingly high, and with 356 000km on the clock I found a considerable amount of oil in the coolant a few weeks ago. Not wanting to sink anymore money into a 2005 D3 that has been driven hard and is showing it, my wife and I agonised over what to replace it with. In the end we settled on a 2016 SDV6, with 80 000km (engine has 50 000km, having been replaced at 30 000km after a failure) and extended warranty until Dec 2021. I'll admit I keep waking up in the middle night wondering if we've done the right thing.... silly I suppose seeing this is the first car I've ever owned with any kind of warranty.

IMG_5367.jpg

The 'New' 2016 model

My observations after a few days of driving the new one:
- It's so much faster and so much quieter
- It's very shiny, including lots of glossy black stuff that I don't think is going to age very well.
- It seems to hit the bump stops going over speed bumps in the car park while in access height (maybe I just need to drive slower)
- It's very, very, nice, almost too nice to take off-road (almost!)
- The wheels are ridiculous (and I won't be going off-road until I swap them)
- The interior is far too nice, I don't want to get it dirty. Feels like a Range Rover

And we come to the real point of my post. My future plans:

Disco 3
- Strip the rear wheel carrier (4x4 Equip), ladder (unknown), roof rack, Mitch hitch, cargo barrier, UHF, ARB compressor and second battery from the D3

- Sell the D3 for repair or dismantling with the bullbar, winch, lights, Brown and Davis 100lt aux tank, and two spare wheels (18" five spokes).

Disco 4
- Fit Compomotive 18" wheels (are these still the best option?)

- I was planning on running Bridgestone LT265/60R18 tyres, but can get a better price on BFGoodrich T/A KO2s through a family connection. What are other's running, any advice is welcome.

- Sell the shiny black '5-split spoke alloy wheel diamond turned gloss black' 20" wheels (gutter rash to one of them, front left). Any suggestions as to what these things are worth and where to sell them?

- Refurb and re-paint the Rear Wheel Carrier and Mitch Hitch from the D3 and fit those. Fit the cargo barrier. Fit the ARB compressor in-front of the main battery (same spot as in the D3, it looks like the bracket will fit). Fit a Traxide dual battery system into the box on the drivers side (smaller battery I know, will probably have to supplement with a solar panel for long camping trips).

- Have a TJM 12000lb (although I never ran out of power with 9000lb Magnum on the D3) winch installed

Who else has transferred accessories from a D3 to D4? Any pitfalls I should be aware of? Any advice in general that might save me making expensive and time consuming mistakes? I'm looking forward to getting it off road, hopefully then it'll start to feel more like it's mine instead of being something I've borrowed and need to give back.


Regards

Chris

[DieselLSE]

I reckon you've got it all pretty well covered. My two bob's worth:
- It seems to hit the bump stops going over speed bumps in the car park while in access height (maybe I just need to drive slower) Yep. Drive slower! But I've never needed to use access height in any carpark in Melbourne or Sydney. And that's with my old Landrover roof racks which were higher than the ProSpeed rack.
- It's very, very, nice, almost too nice to take off-road (almost!) Unbelievably brilliant off road and if you drive it properly (slowly, but with momentum if that makes sense) you have to go out of your way to damage it.
- The wheels are ridiculous (and I won't be going off-road until I swap them) That, the under slung spare wheel and the towbar plough are the three anti-bush design features that still baffle me. But easily remedied as you've planned.
Disco 3
- Sell the ... Brown and Davis 100lt aux tank Why not transfer it to the D4? They also make an 87L unit that gives quite a bit more clearance.
Disco 4
- Fit Compomotive 18" wheels (are these still the best option?) IMO Yes. Heaps of tyre choices. I run Kumho MT51s 265x60 for the bush, but I use my 19" wheels for interstate trips etc on OEM road tyres. These will be replaced with Pirelli Scorpion AT+ in the next month or so.
- Refurb and re-paint the ... Mitch Hitch from the D3 Don't forget to order a new bush kit from Mitchell Bros.
Fit the ARB compressor in-front of the main battery No argument from me, but if you don't need the third row of seats, you have room there to fit the ARB dual compressor (powered via your new Traxide system) plus a heap of other stuff. Removing the seats frees up about 60Kg from memory.
Fit a Traxide dual battery system into the box on the drivers side You can if you're prepared to move some bits around, but the second battery can be fitted in front of the main battery in the D4.

Finally, I would give serious consideration to installing Llams. It affords you impressive control of the EAS on the move in the bush.

[Dropowar]

Disco 3
- Sell the ... Brown and Davis 100lt aux tank Why not transfer it to the D4? They also make an 87L unit that gives quite a bit more clearance.

I had planned to do just that, but they never got back to me with the price for all the bits and pieces to fit it with. Plus I wouldn't necessarily trust the pump to give me another ten years and the tank itself is quite badly dented. Overall I'm not sure it's worth the effort to remove.

Disco 4
Fit the ARB compressor in-front of the main battery No argument from me, but if you don't need the third row of seats, you have room there to fit the ARB dual compressor (powered via your new Traxide system) plus a heap of other stuff. Removing the seats frees up about 60Kg from memory.
Fit a Traxide dual battery system into the box on the drivers side You can if you're prepared to move some bits around, but the second battery can be fitted in front of the main battery in the D4.

Finally, I would give serious consideration to installing Llams. It affords you impressive control of the EAS on the move in the bush.

Right, so this hits on my only real dilemma with the fit out. We do use the 7 seats occasionally, probably about a once a month around town. So fitting the compressor there isn't an option. I would prefer to put the second battery in front of the main, but I don't want to fit the compressor into the box on the right-hand side. So this leaves me back at Plan A, or with not mounting the compressor, unless there is another spot I've not thought of? The cavity in the rear-left isn't accessible with our drawers in either. Perhaps I just ditch the compressor for a portable model, but I have found the mounted compressor very convenient over the past 10 years.

Regards

Chris

[rocket rod]

Perhaps I just ditch the compressor for a portable model, but I have found the mounted compressor very convenient over the past 10 years.

Do you intend to get or have a trailer of some sort? I have a good quality portable compressor that I store under a 2nd row seat and it plugs into any power source I have around the car including the Anderson at the back so I can get to the trailer tyres.

Just a note on the tyres, many here recommend the Bridgestones you mentioned and I've had two sets on my D4 but twice I've had to ditch a tyre because of sidewall cuts. Maybe bad luck but I'll be looking for another brand to try out next time. Also look at TuffAnt | A True Off-Road Alternative if you want a cheaper rim or Land Rover Discovery D4 18" MOAB Wheels as there is better availability in Oz.

[Dropowar]

Do you intend to get or have a trailer of some sort? I have a good quality portable compressor that I store under a 2nd row seat and it plugs into any power source I have around the car including the Anderson at the back so I can get to the trailer tyres.

Just a note on the tyres, many here recommend the Bridgestones you mentioned and I've had two sets on my D4 but twice I've had to ditch a tyre because of sidewall cuts. Maybe bad luck but I'll be looking for another brand to try out next time. Also look at TuffAnt | A True Off-Road Alternative if you want a cheaper rim or Land Rover Discovery D4 18" MOAB Wheels as there is better availability in Oz.

I’ve towed a trailer (or boat) regularly behind the D3. I always carried two lengths of air hose, except the time I forgot and had to disconnect the boat trailer to refill the tyres. Storing stuff at the bottom rear of the second row seats becomes problematic with baby capsules and later child seats in place. And I’ve got a few more years of child seats ahead of me.

So far I’ve been given a lower price for Compomotives than for MOABs. Honestly I don’t like the look of the Tuff Ants, but thanks for the tip, I just looked at their website and saw the wheel winder adapter. I’ll be buying one of those, I was dismayed to see the D4’s wheel winder is even worse than the D3’s, and was planning on butchering a socket but they’ve already done it.

And the tyres...back in 2011 my first set of tyres (America’s most trusted) were destroyed on the Gibb River Rd. Could only get Wranglers in Broome. They were great and crossed the Gibb with even more weight in the car on the way home, but I get very few kilometres out of them. Ended up with Bridgestone’s and while I’ve punctured a few I’ve only done one sidewall. I’d occasionally been tempted to try BFGs but they were always more expensive than Bridgestones. So has anyone got personal experience with both?

[Melbourne Park]

Llams is a great option.

I have the 18" wheels and run BFG KO2s 265/65/18. The speedo is dead accurate with that tyre size, and I have no rubbing agains the body, that I have seen anyway. Yes i have looked. IMO the 65 profile is quite a bit more useful than 60 profile for off road ie sand. The price difference when I bought the tyres 6 months ago was $2.00 per tyre between 265/60/18 and 265/65/18 in the BFG, and there is a lot more rubber and belts etc on the 65 profile. They also had a heavier carrying capacity.

[LRD414]

Welcome back. Tuffant now do an alloy as well as the steel, both in 18”. Not sure how price compares to Compos.

I have run both the Bridgestone and BFG KO2 in 265/60/R18 and think the KO2 is a bit stronger and with better traction on loose or muddy terrain through to about 60% worn and then they’re similar. There’s a few other options around in 18” these days.

Cheers,
Scott

[INter674]

Just a caution..my son got defected for having rear seats removed..weird I know as it arguably reduces potential harm having fewer passengers on board. ..but this requires certification by an engineer..something our guy overlooked when originally assessing the car mods.

[SimmAus]

As above - Tuffant do steel and alloy 18”rims.
I have a set of Steelies currently running the D697’s....and the original 20” Rims with a road tyre.
Waiting for the 697’s to wear out...BFG have the KM3 available in 265/60/18 apparently and would prefer a mud tyre.

[PerthDisco]

Hello Everyone,
A decade ago I took quite a lot of inspiration from this forum (and Robert Pepper's blog) when I bought a 2005 Discovery 3 SE and set it up for touring. The car took my family and I all over Australia. Including the Gibb three times, Cape Leveque twice, Exmouth, every track in Litchfield and Kakadu numerous times, all over New England, lots of the Vic High Country, a number of road trips from Darwin to Newcastle; and it was dunked in and out saltwater more often than I care to count. It only ever seriously let me down once, when it blew an alternator stranding a mate and I between Mt Barnett and Home Valley Station, and with no power we couldn't get the tailgate upon to get at the beer (a few lessons were learnt).

DSCN2333.jpg

The Old 2005 model

Alas running and maintenance costs have become increasingly high, and with 356 000km on the clock I found a considerable amount of oil in the coolant a few weeks ago. Not wanting to sink anymore money into a 2005 D3 that has been driven hard and is showing it, my wife and I agonised over what to replace it with. In the end we settled on a 2016 SDV6, with 80 000km (engine has 50 000km, having been replaced at 30 000km after a failure) and extended warranty until Dec 2021. I'll admit I keep waking up in the middle night wondering if we've done the right thing.... silly I suppose seeing this is the first car I've ever owned with any kind of warranty.

IMG_5367.jpg

The 'New' 2016 model

My observations after a few days of driving the new one:
- It's so much faster and so much quieter
- It's very shiny, including lots of glossy black stuff that I don't think is going to age very well.
- It seems to hit the bump stops going over speed bumps in the car park while in access height (maybe I just need to drive slower)
- It's very, very, nice, almost too nice to take off-road (almost!)
- The wheels are ridiculous (and I won't be going off-road until I swap them)
- The interior is far too nice, I don't want to get it dirty. Feels like a Range Rover

And we come to the real point of my post. My future plans:

Disco 3
- Strip the rear wheel carrier (4x4 Equip), ladder (unknown), roof rack, Mitch hitch, cargo barrier, UHF, ARB compressor and second battery from the D3

- Sell the D3 for repair or dismantling with the bullbar, winch, lights, Brown and Davis 100lt aux tank, and two spare wheels (18" five spokes).

Disco 4
- Fit Compomotive 18" wheels (are these still the best option?)

- I was planning on running Bridgestone LT265/60R18 tyres, but can get a better price on BFGoodrich T/A KO2s through a family connection. What are other's running, any advice is welcome.

- Sell the shiny black '5-split spoke alloy wheel diamond turned gloss black' 20" wheels (gutter rash to one of them, front left). Any suggestions as to what these things are worth and where to sell them?

- Refurb and re-paint the Rear Wheel Carrier and Mitch Hitch from the D3 and fit those. Fit the cargo barrier. Fit the ARB compressor in-front of the main battery (same spot as in the D3, it looks like the bracket will fit). Fit a Traxide dual battery system into the box on the drivers side (smaller battery I know, will probably have to supplement with a solar panel for long camping trips).

- Have a TJM 12000lb (although I never ran out of power with 9000lb Magnum on the D3) winch installed

Who else has transferred accessories from a D3 to D4? Any pitfalls I should be aware of? Any advice in general that might save me making expensive and time consuming mistakes? I'm looking forward to getting it off road, hopefully then it'll start to feel more like it's mine instead of being something I've borrowed and need to give back.


Regards

Chris

Regards the old D3 do you know what was wrong with it? Could just be oil cooler assembly needs replacing is a common high km problem area. Almost a mandatory preventative replacement item after 200,000km / 10 years.