Vehicle & Technical > Discovery

lift rings for discovery?

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Budgie:
I think the first thing to do is measure the O/D of the tyres, then take the radius of that and measure from the centre of the hub on the front & rear axle to the arches, this will show where the tyres are going fit as it sits now.
Then subtract 2 inches from the radius to see where you'll be with the +2" lift. Will the tyres clear the arches on level ground?

Then you have to think about the turning circle, I have standard 90/110 fitment 8Jx15 wheels with 30mm think spacers behind them and this maintains the turning circle but makes the tyres stick out beyond the level of the wings so they needed covering to remain legal. Others have got 10Jx15s or special offset wheels that will do the same job as the spacers that I've used.

Suspension: As you raise the suspension you will effect the geometry(sp) of the steering. The Caster angle of the front axle moves as the axle is pushed away from the chassis. This causes the steering to become lighter, reduced self-centering, more difficult to keep in a straight line on the road and it will tend to follow any lines on the tarmac.
Correcting this means fitting either caster corrected radius arms, offset radius arm bushes or (if you can get them) corrected swivel housings.
If you go along the route of the radius arms or the radius arm bushes then this sorts the problem by rotating the axle back to the normal position but in doing so it changes the angles that the front propshaft works at. It makes the U/J on the diff end nearly straight and transfer box end U/J at nearly it's full extent of its movement. This in turn sets up a nice vibration in the drivetrain and if left can wreck the propshaft and transfer box front input bearing quite quickly.
To sort this one you can fit a Double Cardan front propshaft, mine is a TD5 Disco one with a new input flange for the transfer box but there are others out there.

If you intend doing any off-road with it then extended brake flexies will be needed as well, otherwise you stand a change of snapping the brake lines on full articulation = no brakes!!

Gear ratios:
I've gone the same way Tyke is thinking about. I've fitted a 1.41:1 ratio transfer box from a Defender to bring the overall gearing back to about standard with the 33" tyres fitted.
This will do for the high ratio but the low box will still be slightly over geared but I can live with this. The other option is to go for 4.11:1 ratio diffs in the axles, this brings both high & low box back to around standard but is more expensive unless you strip the diffs yourself and fit the ring & pinion gears.

Most people that have gone for tyres over about 32" have fitted the wheelarch flares. These mean that you can remove about 3 inches off the wings and they give you the cover for the tyres so you can remain legal.
This was how much I cut out of the rear arch on mine before I fitted the flares:  

One last thing to think about is: Do you want to fit anything else to it in the future? I'm talking things like a winch and winch bumper as the weight of these two may compress the suspension by about an inch when fitted if the front springs arn't rated to cope with it. So you need to think about this before getting anything as you don't want to get a full kit now, only to find you need new springs in 6 months cos you fitted a winch.  :wink:

All of this is what I've found out & done to mine. Others have not had vibration problems or found the steering too light but I feel it's best you know all the pros & cons before you start!!  :D

Littledan:
i really like those wheels on that green disco up there they suit the discos really well : D

dan

GaryP:
lifting the vehicle using 2" spacers without up-grading the springs and shocks will create a handling problem and void your insurance policy.
The vehicles C of G is raised, but with the standard suspension, which could well be past its best, the pitching and swaying (which is bad enough anyway) will be amplified.
If your going to fork out good money, do the job right the first time.

+2" springs and shocks of the correct rating, or the +2" blocks with heavy duty standard length springs and upgraded shocks are the only viable and 'safe' options.  

Cutting corners with something as important as vehicle handling is a definate No-No

Little dan...the wheels on the green Disco are standard steel NATO wolf rims. Take a look at discoweb.org    have a look through the Tech section and you will come across the build of that Disco

Littledan:

--- Quote from: "GaryP" ---lif

Little dan...the wheels on the green Disco are standard steel NATO wolf rims. Take a look at discoweb.org    have a look through the Tech section and you will come across the build of that Disco
--- End quote ---


yeah my mate has them on his and so did jimbob on here :D

dan

banditman:
www.wizardbilt.com

£75.00 for same kit posted (available as buy it now on that certain auction site I think...)

Ace kit, and not even the cheapest spring and shock kit can get close to that.....

Add in the shock lowering mounts and you still save money...

Bit late to ask santa for some though now eh... :lol:  :lol:

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