Mud-club
Vehicle & Technical => Discovery => Topic started by: Jonsey on February 08, 2008, 16:28:00
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Well nearly an Off Roader, needs modifying now!
I apologise because this has properly been done a hundred times, but i'm after advise.
Got myself a 1998 (1995 but resisted 1998) Discover V8, picking it up tomorrow. Now i know i need to upgrade the suspension and tyres, want to do as much of the work as possible myself, two reasons, so i know what is done to it and so i can fix it when it goes wrong!
Intend to use the vehicle for Green Laneing, Play Days and a bit of wading (know that V8 or questionable with wading but thats a whole other subject...)
First question, which tyres and suspension to go for? Want to be nice and big lording it over other road uses but not stupidly expensive and to complicated to do the work myself.
Second question, where's the best place to buy the stuff you recommend?
Third question, when can i start playing? i.e. events ect...
Cheers,
Chris
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Laning? then does it need lifting at all?
Tyres, with the V8 you need to be careful with remould as most of them are not speed rated sufficiently for the V8, you'll also find that bigger MTs are not either, my 235/85 BFGs aren't for example.
Are you going to use it as a daily driver? are you going to get the bug and want to drive more and more off-road?
If you want a lift then budget to spend around £800 on the car to get it propely sorted, springs and shocks are only half the story, brake lines, bump stops, casotr correction, cranked arms and a prop will eat the rest.
THEN you need tyres to suite you rlift, these will not fit on a standard car if you intend to take advantage of the lift and go bigger.
I'd suggest you start with a set of 235/70 MT or AT and se how you get on before you blow loads of cash on stuff you might never need. See if you can pick up some second hand tyres to get you started, then join your local group and get out there and get dirty :D
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No not going to be using the car for daily use, just play.
£800 sounds ok, is it all stuff i'm going to be able to do myself? i'm not a novice with mechanics but i'm no pro either.
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http://members.mud-club.com/profiles/Range%20Rover%20Blues/vehicle
This is pretty much the spec of my truck, and other than building the diffs and the props I've done it all myself. All the suspension bolts together, you jst need big spanners, big axle stands and a big jack :)
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AH-HA :lol:another lamb to the slaughter :lol:get ya cheque book out mate :lol:
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I would second the suggestion of trying it as-is. A standard Disco on the right tyres will handle most lanes, certainly enough to get some experience and there's something to be said for learning to drive what you have properly before modifying it.
As for a chance to take it out, have a look in the Greenlaning section of the forum and see if anyone's organising a trip near you.
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If you can hold a spanner,you can work on a landrover :D
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I would second the suggestion of trying it as-is. A standard Disco on the right tyres will handle most lanes, certainly enough to get some experience and there's something to be said for learning to drive what you have properly before modifying it...
I`ll second that, but i`d also give it a few months before you start blowing the budget.. i thought mine was solid enough, but so far had a few nasty surprises, most of which were fixed as part of the sale.
theres a post about common faults HERE (http://www.mud-club.com/forum/index.php/topic,52597.0.html) which should give you something to look at before you go mad!
its so much better to have the vehicle running as it should be before you upgrade, as the parts you upgrade can often throw more stress onto already weak or vulnerable componants.
eg 2" lift = knackered front prop
performance increase = gearbox failure etc...
my philosophy is, break it, uprate it! ;)
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Get your self some decent recovery points and a suitable set of tyres* (in that order) and they go play. There are orginised pay and plays going on somewhere in the country every weekend of the year and broadly speaking greenlaing can be done at anytime.
Big tyres and extreme suspension etc. is all very nice, but my theory is that for a lot of us its just trying to fuel that masive buzz we get the first time you go off road. Certainly the first time i went off road sticks in the mind like no other since, that was with a stock range rover on 205 all terrains with sagged suspension, but then it was one mental weekend of catch up followed by a very short sharp introduction to slippy mud.
* they don't need to be mud terrains, but I would recomend all terrains like BFG ATs as a minimum if you plan to go near much mud.
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*buy from devon 4x4, nicest people ever.
*stay away from the orange stuff(im not allowed to say there name, i got in trouble last time)
*bfg mt are the tyres to go for
i have some rear hd OME +2" springs, pollybush kit and some 3door rock sliders w/tree guard for sale if your interested
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Would that be a creature you see in the desert like a crab?.........if so yeah you need :Da second mortgage to buy there even though their stuff is good
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Agree on the recovery points - a set of JATE rings will sort that out at the front for about £20 max, at the rear if you have the standard towbar that'll do.
If you don't have a towbar but want one, buy one of the detachable ones. The OEM towbar is one of very few weak points in the Disco design as it's effectively a plough-like lump of metal which tends to clonk the ground!
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Agreed
Try it standard or you won't know if the upgrades have done anything :lol:
Push it standard then uprate the parts that give up :wink:
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If you are gonna do any wading you must waterproof it around the dizzy cap and coil or take a big tin of wd40 with you and some cloths cos v8,s dont like water
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I find the standard v8 to be water proof enough for ocasional wading. Mine is vitually standard and has kept going even when the water was riding up over the bonnet, I was more concerend about hydraulicing it at the time though as not only did I not have a snorcel, but the standard air filter box (which puts the air intake in a relativerly water proof void) was replace with a rather exposed and now muddy KN filter [-o<
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I would suggest to first find and Join a local club, i bought a set of 5 good mud tyres 2nd hand from a club member £70 nice shiney modulars £170 and went in some very deep mud and water :) but i did find a nice big pipe that cracked my front diff and the water killed my alternator £70 :sad: i have now bought chemical metal and a shiney diff guard £20 steering guard £60 and some jate rings £10 each its damn addictive uprating these things
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I find the standard v8 to be water proof enough for ocasional wading. Mine is vitually standard and has kept going even when the water was riding up over the bonnet, I was more concerend about hydraulicing it at the time though as not only did I not have a snorcel, but the standard air filter box (which puts the air intake in a relativerly water proof void) was replace with a rather exposed and now muddy KN filter [-o<
you were very very lucky,my mates v8 dies if you wave a damp rag at it
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Thanks for the responses, was a bit surprised to be honest, if you look at everyone's spec on here they all seem to say lifted ect...
Think i'm going to take the advise and get some tyres, snorkel, protection and recovery points and see how it goes.
I've noticed that British In door 4x4 show is on at donnington next weekend, is that a good/cheaper place to pick up bits?
Cheers,
Chris
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I find the standard v8 to be water proof enough for ocasional wading. Mine is vitually standard and has kept going even when the water was riding up over the bonnet, I was more concerend about hydraulicing it at the time though as not only did I not have a snorcel, but the standard air filter box (which puts the air intake in a relativerly water proof void) was replace with a rather exposed and now muddy KN filter [-o<
you were very very lucky,my mates v8 dies if you wave a damp rag at it
You'll probably find it's about time his ignition system needs an overhaul then! :lol: New quality leads on mine with a touch of chain wax at either end, and it's been fine through most things. I did add some plastic bottle protection for dizzy coil prior to last years biling bash... but TBH I think it would have been fine anyway.
Skibum
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Yours probs right,he never bother trying to waterproof it or cleaning it
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Laning? then does it need lifting at all?
Tyres, with the V8 you need to be careful with remould as most of them are not speed rated sufficiently for the V8, you'll also find that bigger MTs are not either, my 235/85 BFGs aren't for example.
Are you going to use it as a daily driver? are you going to get the bug and want to drive more and more off-road?
If you want a lift then budget to spend around £800 on the car to get it propely sorted, springs and shocks are only half the story, brake lines, bump stops, casotr correction, cranked arms and a prop will eat the rest.
THEN you need tyres to suite you rlift, these will not fit on a standard car if you intend to take advantage of the lift and go bigger.
I'd suggest you start with a set of 235/70 MT or AT and se how you get on before you blow loads of cash on stuff you might never need. See if you can pick up some second hand tyres to get you started, then join your local group and get out there and get dirty :D
So is 235/70 the largest size that will go on standard suspension and arches on 16" wheels?
Chris
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yup
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225/75 is slightly larger diameter and will fit a standard disco
IIRC 245/70 and mabey 245/75 will also fit, though them might catch a bit, largely depending on the tolerances of the particulare discovery.
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It's marginal how much bigger a 225/70 is, I had a set and more than anything they looked taller/slimmer but handled really well. You'll find them expensive though.
Originally they were also the biggest size recomended for the RRC, but as 235/70 are much cheaper they became the norm. In truth I think they are a bit too wide for road tyres on the standard rims.
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Ok, starting the long and expensive road of modification!
Got myself a Safari Snorkel today and planning on fitting it next weekend, reading through the instructions and i need an "Airsaw" to cut the body work, being new to this i don't have all the fancy tools! is there another tool/method of cutting the body work as required??
Also makes sense to extend the breathers ect to the snorkel as i'm doing this, going to use some pipe from the local diy shop, seem to remember reading somewhere 4mm should do it, is this the write size? also how many and where are the breather points located? done a search but couldn't find anything definitive.
Cheers, Chris
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You need a small drill and a hacksaw blade or a cheap dremel,the breathers are on the axles but you should be able to see the black piping against the bulkhead,its thin black tubing with a bend on he end in the shape of a hook,you can get complete breather kits off ebay,do a google search for "safari snorkle fitting" and you should be able to get summat :D
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The snorkel instructions mention using two holesaws to do the job - they're not expensive and having the right tools will make for a much neater job.
Regarding axle breathers, I've not looked yet but there seems to be some confusion. Are they extended to the bulkhead on all Disco 1s in standard form or not? A mate with a Disco Commercial has looked at his and they don't seem to be.
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Just get the kit from wizardbilt,saves all confusion then :D
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I run a 1995 3 door v8 discovery. Im still running the standard height suspension with 235/85/16 tyres on landrover alloys. I have got a h/d rear bumper, front steering guard, rear tank guard, snorkel and a side exit exhaust. I have found that it is VERY good off road without lifted suspension and the only thing that really let it down was the lack of travel.
If i was you i would go for the biggest tyres you could fit under the arches and get some protection and some recovery points and save your cash for the next 6 months. Come march i should be fitting the llama4x4 suspension kit on mine but then i would have had it a year :dance:
Gavin.
P.s in some previous posts there shgould be some photos of my discovery with that size tyres on.
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I run a 1995 3 door v8 discovery. Im still running the standard height suspension with 235/85/16 tyres on landrover alloys. I have got a h/d rear bumper, front steering guard, rear tank guard, snorkel and a side exit exhaust. I have found that it is VERY good off road without lifted suspension and the only thing that really let it down was the lack of travel.
If i was you i would go for the biggest tyres you could fit under the arches and get some protection and some recovery points and save your cash for the next 6 months. Come march i should be fitting the llama4x4 suspension kit on mine but then i would have had it a year :dance:
Gavin.
P.s in some previous posts there shgould be some photos of my discovery with that size tyres on.
You'll have to keep me posted on the llama4x4 suspension kit, will be looking to do upgrades similar when a bit more experienced.
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I run a 1995 3 door v8 discovery. Im still running the standard height suspension with 235/85/16 tyres on landrover alloys. I have got a h/d rear bumper, front steering guard, rear tank guard, snorkel and a side exit exhaust. I have found that it is VERY good off road without lifted suspension and the only thing that really let it down was the lack of travel.
If i was you i would go for the biggest tyres you could fit under the arches and get some protection and some recovery points and save your cash for the next 6 months. Come march i should be fitting the llama4x4 suspension kit on mine but then i would have had it a year :dance:
Gavin.
P.s in some previous posts there shgould be some photos of my discovery with that size tyres on.
You'll have to keep me posted on the llama4x4 suspension kit, will be looking to do upgrades similar when a bit more experienced.
i have it....its good lack of front flex tho but i think thats just the set up ive opted for.
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Ok, got my new bits to fit this weekend, Steering Guard, Diff Guards and wheels and tyres.
Question, the Steering Guard is from Paddock and didn't come with fitting instructions, bolts, or anything! Where does it attach to the car and will i need to get extra/different bolts?
Cheers,
Chris
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hi if it is the one piece its a little tighter but still not to bad. firstly it bolts through the exsisting bumper holes.if the old bolts are long enough you can reuse these.(if you can get them out in one piece) and the back one on the drivers side bolts to the steering thingey. :-k i fink thats about it :-k
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You might need a bolt on the passenger side - if you look on the chassis you'll find a metal tube welded under the rail in front of the axle, the bolt goes through this and the steering guard side frame. Reuse bumper bolts if you can, the fourth attachment involves undoing the big nut holding the steering box brace on. This needs to be tightened to the right torque setting when you put it back.
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You might need a bolt on the passenger side - if you look on the chassis you'll find a metal tube welded under the rail in front of the axle, the bolt goes through this and the steering guard side frame. Reuse bumper bolts if you can, the fourth attachment involves undoing the big nut holding the steering box brace on. This needs to be tightened to the right torque setting when you put it back.
Cheers, guys.
Does anyone know the correct torque setting then?
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Did mine up FT
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yup
Folks,
There seems to be a lot of sweeping statements in this particular thread and buying stuff on the recommendations given might cost either more money and work or a monetary loss as you sell the items on when you find that they do not fit.
What works for a 3 door Disco doesn't work for a 5 door.
Some manufacturers tyre isn't the same size as everyone else's.
The width of the radius arms can be different (Ok it's mainly on Range Rovers)
The offset of the wheels that you use WILL make a difference.
Doing some modifications causes a knock on effect that means you need to do another two or three modifications.
You really ought to take a good look at what other people have done and find out the pitfalls. Look at some of the more modified vehicles and ask questions of those owners.
Trust me, the wheels and tyres are the cheap bits. It's what you have to do to make sure the traction stays going to the ground without breaking something else that matters.
I'd like to see anyone that has Technic Amazon 235/70 16 on a 5 door Disco with standard Disco steel wheels that hasn't had to raise the motor or cut the bodywork.
Ed
PS
I've had my Disco 11 years now and still finding stuff to do to him.