Customize My Land Rover Disco

Britpart's "Yellow" range of springs have exactly the same specs as OME (indeed some of the 110 rears *are* OME). Bearmach "Blue" are probably very similar.

Larger tyres can cause all sorts of problems with regard to the body work, truning circle etc. You need to ask yourself some questions before deciding which one are right for you, e.g. what is the avarage sort of ground in the woods? Is it very wet and soft, or dry and sandy. or some of each? Personaly I'd go for an all-round slightly over standard size (the lifted suspension should prevent to much damage to the body work), not too wide, and see how you get on. With that experience you can decide where to go next. Massive macho tyres might look the part, but are not always the best choice.

Just my 2p.

Richard

Where are you based?

Another thing you will have to consider is the actual use of the car. Not so much what you would like it to look like but more how you will be using it. Unless of course you wish to modify/customize the car for looks and not for functionality.

There are several options for coils and shock absorbers so do not limit yourself on the OME ones.

A roofrack and lights on it will GREATLY increase your fuel consumption, alter the roadholding and stability of your Disco when you offroad (decreasing considerably the amount of sideways lean you can negotiate without the danger of rolling sideways) and will increase road and wind noise.

Same kind of problems are created with a heavy winch bumper and winch assembly at the front.

If you do not intend to use your Disco extensively off the road and on very tricky condition a HD bumper and winch is something that I would propose you reconsider.

If on the other hand you plan on using your Disco for serious offroading I would suggest you start from protecting your Discos mechanical bits (transmission and bodywork) and then start spending money on winches and roofracks.

But as already quoted above if you just like the looks of a modified Disco with roofrack, lights and big chunky tyres go ahead and do it. After all cars are just like women. If you like her like she is then she is the best one in the world and noone can change your mind (and is NOT entitled to do so)

If you do it knowingly then you will enjoy your car for its looks and you will accept its shortcomings from these modifications. Just think, decide what you really want to do with it and what you like doing and then proceed. I am sure everybody on this group will be happy to provide his/her input so that you will be able to achieve the best results according to your preferences.

Take care Pantelis Giamarellos LAND ROVER CLUB OF GREECe

Thanks, I will check out the suspension that you mentioned above. I appreciate it!

How much of a job is it to change out the suspension myself? How long (hours) would it take me? (Yes, I have the tools to do it)

I tend to like the more practical side of things and I am not looking to turn my Disco into a "Monster Truck". I live in Wasington state which is the western side of the USA. It is alot of mountains here with snow in the upper elevations but mostly it is rainy. Lots of rain and lots of wet, soft ground. I use my land rover as a family vehicle as well as for hunting and occasional off road adventures. So, I am looking for a recomendation of a tire that fits on my existing rim and is a bit taller. Any suggestions as to what brand and specific tire I could check out?

Thanks,

Jason

I am in Wasington state on the West Coast of the USA.

I use my Disco as a family vehicle and I also use it for hunting and driving in the mountains. I definitely am looking at being practical and not just for looks.

What other brands of coils and shock absorbers should I look at? I need something that will last, is priced well and can handle some offroad but not extreme. Also, I would like the roof rack because with five people in my family it helps to be able to store some things on the roof. That of course adds weight so that is another consideration for the suspension.

I have a Land Rover Cattle Guard and I really like it. In fact I wouldn't mind keeping that one at all. So, instead of a big heavy front bumper and winch, what about a winch that I could install along with my existing cattle guard?

I checked out the HD bumper that you recommended:

Is that the right place? Can I somehow get one of those winches to easily work with my current configuration?

Great advice! You are right. I am not at the stage yet where I can do some serious offroading but as I get more experience maybe I will move in that direction.

In regards to tires and shortcomings. What are the disadvantages to having taller tires? What am I giving up when I go in that direction?

Thanks!

Jason

Have a look at Coopers tires. I have 245/75 ATRs on identical rims, tiny bit wider, a bit taller, no clearance issues at all on my P38a. These are an AT tire, their ST is a more agressive pattern, but the ATRs are an excellent compromise- a big improvement on the standard Michelins IMHO. Better on road and off.

In message , " snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" writes

A winch can be most useful in the wilds, I'd recommend using Dynema rather than wire - much more user friendly - and can be coiled and thrown, great when you're up to the wings in bog ;-)

The rack and tent will put a lot more weight up top - take particular care on side slopes.

Can't help here.

I'd go for a second set of rims & tyres for off road. It's not much of a hassle to change them before a trip. Probably a mud pattern, given where you are, something like BF Goodrich MT or General Grabber MT should work well. I use 235/85 16s on my Defender and wouldn't want to go any wider than that for muddy conditions. Then you can have ATs for every day use and a more aggressive set of tyres for more serious use. The off-road set should be steel and not too pricey - you don't want to wreck expensive wheels on a rock.

HTH

Will

Easy with a bit of common sense. If you've not done it before, I'd allow a full day for all four corners, to allow for stuck fasteners etc.

For your usage, I would go for BFG ATs every time - great wear, good on the road and pretty handy off-road. On your Disco, standard size would be 235/70 or 245/70, so going for 235/75 or 245/75 will give you a slightly bigger tyre which should cause no clearance problems if you lift the suspension. I know that wise looks funky, but don't forget there are some surfaces where narrow tyres are actually better.

Have a look at

and google forothers - there's a lot of advice out there.>