LR3 mods already?

[ducati]

I'm not sure what you're getting at--LR will offer the same things they offered with the Disco. Winch, waterproof seatcovers, rack, rubber mats. Everything else is fluff.

The "offroad ready" hardware from Land Rover is called a "truck."

Now, I do wish LR would offer an AT/MT option. That would be nice, and is something Hummer is doing.

 

[ShaunP]

Someone here in Australia like Kaymar will make a rear bar with dual swing away wheels with in 6 months I reckon and then you blokes will be able to buy them like the rest of the stuff that getts exported to the US. I read a test report in 4x4 Australia mag at the newsagent today and they reckoned the D3 went well, they did some mud, sand and a few hills. They reckon the v6 Diesel is sweet 180 hp and more torque than the 4.4 jag v8 engine. This will be the big seller here the closest other diesel here for hp is a Grand Cherokee and it's only 150hp and far less torque.

 

[Axel]

How many wheel sensors have you personally had fail on you out on a trail ?

Two.

 

[Axel]

Well, you can order the LR3 with a rear locking diff, that's an improvement. Seriously.

 

[ShaunP]

The way I read the OZ spec is that they all have a locker in the rear, except for the poverty pack that does not have the "terain response control" this one just has coil springs, 6 speed manual and the v6 diesel, this one just gets an lsd rear. I don't reckon we will get the V6 petrol ex Ford Exploder engine here just the V8 and the diesel.

 

[ducati]

I can't imagine the V6 Ford Explorer engine in the LR3. It would be as slow as a Series truck. That motor is a cammy V6 that doesn't make a prodigious amount of torque down low, and needs to be wound out a bit.

I hope Land Rover has the good sense NOT to bring that one to the US.

 

[Axel]

I didn't check the OZ specs, but on LR's US pages, the rear locker is part of an optional HD package. Different markets, I'm sure. In the US, 99% of LR3 buyers would not have a need for a rear locker, but I still see it as an improvement that you can actually get one as a factory option.

 

[Disco_Stu]

So from what I understand the Disco3 will come with a center diff lock and a rear diff lock. Mechanically which are these most similar too, in regards to the typical aftermarket diffs we see around here (ARB, TrueTrac, etc...)? Or are they more similar to the CDL on regular discos, except that instead of a linkage they have some kind of electronic solenoid that controls engagement? If they are electronic does it mean that there is a way to tie into the wiring of the diff and install a switch to manually control the diffs?

Not that I have this in mind, just trying to understand more about how the system will work.

-Stuart

 

[ShaunP]

My understanding from reading the test drive in 4X4 Australia was that the "terain response system" decides when to lock the centre and rear diff and displays what it is doing on a nice colour LCD screen on the dash. It seems that the different settings remap the throttle and gearshift points and suspension travel. The test drivers proved this by selecting the wrong settings to see what would happen and sure enough the throttle travel/response,shift points etc changed. At the end of the report they said look out Toyota Prado the new LR Disco 3 is here and if the quality is ok they will sell by the boat load. Fast on road and off.

 

[Axel]

Yeah, that's how I understood it from the article in LRM, too. The computer decides when to lock what. Not sure if I like that, but we'll see...... Then again, I'm not trading in my D1 or Freelander for a LR3 any time soon.

 

[Thai]

Is the locker clutch-based or gear-based??

 

[ShaunP]

My biggest worry is if it breaks, you can be a long anywhere in the Australian outback and it cost heaps to recover the car and camper trailer if it shits it's self and no one will be able to fix it, I can fix my D1 easy and the Boys a M.R automotive will get parts anywhere in OZ in 2-3 days and they let me pay when I get home. The mate Brad did a 10 week trip to the Kimberly via the Gib River road early this year basically 2-3 days of crap dirt road, Gib river road is pretty rough after the wet season. Anyway his TDI Disco did a timing belt 2 hours out of Broome on the west coast and bent some push rods broke a couple of rockers. M.R had the parts there in 2 days (I guess this is like New York to LA except there is nothing in between and 1/3 of it is gravel road) Broome is the biggest town on the north west coast probably has a population of only a few thousand people originally a pearling town. The local LR bloke/clown fixed it, kind of (I had to redo it when he got back) and he was back on his way. No way this bloke can change a tyre on a D3. But then I can remember driving my Holden Torana SLR 5000 with it's Rotchester quadajet in the 80's thinking eletronic fuel injection will never take off and I wouldn't be able to fix it if it did.

 

[ducati]

Land Rover says the LR3 centre and rear difflocks are "infinitely variable locking differentials" which seems to suggest they are controlled to the point of allowing different torque splits, as well as locking.

Terrain Response is said to "preload" the diffs (causing lock to happen faster) depending upon the setting.

Interesting technology--I'm not sure of the mechanics, but it sounds like a computer controlled TrueTrac with full locking capability.

 

[Croakus]

Have any of you driven it off-road yet? I have.

I spent the day out on a farm last weekend driving my Girlfriend's 2002 stock Discovery on muddy trails. After we winched her Discovery out, we went back and got mine.

We went back out with several highly modified vehicles including my 2001 Discovery with CDL, lift, etc. After we winched out two Range Rovers on mud terrain tires (one a 2004) AND my Discovery (which got stuck while trying to pull out the first RR) we went back and got the LR3.

We drove the LR3 over every single trail the other ones had trouble with. Including a pretty nice rock climb (rock crawl mode is VERY cool). The LR3 had zero problems with ANY trail on stock tires. Rocks, mud, everything it encountered it climbed right over. I used to bash it too, but now I'm seriously impressed.

Oh, and we did it with five people comfortably seated (in the last row, a 6' tall friend of mine).

I could go on about the fact that it not only has a solid frame, but a unibody too. Or about how nice it was to have 12" of clearance all the way under the vehicle. But if you're just determined not to like it that's your issue.

And no, I don't work for Land Rover.


P.S. The salesman says the lockers are electric clutch style.

 

[syoung]

it has 12" all the way under- even the exhaust in the back? I saw some measurements and it didn't list it as being that high- maybe in certain modes?
12" aint bad- my Freelander has only 11"

 

[Croakus]

Certainly the clearance would vary according to the mode. We had it in off-road height obviously and the guide said 12".

I didn't realize the the Freeland had 11! I may have to trade my Discovery on a newer model .

 

[ShaunP]

Mate I'm not against them in fact I'm hoping they are a good thing, I'm just saying I can fix the one I have with a Multimeter and can get parts anywhere in OZ if I need them. I don't care if I can't lift a D3 4 inches and fit big wheels to it, thats not what I use it for. My current car tows a camper or a boat and most of my off road is Beach and easy tracks (because I'm towing something some where). I use a 4x4 to get to the destination, not for driving it over stuff for the hell of it. If I want a bush basher I'll buy an earley carby engine 2 door rangie for $1k and if I trash it on a trail I'll unbolt the wheels and springs and leave it there and get another one. I wouldn't buy the first batch of any new car however because they will be the ones that have a few problems, better to wait 12-18 months I reckon till they iron them out.

 

[ducati]

Sales Guides don't know squat unless they find out for themselves. I know, I played Sales Guide on TV for a year...

I posted this on another thread, but I'll repost here; I climbed underneath one (in offroad height) with a tape measure. The LR3 does have better clearance than a Disco but not 12" everywhere. Sorry about the ugly formatting.

Glad to hear you liked it offroad..! Good news for LR.

LR3 vs. Disco2(stock)
engine/diff skid 10.5" 8.75"(front diff)
Sill 13" 15.25"
Center crossmember 11" 11.25"
L frame rail 12.5" 13.75"
Front A-Arm (lowest)11" 9.34"
Tcase 13.5" 12.75"
muffler (center) 12.5" 10.25"(front pipe)
Rear A-Arm(lowest) 8" 10.25"
rear diff 10" 8.75"
rear muffler y-pipe 8.75" NA
fuel skid (lowest) 10.5" NA
fuel skid 12.25" NA
airdam 13" 13.25"

LR3 vs. Disco 2
Approach Angle 37 31 degrees
Departure Angle 30 21 degrees
Ramp Breakover 28 25 degrees
Wading depth 28 20 inches
Turning circle 37.6 39 feet

I posted some pics of an LR3 this weekend, you can see some underneath shots--it has a very clean, well-skidplated underbody:
http://homepage.mac.com/ndjedinak/PhotoAlbum26.html

I haven't driven it offroad, only on the dealer test track. The first few times around I didn't like it much--it was very different than my Disco2. After the third time I started to get a feel for it, though and now I am starting to like the feel.

I am very impressed with the LR3's onroad drive, it really is a fabulous road car now.

 

[syoung]

The Freelander with 11" is modified, BTW... but nice to drive with no pumpkins hanging down.

I'll drive an LR3 on Friday and see what it's all about.