New Disco setup, need advice

R_Lefebvre

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2007
942
0
Ok, so I've just bought a 2004 Disco SE, 68k KM. It's my first LR, well, my first truck ever. Just looking on advice on what direction I should go with modding it.

My intent for the truck is as follows:

1) Must be capable of towing a car on a flatbed trailer. That was the #1 reason for buying a truck, to pull my trackday car around so I can bring my family with me to events and because sometimes the car doesn't run after a trackday. <cough> So nothing I do can make the truck unsuitable for this use. As a side note to this, might also use the truck as a recovery vehicle for rally cars.

2) The truck will be my daily driver. I have a 30 minute commute on a quiet country road. I don't want anything that will make it too loud/radical/unsafe for this.

3) Plan to use the truck for family holidays. This could be anything from a trip across country, or some "mild" off-roading. So, really I'm looking for more of an Overland setup than a rock crawler. I would like to be able to take the thing 1000 miles on the highway to the coast, or just driving around on some logging roads and easier trails locally.

4) Can't be too expensive. Trying to do it on a budget, I spend most of my money on the trackday car and my house.

Here's what I've been thinking so far:

-Trade the 18's for somebody's 16's, with some A/T tires such as General Grabber A/T or Kumho A/T tires... something like that. Are these reasonably quiet enough, or do A/T's make a lot of noise? Definitely don't want MTs.

-How about a mild lift? 1" spacers, or maybe 2" springs, would this violoate 1)? Can I do this without new shocks, for now? Would eventually like Bilsteins... I'm a Bilstein guy. I don't want to lift too high that it becomes unstable.

-I'd like to get a winch just in case I get stuck in the mud somewhere on a logging road or easy trail. I don't need to be able to winch the truck up a cliff. I was thinking of just something like a Mile Marker PE8000 for $380, and mount it on a discrete winch mount type of setup using the stock bumper? I can't really afford $2000 for a bumper and Warn winch... Would a PE8000 be completely useless?

-I figure the CDL, HDC and traction control should be good enough for now? Eventually might like a TruTrac setup. I have a Quaife in my car and sure like the way it works, basically the same diff.

-Again, don't really have the money for a whole new front bumper, but I know I will need some kind of recovery attachment points at the front. Either for pulling rally cars out of snowbanks, or on the trail, etc. What can I do without buying a whole new off-road bumper? Any way to get a proper tow hook on there? I already know I'll get a reciever mounted shackle for the back, that's easy.

Anything else I should be thinking of?

I also know I want some extra lighting. Not sure how I'll accomplish that yet... I do want a roof rack, but that won't be for a while. Might mount some foglights on brackets on the front.

Ideally I'd love some kind of solid A-bar that mounts a winch and some lights, but I really just haven't seen anything that I like. Most Abars are just cosmetic. And I just don't really like the look of a full bullbar bumper.

Stylistically, I'd love an Abar with the shape of the LR poly Abar for the 03-04 trucks, but made out of 2" square tubing instead, and integrating a winchmount in the base, with two recovery points on either side.

I have a welder and a lot of shop equipment, might try making something myself.
 

nursemcdonald

Active member
Oct 22, 2004
39
0
Yakima, WA
If you really want to tow a load I think you need a 4.6L. Which does yours have (4.0 or 4.6L) otherwise I would consider a Ford Excursion with the 6.2L Powerstroke.
 

Lucasd2002

Well-known member
Jan 7, 2006
1,674
0
Atlanta-ish
R_Lefebvre said:
1) Must be capable of towing a car on a flatbed trailer. That was the #1 reason for buying a truck...

Can't be too expensive. Trying to do it on a budget,
You bought the wrong vehicle.

The 4.6 will make towing merely bad as opposed to miserable with the 4.0. A 100" wheelbase is not a good setup for towing. You can do it, but if that is truly the "#1 reason" you bought it - take it back if you can and see if you can get your money back.

edit: you don't have to have a diesel to tow (would be nice, though) - but a 100" WB and:

THE INTERWEB said:
The Discovery’s towing capacity reaches 7,700 pounds in Low range for a trailer with brakes. No-brake trailers are limited to 1,650 pounds.
will suck.
 
Last edited:

Lake_Bueller

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2004
2,105
59
56
Beloit, WI
+3 on the towing. I'll tow my motorcycles behind mine but it's not the best. If towing is a major priority, I'd look for something like and Excursion or Suburban/Tahoe.
 

R_Lefebvre

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2007
942
0
<sigh>

I didn't expect this here...

I'm not one of those people who believes you need a Peterbuilt to tow a pop-up trailer.

I have a lot of experience towing, none of it using a full size truck. I regularly tow MY motorcycle with a Focus for 100's of miles at time. A 4000lb trailer behind a Disco is not going to be a problem. I've towed a 5000 boat with a Buick Roadmaster, etc.

I didn't buy a big American truck because I didn't want a single use vehicle. I wanted something capable of doing both, while also being nice inside. My dad has a Yukon and it's a piece of crap.

I'm talking about a 2500lb car on a 1500lb trailer, with trailer brakes.

So, let's move past that and talk about the rest of it please.

Edit: and the tow rating s 5500lbs with trailer brakes in high range.
 
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antichrist

Well-known member
Sep 7, 2004
8,208
0
68
Atlanta, GA
R_Lefebvre said:
Ok, so I've just bought a 2004 Disco SE, 68k KM. It's my first LR, well, my first truck ever. Just looking on advice on what direction I should go with modding it.
Drive it for a year before you make your modifications.
 

rovercanus

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2004
9,643
244
Since it's obvious you can't use the search, and are unwilling to listen to people that have actual experience with these vehicles you should just go ahead and leave now.
Go here, www.landroversonly.com , they will pat you on the back with whatever you do and when you have problems Disco Mike will tell you to run Lucas fuel treatment and Bosch Plus 4's in your truck.
Good luck and good bye.
 

rmuller

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
4,452
1
Northern NJ
www.njlr.org
antichrist said:
Drive it for a year before you make your modifications.

x2. The truck is an extremely capable offroader stock... Tire's are always an improvement, but the issue becomes, do you want to buy tires right away, and then have to get bigger ones when you lift it? Or lift it first, then get the right tire size?
 

I HATE PONIES

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2006
4,864
0
antichrist said:
Drive it for a year before you make your modifications.

X2. It sounds like the Disco is right on in stock trim.

You can find factory A-bars with light tabs and winch trays in the for sale section from time to time quite reasonable. I don't know if that particuliar winch will fit them though.
 

Lucasd2002

Well-known member
Jan 7, 2006
1,674
0
Atlanta-ish
lucasd2002 said:
You bought the wrong vehicle.

The 4.6 will make towing merely bad as opposed to miserable with the 4.0. A 100" wheelbase is not a good setup for towing. You can do it, but if that is truly the "#1 reason" you bought it - take it back if you can and see if you can get your money back.

edit: you don't have to have a diesel to tow (would be nice, though) - but a 100" WB and:
THE INTERWEB said:
The Discovery’s towing capacity reaches 7,700 pounds in Low range for a trailer with brakes. No-brake trailers are limited to 1,650 pounds.
will suck.
R_Lefebvre said:
So, let's move past that and talk about the rest of it please.
I just bought a Pontiac Aztek to take to car shows next summer - I fully expect to win multiple "Best of Show" awards. What advice can you give me? I don't care if you don't think it's a good idea, I want you to "move past that."
 

R_Lefebvre

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2007
942
0
rovercanus said:
Since it's obvious you can't use the search, and are unwilling to listen to people that have actual experience with these vehicles you should just go ahead and leave now.
Go here, www.landroversonly.com , they will pat you on the back with whatever you do and when you have problems Disco Mike will tell you to run Lucas fuel treatment and Bosch Plus 4's in your truck.
Good luck and good bye.

I have used the search quite extensively. I guess your psychic abilities need a little work. I'm quite aware of the reputation of this forum but thought if I posted something other than "What's the best bumper?" that we might be able to have an intelligent discussion.

While I'm new to Discos, I have more automotive experience than you can well imagine. I've been around automotive forums since the birth of the internet and was an engineer in Detroit for 7 years. So you can cut your condescending attitude.

I know exactly what goes into the setting of tow ratings because I have friends responsible for conducting the drive testing on other Ford trucks, and I personally worked on the thermal limits of the Explorer, Ranger, Econoline, Panther platform, and others.

So let's get past this issue. If you don't know how to tow a trailer with a 100" WB truck, you maybe need some retraining or something.

Drive it for a year before you make your modifications.

Fair enough, I usually say the same thing to people about sports cars. Problem is I'm worried the truck will get me stranded on even easy trails as it sits now. While a lift is not likely necessary for what I want to do, tires will be. It has Michelin Synchrone on it now which I can see won't go very far in any kind of mud. I could get some 18" AT's, but don't much see the point. Just the price difference between 18" AT's and 16's practically pays for a set of steel rims anyway.

One thing I question though is the sidewall stiffness of AT's, is it more or less than highway tires? A huge factor in the towing ability of a SWB car comes down to the sidewall stiffness which greatly affects yaw stability.

x2. The truck is an extremely capable offroader stock... Tire's are always an improvement, but the issue becomes, do you want to buy tires right away, and then have to get bigger ones when you lift it? Or lift it first, then get the right tire size?

Very aware of that, which is why I chose it. After working with DCX for 2 years I won't touch one of them. That rules out Jeep for me. That leaves GM and Ford. Neither had offerings that had the off-road ability I wanted...

Tires are always #1. The only thing that touches the ground. That's what I'm planning on fixing them before I do anything else. I don't know if I'll bother lifting it or not, and if I do, it won't be that much. So I'm not too concerned about at some point maybe having tires that appear to be too small for a lift.

Hell, these Synchrones won't even have the snow traction I want for my daily commute.

Anyway, I was concidering doing something like a 255/70/16 or 75/16 tire with a 1" lift with spacers to start. Making the spacers is cake for me so I'll probably give it a shot in any case.

I don't really have any plans to get into crazy lifts requiring longer shocks or oversize tires needing stronger axles and regearing, etc...

You can find factory A-bars with light tabs and winch trays in the for sale section from time to time quite reasonable. I don't know if that particuliar winch will fit them though.

You mean the "genuine" LR winch tray with the bolt on A-bar? Looks a little too poorly integrated for me... Also doesn't provide a good lashing point on the front that I can see? Seems it wasn't really an elegant instalation to me, more like just an attempt at a "one size fits all" winch tray with simple flat side plates to bolt it onto different trucks.
 

R_Lefebvre

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2007
942
0
lucasd2002 said:
I just bought a Pontiac Aztek to take to car shows next summer - I fully expect to win multiple "Best of Show" awards. What advice can you give me? I don't care if you don't think it's a good idea, I want you to "move past that."

You know, that's not even that funny because those idiots will give a prize to anything if you stick enough monitors on it and "claim" enough (untested) horsepower.
 

KDamericano

Well-known member
Oct 16, 2006
193
0
Denver, CO
I doubt you'll get stranded in stock form, aside from maybe because of some bald tires. The 04 not only has the CDL, but also the upgraded traction control. The solid axles have plenty of articulation, even in stock form, and the approach/departure angles are tough to beat.

In regards to the lift, a lot of peole find that some slightly oversized tires proved just the right amount of lift all the way around. If 1" is all you're considering, I'd start with the tires.

Also, does your rig have the SLS (self leveling suspension)?
 

R_Lefebvre

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2007
942
0
No on the SLS. I was torn on that. I kinda wanted it for the towing, to level it out. But, I really didn't want the hassle of that system.

I think 255/70/16 tires and maybe the 1" spacer lift will be perfect to start with for what I want to do.

I see everybody complaining about the approach angle on the ARB bumpers. Is it actually worse than stock?
 

I HATE PONIES

Well-known member
Aug 3, 2006
4,864
0
R_Lefebvre said:
You mean the "genuine" LR winch tray with the bolt on A-bar? Looks a little too poorly integrated for me... Also doesn't provide a good lashing point on the front that I can see? Seems it wasn't really an elegant instalation to me, more like just an attempt at a "one size fits all" winch tray with simple flat side plates to bolt it onto different trucks.

My bad... I guess I should have said FUCK OFF instead.
 

R_Lefebvre

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2007
942
0
Jesus man, 1379 posts on *this* board and you get bent out of shape because I politely said I didn't like something you suggested?

You have this thing and I insulted you or something?

It's actually been on of my prime candidates, but might try to do something similar but better myself.
 

Discojunky

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
384
0
62
Greenville SC
My hitch was cut off and thrown in the garbage for extra ground clearance.......that's the way they should come from the factory IMO. Rovers have a hard time pulling their own weight let alone any extra. The only reason I would have used it would be for a hitch haul and a cooler.
 

flyfisher11

Well-known member
May 25, 2005
8,676
2
61
Wolf Laurel NC
Drive it for 6~12 months and start thinking about 4.11 gears preferably with reverse cuts for the front (Great Basin Rovers). This will help you with towing too. While in there go for the trutracs at the same time. Rebuild the front drive shaft with greasable ujoints ASAP as they will explode and take out your tranny. Up to you but a 2" RTE or OME lift with shocks and some 265/75/16 ATs of your choice. If you have the SLS and are determined to keep it (not bad for towing but can leave you stranded and on your ass if failed) RTE also makes SLS spacers www.rovertym.com .

Cheers,

Mike
 

R_Lefebvre

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2007
942
0
rovercanus said:
I apologize. I had no idea you were an automotive god.

Far from it myself, but I know a few.

Mike, I don't have the SLS. Like I said, wasn't sure on that... great for towing, but it's just another system to go wrong so I think I'm glad I don't have it. Ditto on the ACE.