New product from Proud Rhino! The SYA Off Road Extension Kit

[FIVESPDDISCO]

I would like to start this new product release with a question:

What is the biggest fear of LR3, LR4 and Range Rover Sport owners who run larger-than-stock tires?

I can hear everyone on the web simultaneously cry out “having my air suspension fail, leaving my truck on the bump-stops”. This is a legitimate fear for anyone using air suspension. Fortunately the engineers at Land Rover built in a safety net with the bump stops. Unfortunately for those with larger tires the bump stops are only effective for tires slightly over stock size.

Running larger tires on your Rover has it’s Pros and Cons.

Pros: You achieve more ground clearance to navigate obstacles more freely and you’ve also made your Land Rover look like a Land Rover should.

Con: A random air suspension failure will leave your truck on the bump-stops. When this happens with larger tires, you're stuck. Your tires will be so compacted into the wheel wells that you will be immediately immobilized. Now you are stuck somewhere on the trail with a 7,000 pound anchor that doesn’t roll. Good luck getting your truck to budge without damage.

Here at Lucky 8 we’ve teamed with Proud Rhino to remove that Con from the list altogether by creating the bump-stop spacer kit. When the airbags let go, these spacers will be in place to keep your truck from completely sinking to the ground and leave you enough wiggle room to be able to roll out of the woods, or parking lot, or wherever your Land Rover decides to fail.

These spacers have been rigorously tested here @ Lucky 8 on our Project LR3. Some of you may have seen them on the truck at some of the events across the country we tested them at and we can truly say that this is a must-have for anybody who runs the larger tires. Not only are these essential when running the larger tires, but they also provide a more comfortable ride when running a lifted truck. The lift rods essentially trick the airbags into filling with more air. This gains height on the vehicle, but it also stiffens the bag and creates a hardened ride. With these spacers the truck will remain lifted with your rods but the bags will not have to inflate as much, leaving more room for the air spring to do it’s job and create a more comfortable experience for everyone in the truck.

For pricing and more info please have a look on our site.

http://lucky8llc.com/Search.aspx?Manu=Proud Rhino

 

[jwest]

Funny nobody here knows how useful this will be

 

[1920SF]

It is interesting how much response it got on ExpO. Here, not so much.

 

[mgreenspan]

I think this site will see more LR3 usage when used (not auction) prices are in the $6k range.

 

[Tugela]

It seems like this product is a band-aid solution. The problem it seeks to address is the immobilization of LR3s with oversized tires when the air suspension faults. It achieves the outcome by circumnavigating the problem. It ignores the real issue, which is an air suspension failure. A more useful product for any newer Rover with air suspension would be a field repair kit enabling comprehensive diagnosis and repair anywhere. The best outcome is to restore your faulty air suspension to full functionality quickly.

Even if you have these extended bump stops and your air suspension fails, you still have to drive around on the bump stops. That is tolerable if you are on pavement, but what if you're 10 miles from pavement on a trail where you need your suspension to be fully operational in order to get to the road?

I can see these bump stops being used as a defense of last resort to allow your LR3 to continue to make forward progress, but getting your air suspension working again would be a more effective way to get out of trouble.

 

[jwest]

It seems like this product is a band-aid solution. .

speaking of "Band-Aid", who do you like for Rover work in the Sea-Tac area? I heard of a place besides Biggs.

 

[jwest]

It seems like this product is a band-aid solution. The problem it seeks to address is the immobilization of LR3s with oversized tires when the air suspension faults. It achieves the outcome by circumnavigating the problem. It ignores the real issue, which is an air suspension failure. A more useful product for any newer Rover with air suspension would be a field repair kit enabling comprehensive diagnosis and repair anywhere. The best outcome is to restore your faulty air suspension to full functionality quickly.

Even if you have these extended bump stops and your air suspension fails, you still have to drive around on the bump stops. That is tolerable if you are on pavement, but what if you're 10 miles from pavement on a trail where you need your suspension to be fully operational in order to get to the road?

I can see these bump stops being used as a defense of last resort to allow your LR3 to continue to make forward progress, but getting your air suspension working again would be a more effective way to get out of trouble.

Are you fully aware of how complex the system is and how many places there are for potential failure?

Valve blocks are hard to access, air compressor itself would really suck to need access if the system has dropped, multiple lines and connection points.

The cool factor and function provided by the air suspension is in equal proportion to how ridiculously debilitating it can become.

I get down a track to do more mods to make the LR3 more reliable off road or more functional and then stop to think, why not just lift and lock the D2 and not worry about any of this shit anymore.

 

[jafir]

So the plus comes with the lift rods and the regular kits do not, is that the difference? So if you have something like an IID Tool lift, you could just buy the cheaper kit that doesn't come with the rods?

 

[jwest]

So the plus comes with the lift rods and the regular kits do not, is that the difference? So if you have something like an IID Tool lift, you could just buy the cheaper kit that doesn't come with the rods?

Respectfully.. DUH!

 

[Tugela]

Are you fully aware of how complex the system is and how many places there are for potential failure?

I don't claim to be fully aware. Sufficiently aware to know that it's a lot more than I care to deal with at my current level of mechanical aptitude. Keeping my D1 running well can be tricky enough at times.

The cool factor and function provided by the air suspension is in equal proportion to how ridiculously debilitating it can become.

I agree completely. The same holds true for many modern technological advances. Smartphones come to mind. Out of the box I think the newer Rovers are remarkably capable but their advantages are tempered by trade-offs.

As for good Rover shops in Seattle, there are several. I've had excellent experiences at Car Tender in Capitol Hill but these days if I get over my head I take my truck to Lamorna in Ballard. Gord'n and Steve are great to work with and they tell it to you straight.

 

[jwest]

Cool. Thanks.

 

[DiscoPhoto]

It seems like this product is a band-aid solution.

That's exactly what it is....sya...save your ass

It's a solution to one of the foremost problems with the newer air suspended vehicles.

It's exactly what people with the trucks need

 

[Devildog01]

Are you fully aware of how complex the system is and how many places there are for potential failure?

Valve blocks are hard to access, air compressor itself would really suck to need access if the system has dropped, multiple lines and connection points.

The cool factor and function provided by the air suspension is in equal proportion to how ridiculously debilitating it can become.

I get down a track to do more mods to make the LR3 more reliable off road or more functional and then stop to think, why not just lift and lock the D2 and not worry about any of this shit anymore.

And this is why I sold my LR3 and bought a D2.

 

[1920SF]

Its also one of the reasons I decided to switch to coils despite all the dire warnings of how it will ride like a conastoga wagon, ruin the truck, and any number of other normal internet predictions.

Coils aren't a panacea for the LR3 to be sure given the weight and there is a little ride quality reduction-but my real comparison was how is it compared to my D1 on 255's and in that realm it still rides like a magic carpet.

But now I don't have to worry about being in the f'ing Empty Quarter and having the thing drop b/c a brake light went out and the whole system shit the bed until I troubleshot it for a few minutes at 120 deg F. One less huge reliability variable to worry about.

If I were to keep air, and wheeled the truck a lot, this would be on the list-given the prices of these trucks it seems more and more folks are picking them up since the drivetrain is pretty reliable and they do very well offroad; the timing for the kit is pretty damn good.

 

[discostew]

Are you fully aware of how complex the system is and how many places there are for potential failure?

Ya I think I have a pretty good handle on that. That's why I like steel springs and swivel balls in my trucks. But if you could pull codes and do some diag. That would be good.

 

[garrett]

And this is why I sold my LR3 and bought a D2.

It does surprise me what lengths people will go to in order to make a vehicle that was not designed for significant off road use. You can certainly dump some money into these vehicles and make them relatively capable - no doubt, but why.

There is no denying that Land Rover has left the building in terms of designing and building capable and reliable off road vehicles. They have little to no representation any longer. Just their heritage and history. They are a lifestyle company, so it's no surprise that many of their owners are in love with titanium Snow Peak sporks, Omega watches staged with "tactical" knives and guns.

There has to be a point where you stop trying to make it something it's not. A modified LR3/4 ends up like Caitlyn Jenner.

 

[D Chapman]

Garret's first paragraph basically nails it. All the LR3/4 needs is a winch, sliders, and a more aggressive tire. Boom, done. Everything else ruins the truck. May as well buy a Jeep.

 

[1920SF]

I think there is a pretty wide sweet spot with the LR3/4 for what are good modifications without it ruining the truck-quite frankly I have found it to be a bit more forgiving than what happens when you start f'ing up a perfectly good stock D1. Then again the recipe Dan lays out is more/less what I've done with some minor deviation that hasn't ruined the truck-nor was it really all that much money quite frankly.

I also think one has to define significant offroad use; there are a lot more people wheeling 3's and 4's now and seeing good results. That said I built my 3 for being able to cover a lot of highway and do moderate wheeling when necessary. If I was going to do protracted wheeling in the U.S. where having a resilient field repairable truck was important I'd take my D1. If I was doing it overseas...well that is hilux or LC territory just based off parts availability.

 

[jwest]

Garret's first paragraph basically nails it. All the LR3/4 needs is a winch, sliders, and a more aggressive tire. Boom, done. Everything else ruins the truck. May as well buy a Jeep.

What is there really that can be done to "ruin" the lr3/4? What I'm getting at is there aren't really that many extreme modifications even available, therefor you'd have to try pretty hard to ruin it.
I suppose these bump stop extension are the first real crazy mod that could fall into the scope of your statement.

I was never a fan of the "rod mod" precisely because of what you just said. I did install the LLAMS electronic interface though because it sure is nice to fit into a garage when needed or gain more lift with a simple dial turn while highway driving is still kept at the factory height.

 

[discostew]

It does surprise me what lengths people will go to in order to make a vehicle that was not designed for significant off road use. You can certainly dump some money into these vehicles and make them relatively capable - no doubt, but why.

There is no denying that Land Rover has left the building in terms of designing and building capable and reliable off road vehicles. They have little to no representation any longer. Just their heritage and history. They are a lifestyle company, so it's no surprise that many of their owners are in love with titanium Snow Peak sporks, Omega watches staged with "tactical" knives and guns.

There has to be a point where you stop trying to make it something it's not. A modified LR3/4 ends up like Caitlyn Jenner.

I agree with this statement 100%.I like driving new Land Rovers on the street. But if I go off road I wan't my Disco1 or a Defender. I want the heritage but don't really like where we ended up with off road capability. But it was a survival strategy to start building what people would buy. The general public decides what the car companies will build, and on the whole we're a bunch of dumb asses.

No matter how hard you stir it , you will not make chocolate ice cream out of a bucket of shit.