Playing in the sand at Marcanterra (FR)

[Penguin]

Thanks for sharing the videos! Good to see the D3 in action. In the sandy part where the D3 got bogged in the first attempt, what was the tyre pressures?

Also does your D3 have the air suspension or is it coil sprung?

Lawrance Lee
'99 DII V8 auto
Melbourne, Australia

Tyre pressure was way too much (2.7kg)
But since the original tires have weak flanks I didn't want to deflate them.
After I deflated them to 1.2kg it was much better, but at the end of the day a flat tire due to sand between tire and rim

It's the air suspension I have

 

[LR3invancouver]

The tires (tyres for my UK brothers) are the weak link. I have an "05 LR3 HSE 4.4L with electronic lockers. With stock tires it would get stuck in snow, sand and some mud. Since I swapped to 19" Goodyear MT/R's (I am still looking for a 17" rim so I can get higher profile - allowing air down - but I digress). Since the mudders were installed I can match a modded Defender 90 in all aspects but clearence when rock crawling. Which brings me to my next project - finding someone
with a body-lift kit..........

 

[PacificGroveRover]

The DIII is indeed still on the street tires.
The Def 90 was on A/T's and at 800psi
The DIII had the DSC switch OFF

Does your LR3 have the rear electronic locker? Also, would you estimate that the weight of your tent also does not help the situation?

 

[Mike_Rupp]

LR3invancouver, I've been heading up to Vancouver on business trips fairly frequently. I'm assuming that there are plenty of places to off-road close to Vancouver? I'd love to see one in action.

 

[Penguin]

Which brings me to my next project - finding someone
with a body-lift kit..........

If with that you also find a descend rockslider that does not lower too much the ground clearence, let met know please

 

[Penguin]

Does your LR3 have the rear electronic locker? Also, would you estimate that the weight of your tent also does not help the situation?

Nope, No lockers on the D3.
Indeed, the total weight and the lifted centerpoint are things that aren't positif for such driving.
Next to the tent, there is also a watertank and 2nd battery, so in total there is at least 200kg added to the D3, so makes it almost a 3ton monster

 

[JimLR3]

Penquin,
great vids. thanks for sharing. In one video clip, it looks like you are drving through hard packed sand with deep ruts, at the end you go through a narrow canyon. On a couple attempts it looked like you were stopped by loss of weight on the tires due to highsiding on the centerline. Is this what happened? If this did happen, did the D3 ever go into extended mode? If not, does anyone know how to induce or force it to go into extended mode when in deep rutted sand? would it have helped?
jimlr3

 

[PacificGroveRover]

Nice LR3, but .....

This video shows the deficiencies of the LR3 and LR's traction contol system. The LR3 needed to run at the sand while the Defender just took its good ole time and just walked.

The LR3 doesn't Tread Lightly.

According to Penguin...his LR3 does not have the rear locker option and has and extra 200kg of weight and street tires. My LR3 of course has a center locker and has a rear locker and does not have the extra 200kg. I still have street tires. I think all your points go out the window when comparing an lr3 to a defender except for better clearance. Now lets compare the defender to an lr3 on the highway. No comparision....smiling :bigok:

 

[nwoods]

LR3Vancouver, I've been playing with the body lift idea myself. There are ten moutning points, all of which are easy to get to. It looks to be a simple mod to take some alumium body lift spacer blocks from say..a Tacoma, and pop them in. Complications arise however, at the steering columns, radiator hoses, wiring looms, and bumpers, which are all frame mounted and do not have much play in them. Your bumpers in particular will look rather goofy with a body lift.

However, just doing a body lift in the rear would allow you enough room over the rear end driveshaft to reroute your exhaust more sensibly. I've been contemplating putting a 1.5" body lift in the rear, and then a 2" lift at the top of the shock towers in the front end. This would result in considerable improved ground clearance (once the exhaust was replumbed). However, the possible negative impact of permant lifts to the CV's has kept me away from doing this. This is my primary driver, and it is not an inexpensive one. Not willing to through caution to the wind quite yet.

Penguin, I am tracking developements with different parties right now on the slider issue. One is a private guy who is making his own, one is a Rover shop here in the USA. Check back with me by middle of June, I hope to have something more tangible to talk about then.

BTW, Penguin, regarding that Belgium D3 on Disco3.co.uk with the roof rack and so forth, can you find our more info about the rack mounted lights? I would like to know where they routed the electrical wires into the car. I see a new switch on the dash to the right of the instrument cluster, but I would like to know how they got to it.

Cheers,

NW

 

[LR3invancouver]

Thanks nwoods,
I just made a contact at the LR dealer here in vancouver who I think may have some contacts as well. I will share whatever i find out with this board. Cheers!

 

[Penguin]

I've been checking for the lights as well.
All the wires are already there, you just need the additional wires that come with the LR extra headlights.
Going down into the motor compartment is easy via the plastic on the side of the windshield.

@JimLR3: Yes at some points it went into extended mode, but how to force it to that, that's something else

 

[Penguin]

BTW, check this link, and get the accessories fitting manuals
Chose then driving lamps - bumper

http://www.ownerinfo.landrover.com/extfree2viewlrprod/index.jsp

 

[MarkP]

According to Penguin...his LR3 does not have the rear locker option and has and extra 200kg of weight and street tires. My LR3 of course has a center locker and has a rear locker and does not have the extra 200kg. I still have street tires. I think all your points go out the window when comparing an lr3 to a defender except for better clearance. Now lets compare the defender to an lr3 on the highway. No comparision....smiling :bigok:

I was making an observation on where Land Rover has gone from the Tread Lightly days. The Defender and Disco I are virtually the same vehicle except for weight. A Defender can get down into the 3500# range while a Disco I is in the 4600# range. The LR3 is 5700# ! That's in the range of a Suburban. Add in gear and your probably over 6000#'s. Add in a TRS that requires wheel spin and you get rooster tails, or in the case I witnessed rocks being thrown and repeated attempts, same as the video.

As for highway the LR3 will win hands down against a Defender. Against a Disco I it is less clear cut and tends to be driver preferences. The LR3's target customer is the Lexus/Mercedes/Infiniti customer, not your typical LR customer. They could care less about off-road capability, well dirt road that is. I suspect this is a major factor in the initial poor sales of the LR3.

I also suspect that LR3 sales would increase if they offered a vehicle without TRS, with lockers, without air suspension but with something that didn't leave you with independant suspension. LR is kind of in that middle ground that product transistions always create. The new targeted customers could care less about TRS and the old customers don't want it because down the road it will be a PIA, eventually stripped off or disabled. This should give them an idea where the Defender needs to be. Time will tell.

 

[nwoods]

I've been checking for the lights as well.
All the wires are already there, you just need the additional wires that come with the LR extra headlights.
Going down into the motor compartment is easy via the plastic on the side of the windshield.

@JimLR3: Yes at some points it went into extended mode, but how to force it to that, that's something else

That makes sense (using the window trim). Will have to look into that. But what existing wires are you talking about?

Regarding Extended mode. There is a guy who knows how to trigger this on demand, but not having air, I have not paid much attention. I will ask him to write up the process. (Hey Jim, Adam is the guy I'm referring to - small world, eh?)

 

[lagged]

A neat thing with the LR3 traction control is that it doesn't only use wheel spin to figure out what to do; it also senses when a wheel has lost contact with the ground and will automaticly brake it. Its some pretty neat technology.

 

[MarkP]

A neat thing with the LR3 traction control is that it doesn't only use wheel spin to figure out what to do; it also senses when a wheel has lost contact with the ground and will automaticly brake it. Its some pretty neat technology.

Yeah, I had forgot about that. All it really does is give the TRS an earlier indication of wheel spin. Before the wheel had to spin a 1/4 turn before the brakes were applied.

Should make lifting the LR3 suspension a real challange. All the sensors have to move and/or be recalibrated in conjuction with a lift. Larger tires probably play havoc with the system. Change any part of the LR tire, frame, sensor, suspension system and you are providing incorrect data to the TRS computer.

That makes a body lift more attractive. Keep the frame, air suspension and sensors constant with each other.

 

[lagged]

People already put larger tires on LR3s. It compares relative speed, so as long as you run the same size tire on all the wheels it should be fine. Just make sure to get a full size spare and find a place to store it. Theres a company selling a lift for the LR3 in England I think, but I have no idea how they do it.

 

[PacificGroveRover]

That makes sense (using the window trim). Will have to look into that. But what existing wires are you talking about?

Regarding Extended mode. There is a guy who knows how to trigger this on demand, but not having air, I have not paid much attention. I will ask him to write up the process. (Hey Jim, Adam is the guy I'm referring to - small world, eh?)

Would love to know how to activate the extended mode ONDEMAND?

 

[Penguin]

yes yes yessss :applause:

 

[Penguin]

That makes sense (using the window trim). Will have to look into that. But what existing wires are you talking about?

Did you check the installation sheet on that site?
You'll see there is already a socket forseen to put the relay in.
Interior there is also a socket forseen that is linked to the relay socket.
On this socket you'll need to connect the switch and switching power. (Done with cables delivered with the head-light kit)