| Author | Message | ||
     Mark Reeves (Mer) New Member Username: Mer Post Number: 12 Registered: 06-2003 |
Could someone explain what goes into a "lift"? I've tried to find a simple explaination, i.e. what exactly is replaced, what it does to driving on/off road, how high should I consider and what each height (1", 2", 3") will mean in modifications, ride, etc. My '95 Disco 1 always looks a little "low" to me and I wonder if a lift is the answer or just new "whatever" I am mostly on road, want to learn some mild off roading...but really like that "higher" look on trucks. Your thoughts are appreciated! | ||
| jay caragay (Jcaragay) Member Username: Jcaragay Post Number: 145 Registered: 02-2002 |
Mark- Quite simply, lifting your Disco 2" involves mainly the springs. Pull the old spings out, pop the new ones in and you've got yourself a lift! Two inches is a good lift that will give you additional clearance and a more aggressive look without breaking the bank and causing you more modification headaches. Combine the 2" RoverTym lift with 245/75 tires and you're D1 is looking pretty stylish and should be able to handle just about any situation on the trail. Of course, you've got to make sure your capabilities as the driver are on par with the course! I personally have the 2"RTE springs and Yokohama Geolandar 245/75 tires, Bilstein HD shocks and I have removed the rear sway bar. If you're used to the stock ride, the first few hundred miles will feel a bit hairy - more lean than you've ever felt before will make you feel like you're about to jackknife the truck. After a while, you'll get used to the new geometry and be able to drive normally once again. On road performance is fine and I cruise on the highway around 70-75mph with no problems. | ||
| Roger M (Ciscowiz) Member Username: Ciscowiz Post Number: 57 Registered: 02-2003 |
Mark, If you have shade tree auto skills you can put the lift on yourself and save a few hundred bucks and get the self enjoyment of working on your own rig. If you go the OME route use Medium duty all around, unless you know in the future that you will be adding custom bumpers, roof racks etc. then I would goto Heavy Duty. If you look at my profile you can see what OME HD with 245/75R16 Enforcers from Pep Boys looks like. Rog | ||
| Mark Reeves (Mer) New Member Username: Mer Post Number: 13 Registered: 06-2003 |
Sounds good gentlemen...replacing the springs sounds doable (I am still honing my mechanical skills but have a buddy who is great). Two more questions...If I change the springs do I have to or should I also change the shocks? And if so, what should I go with (based on what I said above)? Also, anyone have any idea what is the largest (height and width) tire I can put on the STOCK '95 D1 rims? Have Michelins now, but if I lift, would like bigger tires. Thanks! | ||
| Roger M (Ciscowiz) Member Username: Ciscowiz Post Number: 58 Registered: 02-2003 |
Sorry Mark to answer your question, up to 3" you can get away with only changing out the springs and shocks. If you look int he tech sections there is lots of ifno on lifts and tire sizes. Rog | ||
| Roger M (Ciscowiz) Member Username: Ciscowiz Post Number: 59 Registered: 02-2003 |
Second post answers... Yes definaltely get new shocks to compliment the the new springs. Hard part is if you get the off-road bug or not or you will be spending more later. If you know for fact that you won't go off road crazy as I have. For good on-road performance I would suggest OME MD with appropiate OME shocks and 245/75R16 AT tires. You can get away with 235/85R16 and 265/75R16, but will get tire rub on full flex and a tad more loss of power on highways. Rog | ||
| Blue (Blue) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Blue Post Number: 208 Registered: 04-2003 |
The truth is that for a lot of people, lift is a side-effect (albeit a positive one) to simply improving the stock Land Rover suspension. Stock suspension is fine when new, but after a few tens of thousands of miles, it's bound to be getting a little tired (sagging springs, sloppy dampening, leaking shocks, etc). A great replacement suspension system is provided by Old Man Emu (OME, not to be confused with OEM, or original equipment manufacturer, meaning "stock"). OME is an Australian company providing high quality, stout, impressive suspension, among other things. If you swap out your stock springs & shocks for OME replacements, you'll enjoy a whole new ride, with less lean in corners, less diving on hard braking, etc. OME offers a few different systems, such as medium duty, heavy duty, and shocks to match. I had MD, but ended up swapping it out for HD. Everyone ends up going HD eventually. Another bonus to HD is that the negative handling effects due to anti-sway bar removal are less noticeable with HD springs. The extra couple inches resulting from the new suspension will also let you run slightly larger tires, another bonus. Everyone ends up with either 245/75/16 or 235/85/16. Go here for all the info you need: OME Shocks OME Springs Talk to John or Ho over there at Expedition Exchange (EE). Just do the right thing and buy from them if you're going to use their site and expertise as a resource. You won't be sorry. | ||
| Blue (Blue) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Blue Post Number: 210 Registered: 04-2003 |
Oh, I forgot to mention the cons to a lift: - body obviously sits higher and it's more difficult for Rob Davison & other short women in tight skirts to get in/out, - the already ridiculous short rear doors and awkward rear entry become even more ridiculous, - your driver's seat cushion leather will quickly wear away to nothing as you rub across it getting in & out a few time per day, - most important: depending on your drivetrain, you may develop driveshaft vibrations, usually in the rear, and usually associated with the rotoflex coupling. Do a search for "rotoflex" for more info. | ||
| chris sharpe (Bromhead) Member Username: Bromhead Post Number: 55 Registered: 02-2003 |
Mark, I was in a similair situation as you a few months ago. I dug around and got so many opinions that I ended up confusing myself with information overload. I ended up doing exactly what Blue said. I called up EE and ordered OME HD springs and shocks. It took a good part of a Saturday and most of a case of beer for my friends and I to do the lift. Rent or buy a spring compresser and you will have no worries. The car is vastly improved off road and I actualy prefer the on pavement performance as well. Truely a win win. Good luck. -chris | ||
| Steve Cooper (Scrover) Senior Member Username: Scrover Post Number: 422 Registered: 09-2002 |
"it's more difficult for Rob Davison & other short women in tight skirts to get in/out" ROTFLMAO all this time I thought Rob was a dude, my bad. | ||
| Blue (Blue) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Blue Post Number: 217 Registered: 04-2003 |
I feel bad...Rob is in Amsterdam sampling the red light district and he is not here to defend himself. Perhaps he'll log on at some internet-savvy hash bar... | ||
| Blue (Blue) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Blue Post Number: 218 Registered: 04-2003 |
oh, and Mark, when shopping for OME springs, ask if the vendor is providing you "matched" springs, or will the springs they sell you be "handed", meaning the right-hand (passenger) side is shorter than the left-hand (driver) side. If you get unmatched springs, your Disco will noticeably lean to the passenger side. There is a reason for this quirk, but that's a story for another post... | ||
| Mark Reeves (Mer) New Member Username: Mer Post Number: 14 Registered: 06-2003 |
Great answers guys...thanks! If I go with OME, I understand that there is a "medium" and heavy duty. I will only be doing mild off-road and commuting, long trips. Should I go with the medium (set up seen at AB, OME shocks/springs kit) or heavy duty. If the medium give me 2" lift, that would be great! | ||
| Brian Goodner (Bluewater) Member Username: Bluewater Post Number: 110 Registered: 03-2003 |
don't you also have to remove the sawy bars with the 2" lift? | ||
| Blue (Blue) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Blue Post Number: 222 Registered: 04-2003 |
You only have to remove sways if you want to. The goal is to get a little more travel by removing the travel-restricting sway bars. I have my rear removed but the front is still on, and I pretty much go wherever I want. Mark, the best thing about HD is that you can load your Disco to the max and not notice the extra weight. With MD, you'll have those springs squished way down and the handling, travel, etc will suffer. Upgrading from MD to HD in the rear netted me about an extra half to 3/4" lift in the rear. But I did this pre-EE so I have the moronic LR lean to the passenger side. | ||
| Erik Olson (Jon) Senior Member Username: Jon Post Number: 424 Registered: 02-2002 |
Another vote for EE and the OME HD set up. You'll benefit from less body roll through turns and curves - even better than a newer stock set-up. I, personally, do not find them to be very supple on-road when the vehicle is not under heavier loads. I would describe the ride with the HD springs and OME shocks as "stiffer". My suspension prior to the OME treatment was already tired, so I can't give you a firsthand comparision to a stock Disco. The increased road feedback you might experience will be a minor trade-off for the larger tires you will be able to fit, and some articulation benefit. I've also removed my rear anti-roll bar without regret. Cheers, e | ||
| Eric N. (Grnrvr) New Member Username: Grnrvr Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2003 |
Mark, You should also look at www.rovertym.com They can help you out with just about anything that involves lifting your rover and they have outstanding customer serivce as well. | ||
| michael harrington (Mike97d1) New Member Username: Mike97d1 Post Number: 8 Registered: 07-2003 |
what is needed to do a 4" lift? i did a 2"lift on my d1 and wish i would have gone at least 3" if not more. however the 2" was very easy and drives almost like stock on road. i have had no drivetrain problems at all(got lucky! factory u-joints instead of roto-crap).i want to make swaybar disconects but not sure what it involves.also i saw jay was running yoko's and wondered what he thought of them. | ||
| D. Howell (Blackandtan) Member Username: Blackandtan Post Number: 83 Registered: 04-2003 |
Please forgive me for offering an extraordinarily non-technical point.. but... it sounds like you want the lift for all the right, off-roading related reasons, etc. But if your Disco is going to be a mall rat at all, or if urban/suburban could describe your habitat, I'd suggest spending the next month or so casually observing how close you come to the top of parking garage ceilings NOW. Also, at home. I'd love a roof rack. Not gonna get one just because of that. |
