| Author |
Message |
    
Tyron D'Souza (Tdsouza)
| | Posted on Saturday, June 15, 2002 - 08:31 pm: | 
|
Okay, I'm a relatively new owner of a 97 Discovery, and I'm hooked. It has 16" wheels and 235-70-R16's on the original suspension. It's time to replace the tires and suspension (the tires are also mismatched at this point).
I'm not that interested in developing the "ultimate" off-road Discovery (yet). I've been off-road once with this vehicle, and although it was extreme for me, it wasn't as extreme as some of the pictures I've seen on this website. My main interest is to have a vehicle that will get me and my gear to the trailhead for some mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, and adventure racing...
My LR mechanic is suggesting I get a 3" lift (ExpeditionExchange\OME). He also suggests I buy 18" wheels + tires elsewhere to complete the look. The 3" lift is acceptable, but I can't afford 18" wheels too. I was glad to read that I can install 235-85-R16's, which saves me from buying 18" wheels.
I've read the wheels\tires discussions on this website, and the technical reports on tire size, suspension lift, and fender trimming but I still have a couple of questions.
Assuming I get a 3" lift and 235-85-R16's, but refrain from off-roading:
What parts of the front and rear fenders do I have to still trim? (or modifying via the 'Rear Fender Relocation' technique by Hank Shank).
Will I still have to replace the "rear trailing arm bushings" as indicated in 'Fitting 235/85R16 Tyres on a Discovery' by Terry West?
Do I need to install a different rear drop kit right away?
I think this answer is obvious, but do I need to adjust the Steering Stops? Of course, but what is a safe seperation to maintain between the radius arm and the tire when the steering wheel is fully turned? I read in another discussion that the turning radius increased by only 1 foot, is this true? Can I still get into a parking space without doing a 3-point turn?
And now for some very hot opinions, what is the difference between the 235-85-R16's on 16" wheels, and "the standard tire" on an 18" wheel? Is it feel of the ride, looks, long term cost? I personally prefer the higher profile look of a tire.
Thanks very much in advance for your responses. There some things I understand, most that I dont' and I'm trying real hard to make some informed decisions. I don't what to get caught have to spend a great deal more time and money after I get the simple lift + tires. Once I get the results, and make a decision, and finally get the work done, I will try and post the final product. |
Kyle
| | Posted on Saturday, June 15, 2002 - 08:35 pm: |
|
Forget the 18" thing , I dont know how taht even got brought up. Get the OME HD lift from John and Ho and go out and get yourself some 234/85s. Move the quartes out in the rear about 1" and your done. No dramma , no fuss , no muss...
Kyle |
\Mike... (Mpeters)
| | Posted on Saturday, June 15, 2002 - 08:54 pm: |
|
and if you can't find the 234's in stock anywhere, you could probably settle on the 235's and still be in good shape.... |
Kyle
| | Posted on Saturday, June 15, 2002 - 08:58 pm: |
|
LOL , smart ass.... My butchered hands dont type so well....
Kyle |
Anonymous
| | Posted on Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 12:04 pm: |
|
if all you want you truck to do is to get you to some trail heads get the ome hd springs and some new tires..either 235 or 245...or you can keep your truck stock and im sure it will do the job just fine for what you want |
Mike D1
| | Posted on Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 12:27 pm: |
|
I don't get it. A 3" lift and 235/85s are for some serious off road. A stock Disco will go most places the average person wants to. I'm not trying to talk you out of a sale for Ho and John (nice guys) but how about a 2" lift and a winch with the extra cash? Or, how about a rear locker in a stock truck? That would be cool, you would blow the doors of all those fat tired j**ps with open diffs. It seems like you just have cash to burn. How about a loan?
Kyle, 234s? is that where you put two 34" tires in the rear and two 32" in the front? I thought there was something odd about your truck! |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 12:30 pm: |
|
my only beef with 235/85's that i onw are they are load rating "E" which is more heavey duty good for pick up truck and such. i've found that you need to run higher pressure in these tires (50psi) to get good tire life and handling.
265/75 x 16 are usually load rating "D" which is more comfortable. you might only have to trim a wee little bit in addition to doing kyles trick.
just a thought
rob |
p m
| | Posted on Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 01:57 pm: |
|
Or, how about a rear locker in a
stock truck? That would be cool, you would blow the doors of all those fat tired j**ps with open diffs.
are you sure, Mike?
peter |
Mike D1
| | Posted on Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 02:09 pm: |
|
Yes, I'm sure. In fact you might not need the locker. |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 03:55 pm: |
|
tru dat mike.
rd |
Mike D1
| | Posted on Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 11:58 pm: |
|
Yes Rob,
And you run 50psi and get better gas mileage. I run 55psi in the rear and 50 up front to be in keeping with the Rover tire guideline for emergency breaking. |
jay caragay (Jcaragay)
| | Posted on Monday, June 17, 2002 - 12:42 am: |
|
Tyron writes:
"My main interest is to have a vehicle that will get me and my gear to the trailhead for some mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, and adventure racing... "
That said, you might want to consider a different route. A three inch lift puts you into a whole different scenario that changes the drivetrain geometry and probably will force you to spend more money to adjust the suspension accordingly. (There are whole threads dedicated to this topic alone - check out the archives).
Since your demands are not severe, I suggest you consider something a little milder like the 2" lift springs from RoverTym Engineering. They run about $300 and are top quality springs backed with great customer service. In addition to the springs, you can go with 245/75R16 tires that will give you an additional inch of clearance over the stock tires.
On a stock Disco with no aftermarket bumpers, sliders or winch, the combination of the RTE 2" springs and the Yokohama Geolandar A/T II+ 245/75/R16 tires resulted in an overall increase in clearance of 4" (the RTE springs are conservatively rated to compensate for the additional weight of bumpers, sliders, winches, etc.).
It's a relatively easy and inexpensive way to achieve greater ground clearance and off-road performance and should meet your requirements nicely while still giving your Landy an aggressive look. |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Monday, June 17, 2002 - 12:40 pm: |
|
yeah, mike, mine are actually 50 front 55 rear also.
rd |
Eric N (Grnrvr)
| | Posted on Monday, June 17, 2002 - 12:52 pm: |
|
trim the front air dam and bumper end caps off. Then get some better tires that are more for off-roading. You may want to look at the 225/75 R16 range or 245/70 R16 as there are more choices in that size then the stock size. If you are just going to the trail head you don't need a lift and bigger tires. Why waste the money. Even with a 2 inch lift you run the risk of getting drive line vibes. I would say get some new shoes for the truck and use money you save for some thing else like a bike rack, new hiking boots, or better front forks for the mountain bike. |
Tate (Tate)
| | Posted on Monday, June 17, 2002 - 02:15 pm: |
|
Tyron,
If you're not going offroad, don't get the lift and get stock or near stock size tires, maybe ATs. Maybe upgrade the shocks. You don't need the lift--it'll just be that much higher you'll have to lift stuff to get it on the roof. And any lift/tiresize change will adversely affect handling and accelleration.
If you do decide to lift it, go for a smaller lift. As Eric pointed out, you'll put yourself in a position to need to upgrade other, really expensive components but by not taking the disco offroad, you won't be able to reap the rewards.
That said, 235/85s and a 2 inch lift look really cool, too.
And a mechanic recommending a 3 inch lift with 18 inch rims? Do you REALLY trust this guy? |
Rob Davison (Pokerob)
| | Posted on Monday, June 17, 2002 - 05:28 pm: |
|
i think the disco is better with the 2" omeHD lift & shocks and moderate tires up to 235/85 or 265/75
IMHO, it looks better , drives better.
rd |
gp (Garrett)
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 - 10:15 am: |
|
yeah i am very happy with my OME SHD all around with 265/75 Coopers. rides pretty good and my tires are WAY quieter than the freaking XPC's. this is my commuter vehicle and does all things well. not too big.....not too small, but juuuuuuuust right.
 |
tdsouza
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 11:37 am: |
|
Just to recap what I finally did:
1) 3" OME HD springs and shocks
2) 245-75-R16 Pirelli Scorpions (letters out)
3) No trimming was neccessary for both on-road and off-road driving.
4) Off-road handling wasn't a problem (Level 2-3 trails in Parry Sound, Ontario).
The vehicle looks great and it's getting alot of comments from my co-workers. I will post pictures as soon as they are developed.
So I went ahead and installed 3" OME HD lift and shocks and put on 245-75-R16 and I'm very happy with the look of the vehicle.
As for tires, I was ready to buy Dueller's but got a good price on the Scorpions. At the time I thought "Hey, it's an AT tire that seemed to perform well against the other tires." Well, only after returning home did I see all the anti-Scorpion posts on this site. You can only find the anti-Scorpion comments if you do a specific search for Scorpion. Otherwise, most tire arguments, er I mean discussions, on this site have no clear winner. They all seem to perform well. Which is why I thought the Scorpions would stack up against the rest.
So, I was little worried about off-road ability as I headed out for a club trip this weekend. As it turned out I didn't seem to have any problems at all. Now, I've only been out once before but my driving skills were more careful and technically proficient. I got through a couple of obstacles that I had not experienced before too. So, my opinion is that the tires are good enough for the level of trails I'm using. (Another driver pointed out that the true test is after you've done 20-30K on a set of tires and THEN try to go off-road. So we'll see.)
As for the "at least you'll get laid" comments, that didn't happen (this weekend)... but I did take a date along on the club ride and she had a great time. She helped scout a route by-pass, water crossings, and even moved a few loose trees and rocks from the trail. I let her drive a bit and she was great. Above all that she's a doctor AND British.
I think off-roading will be my new first-date test.
Wow, $25,000cdn is all it took to make me cool and popular. Not bad. 8-) |
Blue (Bluegill)
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 12:35 pm: |
|
Quote:Wow, $25,000cdn is all it took to make me cool and popular. Not bad.
damn, I'm moving north. |
Eric N (Grnrvr)
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 12:41 pm: |
|
Blue, you'd just be out the $25,000cdn.. |
offrovn
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 01:35 pm: |
|
What are people's opinion of putting 245/70/16 BF Goodrich tires on a stock discovery. I have heard only good things and that trimming will not be neccesary. For those of you who say I will have to trim, I am not out in tellico or moab or something, but rather just some florida trails. I have Bilstein shocks and stock suspension. Any input? |
p m
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 08:05 pm: |
|
wonder what OME HD springs give a disco a 3" lift... 763 f/754 r?
that would be a heck of a stiff ride...
peter |
Robert Sublett (Rubisco98)
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 09:27 pm: |
|
Forget the 18's and go with 20's. This is a picture of my cousin's very nice $30k J*&P with some scary wheels on it Go with stock wheels, you'll be happier unless you like cruising the strip in a gangsta mobile |
Robert Sublett (Rubisco98)
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 09:28 pm: |
|
Forget the 18's and go with 20's. This is a picture of my cousin's very nice $30k J*&P with some scary wheels on it Go with stock 16's or steel wheels, you'll be happier unless you like cruising the strip in a gangsta mobile |
Robert Sublett (Rubisco98)
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 09:29 pm: |
|
What the funk happened???????? Sorry for the triple post...Forget the 18's and go with 20's. This is a picture of my cousin's very nice $30k J*&P with some scary wheels on it Go with stock 16's or steel wheels, you'll be happier unless you like cruising the strip in a gangsta mobile |
Robert Sublett (Rubisco98)
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 09:32 pm: |
|
 |
John Lee
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 09:35 pm: |
|
I'm even more confused. Ho, did we sell Tyron some springs? |
Eric N (Grnrvr)
| | Posted on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 10:33 pm: |
|
BLING BLING!!!!!!
poor jeep!! |
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page