Is a Disco better?

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Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Frank on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 12:22 pm: Edit

I'm a disco freak. I look forward to driving my truck everyday, and I can't explain why.

One of my buddies has a jeep, and we tease each other all the time about our cars. Here's my question: aside from the intangible things about the land rover mystique that can't be described, is a disco really superior to other trucks? I mean, if you put lockers and lift, etc. on any random truck, couldn't do everything that a similarly equipped disco could do?

Not that this would make me love my truck any less. I just want to know what you hard core off roaders who have much more experience than me can share on this subject.

Is a disco really far superior?

Thanks

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 01:13 pm: Edit

When you're talking "stock", as in "how the factory sells it to the public", Land Rover is, in my opinion, far superior to Jeep, Toyota, Ford, Chevy, blah blah blah. By the time you intall lift, lockers, skid plates, winches, fat tires, blah blah blah, all vehicles can look the same and perform the same offroad. But when you look under all the add-ons, we've got the Rovers, and they've got eveything else. My only other truck has been a Jeep Cherokee that performed well offroad with lift and tires and limited slip rear, but the bone-stock Rover blows it out of the water on off-road performance. Besides, you couldn't differentiate my Jeep from the other 10,000,000 on the road next to it.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Milan on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 03:18 pm: Edit

I have both a Jeep and a Disco. I'd say the if you compare a stock TJ to a stock Disco, they will be close with the Jeep will win but the Disco rides better/plusher. If you compare the TJ with a stock D90 or 110, the Defender will win but the Jeep rides better/plusher. Once you modify them, it does not matter much but the boxy vehicles (Defender or TJ) lend themselves to be done cheaper and easier. I also believe the LR has better axle components stock. I don't want to get into frame comparisons as I think they're quite equal in strength. The Jeep has fewer electronic gismos which may or may not be important to you.

You think you have it hard. I love them both so much I never know which one to take.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Bill Gill (Bluegill) on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 05:12 pm: Edit

Too much of a good thing, huh? I traded in my Cherokee on the Rover, so I didn't have that problem. You're right as far as approach, breakover, departure angles are concerned (but not slope, I believe). I agree that a stock Sport-package Wrangler can get a lot of places that a stock Disco can't (at least with only rubber touching rocks). I was speaking from a more wholistic point of view...ride, quietness, solidity, durability, etc. Also, a stock, BASE-model Wrangler can't hold a candle to a stock, base Disco.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Milan on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 06:50 pm: Edit

Hehehe. And what do you think gets me in financial troubles?

Since this is a Disco board I'm not going to tout about the Jeep's capabilities. But your analysis of my reply is correct. I bet I could get the Disco to where the stock TJ goes but it would cost me some sheetmetal. I will also give you the points on quietness (especially if the Jeep is a soft top) and durability. The TJ has a stout engine, fairly good tranny and an OK t-case. I think the Disco has a better t-case and if you have a slush box, the tranny. Furthermore, in stock form, I like the Rover axles way better.

The engines are too close to call. The TJ is peppier and both have lots of torque and I hope to get high mileages/long life from both. BTW, the 4 cyl is a dog but off-road you don't even notice it so it gets wherever the six goes (and at least it does not brake axleshafts). Also, the 4 gets way better mileage off-road. Now if only they offered them with diesels. I know in Europe you can get Cherokees with a diesel.

The solidity is a wash in my mind if you keep in mind that the TJ is a spartan vehicle - I always point out people should compare the TJ to the Defender and the Cherokees to the Discos/Rovers. Then the LRs would be wining both classes. :)

The slope is hard to call. I ran the course our local LR dealer has with my Jeep and it was fun but we have done harder off-road, so I don't know which would flip first. We disconnect the sway bars and the body thus sits more level in an off-camber situation. I'm sure if you do that with your Disco, it then again becomes a close race. The Disco does feel more top-heavy than the TJ but that's just my seat of the pants feeling (plus I have not had the hard top on for 2 years now). However, I think manufacturer's specs are better on the Disco for side-slope traversing.

BTW, I bought the TJ because there were no more Defenders to be found when I finally decided to get a newwer 4x4. Plus I always wanted a topless Jeep (call it Willys envy). :)

If I had a Cherokee, I'd trade it in for a Disco as well. I think the Disco is way better than both of the Cherokee models. I'm not putting your ex down, as I actually like the Cherokees, it just happens to be so. :)

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Cal on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 09:02 pm: Edit

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to do some realistic comparisons with my completely stock 96 disco with a very good friends completely stock 98 Jeep TJ Sahara edition. This addition has a stronger dana rearend with a limited slip. We tried a very loose, rocky, and somewhat steep hill that dirt bikes were having a difficult time making only half way. None made it all the way. We were both able to get to the top if the hill, impressing a few tricked out Wranglers with there front and rear ARB's engaged. But the difference was that while the Jeep took several attempts to do so, the Rover made it on the first try. This was the way it went on several other hills as well.

His Jeep rubbed less, especially in the rear and rocker areas, but the rover articulated better and seemed to grip better on most occasions.

I was impressed with both vehicles but he was especially impressed with the
Rover.

The truth is, they both excel in there own ways but since this is the Discoweb, my oppinion is the Rover excels in more ways than any Jeep.

Another former Jeep owner,
Cal

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Milan on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 10:45 pm: Edit

Ok, I'll nit into it a little bit.

Are you claming open diffs are better than limited slips in loose stuff? I can't see how that would be. Maybe it was the driver or a different line was taken. Or did you really have the same driver take the same line at the same speed and not make it with one vehicle and make it with the other?

Even if you did, one hill does not a 4x4 make. The Disco should climb better in high traction situation as it has more weight to exert greater contact pressure. The Jeep should benefit in other situations, so it should have been better in the loose stuff unless there was a hard bottom to bite into.

The stock TJ should flex better than the Disco but less than a D90. Obviously if the front sway bar on the TJ is disconnected (which is done very easily) it will flex even better than a D90. Not that ramp scores are important but it makes the rig more trail-worthy and I don't think it's as easy to disconnect the stock Rovers.

The Disco is indeed impressive (so is any Rover) but I would not or could not take it where I took my TJ even when it was stock.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Milan on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 10:45 pm: Edit

Ok, I'll bite into it a little bit.

Are you claming open diffs are better than limited slips in loose stuff? I can't see how that would be. Maybe it was the driver or a different line was taken. Or did you really have the same driver take the same line at the same speed and not make it with one vehicle and make it with the other?

Even if you did, one hill does not a 4x4 make. The Disco should climb better in high traction situation as it has more weight to exert greater contact pressure. The Jeep should benefit in other situations, so it should have been better in the loose stuff unless there was a hard bottom to bite into.

The stock TJ should flex better than the Disco but less than a D90. Obviously if the front sway bar on the TJ is disconnected (which is done very easily) it will flex even better than a D90. Not that ramp scores are important but it makes the rig more trail-worthy and I don't think it's as easy to disconnect the stock Rovers.

The Disco is indeed impressive (so is any Rover) but I would not or could not take it where I took my TJ even when it was stock.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Milan on Thursday, March 08, 2001 - 10:46 pm: Edit

Sorry about the double post - I was trying to correct 'nit' as it should read 'bite'...Mila

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Steve T. on Wednesday, March 14, 2001 - 04:56 pm: Edit

I also have a Jeep and a Disco. I love my Jeep, but it feels like a toy after riding in the Disco for a day.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Milan on Wednesday, March 14, 2001 - 06:11 pm: Edit

A toy in my mind immediately means fun. And that's what the Jeep is and a lot of it. I think the feel of solidity coming from the Disco is due to it's heft and the quiet ride. My TJ feels solid but compared to the Disco it's rattly. The one D90 I had pleasure riding in was even more rattly and just as cramped as the TJ if not more. However, it too, felt like it could take some punishment. Like I said before, unfortunately for me I'm hooked on both. At least I finally understand similar addictions/obsessions with other vehicles or things.

Now, if only I was as rich as some of the folks that have 3 Range Rovers in front of their house and not a single one goes off-road. Man what a project one could build!


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