The RAC twister kit looks promising. Still, I don't fully understand how it is installed. Airbags, compressor, valve solenoids and plumbing can be sourced from anywhere. I can build my own electronics. Using pressure sensors and an IMU instead of height sensors could work. I like the idea to level the truck on push of a button, drive at stock height or even lower on the highway and lift the truck several inches for off roading.

 

Basically the LR3/LR4. If you have the chance/ability to, I would highly recommend test driving it on and off road. I think the air suspension is one of the best things about them, but its a double edged sword.


What do you primarily use the vehicle for? Adding more components and complexity to the suspension will lead to more failure points and decreased reliability. Like the LR3 for example amazing system but if/when it fails it can leave you stranded on the side of the road or trail. Not trying to discourage you, but want to point it out.

 

More points of failure is the backside of added complexity. It's a tradeoff between functionality and reliability. In this case I would take the risk, since I really need the benefits. I can pick quality parts and I can fix it myself easily because it's my own design. I can even carry critical parts as spares.

 

It’s nice to hear a bit of a positive spin on air suspension. I really like the EAS on my P38. As it was LR’s first stab at EAS, it is a bit glitchy. The electronics get a bad rap, but by far the main issue is not maintaining the 25 year places that air can leak from. It took me a year and a half to sort my leaks all out but since then it’s been really reliable. It’s better off road than my D2 (with 2” lift), and WAY better on the highway.

 

I've emailed RAC in the last few weeks asking for pics or install instructions but haven't heard back. Maybe I'll try again and reference this thread. I did find a bad video and a pic of one installed online, and it did allow me to see that it moves the front shock to the outside and rear of the coil spring, seems it should work fine? My other option is to look further at a P38, and see if the shock mounts can be removed and transferred to the Disco. Either way, the fact that the P38 did it inspires me to believe I can do it too


Not a great photo, but it's slim pickins out there, lol

Bad video:
https://images.app.goo.gl/5pRKJrCS48VvAdk2A

For me, it's that the D2 has solid axles and the later models don't. IFS is a deal breaker for me, in an offroad vehicle anyway.

I was firmly against air ride suspensions for most of my life. Reliability being the main concern of course. But as I'm researching it today, it seems to major problems they used to have are remedied, and a reliable system isn't a pipe dream at all. The valves, compressors, variety of control systems, the air tubing, not to mention the way the air bags themselves have advanced, make it a very viable, and even advantageous system to play with, IMO.

And then I saw someone wheeling with a P38 on mostly old school stock air ride, and that thing was blowing everyone else away, it didn't even have self leveling or any of the cool new toys we have today.... it got me thinking and dreaming. The ability to level while on the go when off camber, to lower the vehicle for HWY travel and getting under low things. and to self level when at camp using both air suspension and tire pressures....

 

Air is REALLY good at keeping the wheels on the ground.

 

"For me, it's that the D2 has solid axles and the later models don't. IFS is a deal breaker for me, in an offroad vehicle anyway"

I've wheeled both at least 25+ each. They both excel in different things, and wheeling in my definition is a blanket statement for all types of off-roading (mud, rocks, snow, sand, trails, and overlanding. In my opinion D2 + LR3 combo will net you the best of almost everything out of a vehicle.

D2 Off-road: (with sliders, and 2"+ lift)
Pro
- Solid axles, lots of tire + rim options, easy to lift, great approach (with bumper modification) + breakover angles, decent aftermarket parts + upgrades, and easy to make modifications to the vehicle. Easy to work on the vehicle, with plenty of space in the engine bay. Easy to reach spare tire, which can easily fit bigger tires.
Cons
- Terrible departures angle. I've torn off the rear factory plastic bumper off several times. When rock crawling the rear quarter panel and gas tank are at risk of being damaged. The low hanging diff is something to worry about, but a diff guard and a spotter can remedy this. No factory recovery points (on the ones I've seen at least).

LR3 Off-road:
Pros:
- air suspension (factory) can give you a 2" lift with a push of a lever, or with lift rods, an even higher lift. Plenty of space inside for gear and people.
- with the GAP IID tool you can level the car out using the "test valves" function.
- This is probably my favorite thing about this vehicle. you can comfortable sleep 2 people inside!!!! No tents, no setting up stuff, just put the seats down and lay out a bed roll. The car is pretty well insulated and I've never gotten super cold in it. Even camping in the snow. What's even better is with a 4 person. RTT I can bring 6 people on a trip. That doesn't leave a bunch of room for gear, but if you pack light its manageable.
- LR3 Terrain Response. Game changer, the computer(s) will make nearly any obstacle a breeze. I'm talking you just steer and give it some gas and it does all the work. On snowy/icy roads it's incredible. No matter what I do I can't get it to break traction when in the snow mode.
-Factory recovery points that are SUPER strong, and are actually accessible.

One thing that I think is overlooked is how easy it is to do trips in it. You can get anywhere fairly fast in comparison to a D2, with more comfort, more space, and with only 2 people you can sleep in the car in any weather. Plus with plenty of room for gear you can easily bring more stuff. For example, this weekend I'm going to camp in rainy 20F weather and do a 6/10 difficulty trail according to onX. I could take the D2 but it would add another hour to the trip and I don't have a cold weather tent. Only a hammock. The LR3 can do the trail just fine, be comfortable the entire trip, and be warm + dry at night.

Cons:
-Limited tire options in comparison. I run 32" KM3s on a 18 inch rim and I rub at full turn. You can't reliably run bigger tires without risk of tearing up the wheel wells. You also can't fit 32" in the spare tire spot, unless you deflate the tire. If you get stuck in the mud/snow it's a PITA to get it out. There's a sharp metal piece and a key part of the wiring harness behind the rear wheels. If you rub through you can damage your tire at best, or tear up some wires and have a very $$$ repair. If there's any faults with the air suspension or it goes into limp mode, you're pretty much stuck going under 10mph on the road. There are work arounds such as the SYA from L8, or pulling a few fuses to disable the compressor/valves/suspension computer.
- LR3's are heavy (stock ~5,800lbs, compared to D2's ~4,800lbs). I weighted mine at 6,600lbs with 1 person, full tank, steel bumpers, sliders, and RTT. Because they are heavier and have to run smaller tires, you're more likely to sink in sand/mud/deep snow.

D2 On road:
Pro
-IMO looks sick, and I get a lot of compliments driving it.
Cons
-Ride quality isn't great, esp with a lift and with 32" tires its woefully under powered. I drive at most 55/60mph with my set up (32" and 4" lift).Gas milage takes a huge hit too.

LR3 On road:
- Very comfortable to drive and be a passenger in. Great visibility with a commanding view of the road, better mpg and power. I've done cross country road trips in it, 2x overlanding trips and never felt truly uncomfortable in it.

TLDR: D2 better for dedicated off-roading/ weekend warrior. LR3 is great for long road trips, overlanding, and general driving. While still maintaining quite a bit of off-road performance.
This is definitely a side tangent and may be better as it's own thread.

 

Go for man. The folks who are saying “buy a different rover” I don’t think they get it. If you wanted to wheel an lr3/lr4 you’d be hearing “sWaP oUt YoUr BaGs FoR cOiLs BeCaUsE tEcHnOlOgY sCaRy!!!!” Just like carburetor guys are scared of fuel injection…….there really isn’t anything that complicated about a few air bags, a compressor, a tank, a distribution block, and heck even a few ride height sensors if you wanna get fancy. I’ve been thinking about this as well because I have 1/4” between the top of my rover and the garage door, and the AZ sun isn’t too nice to the weak clearcoats on these things. As soon as I add a roof rack, it’s gonna be stuck outside 😱

it almost seems like you could get the lr3/lr4 style bags/struts to fit without too much work, you’d probably have to beef up the mount on the axle side because they support the weight through the strut. But my calibrated eye-crometer thinks that the tops of the bags might just fit in the spring cups. (I have done no investigation into this so far…..just thoughts)

 

THAT'S a cool idea! Now I'm curious what actual travel range is of the LR3 air ride is, all the way down to all the way up? Same for the P38 OE setup, how much range do those have? Is it worth using an aftermarket bag, or modifying the mounts, or better to use the P38 stuff that just bolts in easy like? So far, the most travel on an air spring that I've been able to find numbers for, are the ones I linked to before, the U9000, at 15" highest and a 4.25" lowest heights (maybe that doesn't include the mounts tho?). I measure the coil springs compressed length on my old D2 sitting still, and vehicle unloaded, at about 9.5" front and 9" rear.

Anyway, feel free to share what ya know guys, I'm curious and excited to see what we can come up with.... Happy modding!

Also, neat idea I've seen before, just to spur some extra creativity.... Rock slider nerf bar air tanks, with hose connections for tire filling

 

Ack, if I had the time this weekend I could measure on the LR3. Maybe sometime this week.

Talking with others and building my own air system I've come up with a few potential spots for a compressor and air tank. On my old D2 I mounted a Smittybilt air compressor where the previous SLS compressor used to be. I cut off the mount and just bolted the compressor to/through the frame on the driver side. You can fit a harbor freight air compressor in the bracket for the old SLS. I did this but for my application it didn't have enough CFM. Discorama did it first and I based my system off his. Props to him! He did a write up on it and I'll post it if I can find it. Good spot if you don't rock crawl. depending on the dimensions of the compressor it may hang low and get caught on a rock. For the air tank, I've heard people mounting it to the underside of the body, right in front of the rear axle. There's an open space there. At least with no sway bars. I currently don't have them and I have done a loose test fit a 2 gallon air tank, with no problems. But the style I'm mounting it in, you will need to drill through the body to run 2-4 bolts to hold it in place. If you don't have ACE, you could buy an LR3 air tank and put it there? I believe it will fit but not 100%. Or go the DIY way and make your own tank using PVC. Be careful of the material and how you build it. Some materials can't withstand the pressure and it will become a bomb.

"Also, neat idea I've seen before, just to spur some extra creativity.... Rock slider nerf bar air tanks, with hose connections for tire filling"
I LOVE this idea. Idk how much volume you could get out of it, but for an application like this it could work out well! I thought it would be sick to close up the frame and make it the air tank, but that's just asking for rust from the moist air. You could also put a drier before the tank and make it work. I'm actually test fitting an air chuck on the front an rear of the car that way I can use a shorter hose compared to a long hose. A guy I know made an elaborate system that auto inflates each tire to a specified PSI. All he has to do is hook up the 4 short air hoses he made and press a button. He'll walk around and chat with us while were squatting or kneeling on the ground watching a pressure gauge. To make it sufficient for filling up tires on a regular basis, get a higher CFM one than the HF one. It literally took me 30 minutes to air up 4 tires with the compressor, and it got REAL hot. I doubt it could do it more than 3 times. I'll have to do a write up when I do my on board air system.

Here's a link to the thread Discorama made:
https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...-104064/page3/