Picked up my "new" '04 SE7 (17k miles) about 4 weeks ago and am very happy with it. Last weekend was the first time I have taken it truely off road. It performed very well over some demanding roads and "trails". It also came home very muddy! I went through my usual car wash and everything came clean except some areas that might need more serious cleaning. Question: what is the recommended cleaning procedures or warnings for this year/model? For instance, can I take my home pressure washer (max 1200psi) and use a reduced setting (maybe half or less pressure) and spray the wheel wells out? Anythings to watch for? I understand from my indy mechanic that he has seen problems with an electrical connector that is in the left rear wheel well above the tire. I think he said it was a connector in the wire that feeds the fuel pump?? I also would like to spray the areas around the rear mud flaps as there is a lot of mud stuck where the flaps meet the body. This should be OK I guess. Maybe there will not be so much here after my running boards come in. Next ??: My Disco has Goodyear HP 255/55/18's and I would be interested in tire pressures that someone recommends. I have tried the manual's recommendation and that was great for off-road. Seems a little firm for highway driving but letting them down a few pounds didn't make the ride smoother so I put them back to the manual's recommended pressures. Maybe raising them a little from here would mean a slight increase in fuel mileage but I would not want to make the ride any stifer since I have had several rounds of back surgery. I'm sure I will need seperate pressure settings for highway travel and one for off-road. Last questions on accessories: What can anyone recommend for a good front mounted winch. It dawned on me while driving through a "stream" that I could have been stuck many miles from the nearest highway Sunday and might want a way to try to help myself out. Also, I've used PIAA wipers for other cars but they might not be available for this model Disco. What others would be good wiper blades, especially for muddy cleanups? I can say that this baby climbs like a goat! I safely went places that I doubt the National Guard could get to! On the TVA map they were marked as "unimproved trails"! What a great ride! Thanks, Ken

 

Ken,
Welcome to the world of Rovers.
There are only 2 wiper blades that work on a DII, factory and the onnes sold at, https://www.expeditionexchange.com/silblade/
Now I should warn you up front that I can not take responsibility for your going crazy on that site, BEWARE.
So, has your truck had it's 15 K service yet, remember they are free thru the 45 K.
As time goes by, think about going to 16" wheels especially if you are going to be wheeling alot, 18"ers real get torn up off the road.
Stay in touch with this site if you have any questions.
Mike

 

Once again, welcome to the enjoyment of owning a Discovery. There are several options when it comes to installing a winch. I would recomment going no less than a 9500lb winch. There are several ways you can go about installing a winch but most require the ugly thing hanging out the front, or installing a winch bumper wich need their own burshgurd and affect the ways your airbags may work. Depends on how much you plan to off road. I found a discreet winch mount at www.dap-inc.com which installs between the frame rails behing the stock bumper. It is a bolt on kit which requires only a little trimming of your stock lower bumper spoiler. All you see are the rollers up front and I have routed the romote so you can operate it as you drive. Mine is on a Series I but it is the same for the Series II. Works great!

[IMG]local://upfiles/2113/D9350B8DB49B478DA9AEA2073F3195D3.jpg[/IMG]

 

Thanks for the source of the Silblade for my Disco II! Also for winches and front bars. What are the opinions here of the Bull Bars and Warn winches? I may not be off-road every weekend but when I go out I might be 20 miles or more from civilization (meaning paved roads....)

Also, what are the advantages and disadvantages of 16" tires and wheels vs 18"?? Especially also companing off-road vs highway driving? Wear vs comfort vs handling??

Thanks again, Ken

ps thanks for the warning about keeping my credit card locked up when visiting the expeditionexchange site!

 

Check out these bumpers, I like them over the ARB bumpers, https://www.expeditionexchange.com/tjm/
I also like these bumpers http://www.rovertym.com/ . Both are really strong bumpers.
I like the 9500 warn winch with the internal solonoid, slim and strong.
Mike

 

Forgot about the 18" wheel size.
16"ers are better all around the 18's. Stronger, much better selection, more tread designs, stronger side walls, cheaper and more stable.
18" side walls have a tendency to get torn up because of their small side walls.
My favorite tire, which I run is the 265/75/16 BFG MT with 3 ply side walls, very strong, good mileage, around 50,000 miles and great traction.
Mike

 

I appreciate the recomendations for the front bars and tire/wheel combos. Hope this isn't too stupid of a question but is it only 1 inch of ground clearance that is lost when going down to 16" wheels and tires? I like the looks of the Sahara bar for the front but will try to do some comparison shopping this week. Thanks again, Ken

 

You don't loose any ground clearance when going to 16" wheels cuse they have taller side walls to off set the smaller wheels. You need to drive this truck awhile prior to deciding on tires and winches and bumpers. The reason is, if you are going to do much wheeling and really need a winch, you should have a good bumper and winch installed and remove the factory bumper befor you tear it off. If you do the winch bumper combination, you will need to do a lift to off set the weight as the factory springs start to settle, which happens pretty quickly with the extra weight and off roading. If you do the lift then you need to buy a larger tire, like a 245/75/16 or a 265/75/16 to fit the new look and use.
In other words first things first, too many people get all excited and start buying toys for their truck before they really see what the truck can do, what they want to do, and what they need to modify to fit those requirements.
So take a deep breath, do lots of wheeling, look at what others have done to their truck over time and put a plan together.
Have fun,
Mike

 

Thanks everyone for the recomendations and advice. The Goodyear tires have good tread left (I assume they are the original tires??). Maybe through the summer as I get off-road more and more, I'll see how they are wearing and plan the switch to 16". It came with the "M-Parallel" wheels (hope this is a proper term, I have this style on 2 other cars-BMW and Jag-and like it). What is the correct name for this in Rover terms? I hate to have to replace the wheels ($$$). Would rather put some bucks in front bars, winch, skid plates, etc... One persn told me to be extra careful NOT to get near water deeper than the center of the wheels. Already broke that rule last weekend with water and mud up 1" or so on the doors. No leaks inside and never felt unsteady or near being stuck. I know (now) about the electronic modules under the seat and will be more careful in the future. I'll also make time to check the fluids for contamination. I'm more concerned about putting one or more skid plates under her and maybe look seriously at the different bar, bumper and winch combos. Since this is a business delivery truck during the week (computers, etc), I would like to keep it looking as clean as possible and less like something from the Outback. That was the thinking for leaning toward the Sahara bar. Thanks again for the help, ken

 

Ken,
A couple of things, your engine air intake is in your l/f wheel well and will suck water fast then you can say, "OH ****".
Diff guards are a plus, especially GT's. Skid plate are not all theye are made out to be, more for looks. I do lots of rock crawling with my DII and have found the mian protection to have is a pair of good sliders.Send me your e-mail and I'll send you a couple of pictures.
Mike