So i have done a bit of off roading. I used to (sigh) have 94 jimmy slt...

it was a giant POS, the 4x4 never worked that good....but I never could seem to kill it (many tries)....

anyway.....Now that I finaly have the truck that I have always wanted I cant wait to go off road.

I've had it for about 9 months, and I will be doing a major service on it as well as upgrading the old saggy susp for a 2" spring/shock lift.

i have a couple of questions. and please feel free to add any tips or advice from your experience.

Is there anything that I need to know about off roading a Disco specificly?
Is there I should know about the transfer case or shifting the transfer case?

anything else you guys can throw my way would be great.

I can drive off road im confident about my abilities, Im just more worried about operating a Disco....as I dont want to ruin it but rather enjoy where it is meant to be used....

thanks

Matt

 

Like you said you're going to do, get up to date on that service so you can help prevent any unneeded issues in the field. If you haven't moved your transfer case lever since you bought it, you may want to make sure that the linkage hasn't frozen up from non-use. Make sure to lube your chassis and propshafts before heading out, check coolant, oil, etc,....

I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the performance of your Disco off road, especially with that extra 2" of ground clearance from the lift. Get out there and enjoy it!

...And If you do end up locking the CDL, make sure to unlock it before hopping back on the road home

 

so I can only engage and dis-enage the cdl on mud.....not hard surfaces?

what tires do you guys recommend with the 2" lift?

and I have yet to move the transfer case shifter......

how do i go about making sure that it works properly?


thanks for the help!

Matt

 

the cdl can be engaged anytime, as long as no wheels are sliping, for peace of mind I do it at low speed on even ground. the high to low, put it in neutral while still rolling slowly, make sure the needle for you speedo is sitting on the peg(<5mph) and slip it up or down, I've found this works best. you can shift it standing still but i've found sometimes the gears won't line up and its hard to slip it back in, if this happens put it in gear to spin the trans put it back in neutral and try again. you can move the shifter in any way around the figure 8 pattern as long as its in neut when you move up or down.

 

as far as tires I've been looking real hard latly at what I want. Most people go with a 245/75/16(wider&little taller) or 235/85/16(skinny and tall but might need minor trimming of inner wheel wells. as for brand and type thats all preference, for me I think I will go with hankook dynapro ATM RF10, they have some good reveiws not too expensive and are agressive enough without sacrificing ride quality, but thats just me.

 

You can move your CDL while sitting in your driveway.
Engine running, trans in neutral, move the CDL shifter forward, then to the left, then back, then to the right.
It should move freely, do this once a month ever month to keep it working correctly.

As for when to use the CDL, as soon as you leave the pavement, you want to be in the proper gear range before you get into trouble.
You know your going to run across mud, sand, deep snow, whatever shift into CDL and then either hi or lo range.
Lo is good for upto ~35mph.
You can run the CDL at any road speed and for any length of time.
I have driven 180 miles in a snow storm with mine in hi-lock on the expressway at speeds upto 65mph.
BUT the roads were wet/snow/ice covered.

 

Move the lever left to lock the CDL. A light will come on the dash when it is locked. DO NOT DRIVE ON DRY PAVEMENT with it locked. It will bind the driveline and possible break and axle, diff, or the t-case. This mates the front and rear driveshafts together. They will turn equally no matter what.

Move it forward to go into low range. Try to stop on an incline and shift the tranny to N. Move the diff shifter, and if it won't go all the way, release the brakes and let it roll a little until it engages. Top speed in low is about 35 with the engine wrapped up pretty good.

The above suggestions are good, just wanted to make sure you knew what not to do. I have driven on snow covered highways pushing the snow with my bumper at 60 too. Just make sure to unlock it when the pavement dries up, under 5MPH.

 

Matt,

All of these are very good points, check out that cdl lock prior to going.
Like Spike said, you can check it sitting still in the driveway. If it moves smoothly right to left, and the dash light (a set of two axles and 4 wheels) comes on, it is indicating it is locked. High to low is from back to forward position, and will only be done in neutral.

Also make sure the differentials, transfer case, and ball swivels are all topped off with lube. Take extra fluids with you, just in case.

Go easy until you get used to it. "As slow as necessary, as fast as possible." Work it like a farm machine, that's what they really were.
Keep a little momentum to keep moving, but don't do the crash and bash routine. Watch your approach angles and your side to side angles to avoid a rollover.

Go to YouTube and do a search on Rover Crashes and Rovers stuck if you want to see what NOT to do. You'll learn a lot of things to avoid.

I always get a kick out of watching the crash videos, especially when somebody rolls one really bad and his friends all rush to his aid. Someone always shouts " Are you OK?"

One guy screamed back, "Hell no I am not OK. I just flipped my Rover Over Dammit."

And do not go alone, unless you take plenty of provisions.............

 

wow, thanks guys! I really dig this forum.

tomarow I will engage it in the driveway just to see how well the shifter moves.....

hopefully it will go over well.

thanks again


Matt

 

my advice is to watch out for rocks.

they can damage your truck.