Hey Houm_wa, I do. I read another topic here (I’ll have to find it) where several users were discussing their experience between running the Australian xLifter version (I forget it’s specific name), rods, and the gap tool.

What I took away from that thread from several members is that you can lift higher in off-road setting with the rods so that you’re not out of range of the lift sensor than just gap alone and you will have the most adjustability when dialing in the rods in conjunction with the GAP tool.

The comment about additional strain does make sense, and if every rover driver we’re going off a a 20 foot cliff, I wouldn’t follow, but I was trying to lean on the collective experience of members here where I could find resources online for capability modifications that had been tested. While I wouldn’t necessarily want to spend the time or money, I should be able to fix anything that breaks on this car. It is not my daily driver and I bought it for hobby purposes only. With that in mind, how do you (would you if you do) increase ground clearance that’s not SYA? Do rods not provide additional clearance when I’m off road?

Also, I specifically chose 275/65/R18 as the largest size on the stock wheels so that if I went on bump stops I ‘should’ still be able to drive away. I’m still looking into trail air up solutions if something goes wrong. I’ve also already ordered the valve blocks and compressor o-ring rebuild kits as preventative maintenance.

 

SYA doesn't increase ground clearance, it decreases up-travel. It's basically a bump stop for running tires that are too big to fit in the wheel well.

I off-road pretty regularly with the local Land Rover club, and there has never been a situation where the stock off-road height wasn't enough, and the speed-limit doesn't bother me, if I need the clearance I don't need to go 30 mph.

If you like the way the rods make your truck look, go for it, it's yours, but they don't really make it more capable, in fact every inch you add in clearance you take away from down-travel which tends to make your rig more tippy.

 

Thanks Evsteroo. I legitimately thought it provided more ground clearance. I think another post said they keep the rods as back ups, its easy enough to switch them and they were relatively cheap.

Would you mind sharing your suspension setup? Wheels, tires sizes, modifications, etc.? Thanks a bunch.

 

I just use the GAP tool.

There are three possible saved settings. If you need more adjustability than that, you're having too much fun with it!! 😁

I have a saved setting (ie EAS Calibration that is taller) for off-roading. It is just on the edge of the range such that I can still go into Extended Mode. I do this to clear my 275/65R18s and yes it gives a little extra ground clearance too, at the expense of down travel.

It works for me. My tires don't rub, and I can just do this at the trailhead, and go back to normal height after. So my suspension components are only being stressed for that short duration on the trail and at low speeds....and I can stay in Normal height if I want to.

A few trucks need rods and GAP in order to get enough additional height to clear the tires, I guess there is some variance in the geometry....but most LR3s can do what I described above.

I still have rods. I used to use them myself. They have been in a shoe box for 10 years. I bring them on trips in case my GAP fails. Other than that they are a relic.

 

Right on ... your posts may have been one of the ones I read previously about using them as a backup. Okay, I'll play with the GAP settings further. I still have a leaking transfer case to deal with.

 

I run 265/65/R18 K02s on stock wheels which clear everything in the wheel well with only a minor amount of rubbing (on plastic) at full articulation. I have a GAP tool, but I never use it for raising or lowering the suspension. I just use the switch on the center console when I know I'll be climbing over some rocks. I have a few modifications (ARB locker in rear diff, rock sliders, etc.) but none are suspension related.

IMHO modifying LR3s to operate continuously well outside of their design parameters is the quickest way to make a relatively reliable vehicle no longer reliable. The LR3 does look cooler when it's lifted, I can't argue with that but, for me, mechanical sympathy outweighs looks by a wide margin.

 

I'm with you. Nice to hear from someone who is taking it off-road regularly. Did you install the locker yourself? Scale of 1-10, what would you say the difficulty was if so. That was 1/2 the reason for I got the CKMA12 for compressor duty with plans for a locker in the future.

 

I had a local driveline shop do the ARB installation, so I can't accurately comment on the difficulty, but I'd say it is high. I'm about to do a bench rebuild on a used front diff, and from my research, I expect that to be a 6-7 out of 10, due, in part, to the necessity for some specialty tools to do the job right (hydraulic press, bearing pullers, etc). Additionally, the ARB differential install requires drilling an accurately positioned hole in the diff housing for your air line, and may make it more difficult to get your backlash and contact pattern back in spec due to the possibility of small dimensional differences between the ARB differential and the OEM differential. For those reasons, I (as someone who feels relatively comfortable with the front diff rebuild I'm about to do) am not going to attempt a front locker install.

In short, I'd recommend paying a reputable shop to install the ARB locker if you aren't already very comfortable with rebuilding diffs.

 

Llams is the aussie electronic lifter, a real game changer being able to override the factory speed limitations on the height settings,
From minus 2" to plus 4" at the turn of a dial .

https://llams.com.au/