if you need that extra 2.5 lift, hit the up button on the switch twice. that puts you to extreme lift mode.

Read your owners manual if you don't believe me.

 

Good place to off road near Los Angeles is Hungry Valley, which is a state park just north of Pyramid Lake. Plenty of beginner and intermediate trails. There are also some beginner trails just off the 14 freeway near Canyon Country.

 

Hungry Valley looks awesome! Thanks! Also, to Rovin 4 Life, I looked in the manual and it said to go even higher you must push down on the break pedal and hold the off road height button up for three seconds. I did this and I heard something but did not feel the car go up any higher...did I just not feel it? Also the are the approach and departure angles for the LR3 posted online according to regular off road height, or the "extreme" off road height?

 

The car will only go into extended mode when that LR3 is hung up. Here is more detail from another posting on this topic:

There isn’t an extra sensor, it uses the suspension air gallery pressure sensors to detect a drop in pressure, together with the height sensors and wheel rotation sensors on each wheel, it usually takes about 40 seconds or so before extended mode will kick in, once in extended you can force an extra 35mm by putting your foot on the brake and operating the suspension height switch upwards until it ‘bongs’ at you and the message appears on the display…..


To test:

Put the car in off-road height. Get a solid block of wood that will just fit under the chassis rails. Jump in hte car and lower to normal height. The car will sense the obstruction and go into extended mode. You can now use the manual over-ride (as described above)to get to emergency profile.

...and more...

Also you can get it to lift another inch & and 1/2ish into super extended mode by stepping on the brake and pushing the offroad height selector about 5 secs. I find that handy when I need to get at the undercarriage.

 

awesome, thanks! Also I don't have the rear differential (I think). How much of a difference does that make off road?

 

Glad to hear you want to get your LR3 dirty. You are joining a fine minority of people in the world. First, the advise that you have seen already is pretty good. However, I would urge you to join SCLR at Southern California Land Rover - SCLR. They are the local club for so cal and they have many events, including one coming up in October at Hungry Valley. A great group of people with many different vehicles, and experience levels. A few of our members have winches on their LR3's although I do not.

While I also have a set of the Johnson Rods, which work great, and you can take on and off, there is a new EAS controller that is being developed out of Canada, and I have one of the beta units. This allows you to make the adjustment electronically to your suspension so that you can keep it in factory mode around town (tires permitting) and then adjust electronically when you are ready to wheel. There is some controversy whether the additional angle of the offroad height, and the long term expansion of the bags causes more wear or not. Who know what the actual answer is in that regard. Tires are a huge factor, and my personal preference is Cooper Zeon LTZ's in 285x60x18. The max diameter that the truck accomodates without some rubbing is about 31.5 inches. There are a few who go to 32, but they do get some rubbing, or they have to run lifted all of the time. Personal preference I would say.

As far as rear differential, it seems to be most helpful in rock crawling situations and some heavy articulated areas where there is a slick surface. I know many LR3's without the locking rear diff and they can go everywhere I go, just takes a bit more finesse.

IMHO, the LR3 is the most comfortable, capable, off the dealer floor offroad vehicle, and with relatively minor mods become a great offroad vehicle. Feel free to PM me and I can show you the ropes sometime, maybe up in the Cleghorn area off the 15 FWY.

 

Thanks guys, you have all been helpful. Also, I have heard really good things about thins winch

Amazon.com: ProMark Offroad 12,000 lb Silverback Series Wireless Recovery Winch for Jeep, Trucks, 4x4 includes Free Accessories SC: Automotive

Has anyone heard different, or used it at all?

 

As far as winches go, several members of SCLR have installed "hidden" winches inside of the front bumper. You can check out Winch Install to see pic's of the install. I have to admit it is really slick and you don't even know it's there, but it only takes a second to pull off the license plate, which is installed with magnets.

 

Here is another guy's web page with some upgrade ideas. LR3, Swing Away Tire Mount Installation « JAK: IN DETAIL
He has installed a Warn winch hidden, plus a rear tire carrier for his oversized tires. It is difficult to get an oversized tire to fit underneath the truck. Mine is deflated.