Yo Land Rover Forums!

I have a 2003 Land Rover Discovery and I want to get it ready for off roading.

I want to lift it as much as possible without having to buy or change my brake lines, drive shaft, etc..

I heard that a 2 to 3inch suspension lift with a 2 to 3 inch body lift is as high as you can lift a discovery without having to change driveshaft or brake lines.

I'm not sure where to get lift kits or get them installed.

I also want to get some big *** tires. Not Super Swampers but somthing for mud terrain.

I'm not sure where to get those and install them aswell.

I also want to get 2 lights on front bumber and 4 on top of the car.

I want to get a hood rack.

I also want to get lockers.

I also want to get a skid plate.

And a grill/light cages and a grill cage that has a winch mount.

THANKS

I really want to get lifted for some extra ground clearance.

I want to easily be able to take a curb in this bitch.

 

Well - I'm in a similar situation with my 2000. About the most tire you'll want to run is a 265/75/16. Equals to about a 31.5 / 32 inch tire. Body lifts are a mess. Above about an inch or so (and no one makes one for a D2 to my knowledge-hopefully someone will chime in with one) they're a real pain. Stuff stops fitting. Linkages are no longer long enough. Your engine moves away from everything on the body - radiator, wiring etc. So - 2-3 inches more height from tires, another 2 from your springs and you're about where you're going to get without doing driveshafts, brake lines etc.

With 3.54:1 being stock for most of us, re-gearing would also seem to be in order with anything like a signifigantly taller tire...

 

By your post I assume you haven't been wheeling in your rig yet. Go take it before you dump an *** load of money into it just to find that you really won't need some of that stuff.

Unless you're positive you want to go competition grade ridiculous trail only rig you'll be surprised to find you'll be keeping up with the 8" lifted jeeps on 33's that have new gears/axles and 10 grand elsewhere dumped into them with just a 1.5" OME lift and a decent set of 265/75-16 tires (biggest you can go on that lift).

In other words, take your rig down the hardest trails you think it can handle and then take it harder until you find you really need to upgrade. You'll be surprised at what it can handle.

My truck is 100% stock, and (don't feel like reposting the pictures) I was keeping up with and surpassing my friends cherokee, which I don't even know how high it's lifted and he's got 33" tires/etc etc.

Welcome to the forum

 

Well I don't actually have the rig yet.
I was going to sign the final sales papers tommorow.
But here is my problem.
I'm going to use it to off-road - I'm not going to be doing rock crawling or competitions.
But I will be off-roading at least once a week.
And my friends have a F150 with 4inch lift, Jeep Wrangler 8inch lift, and another jeep one of them have 32in super swampers.
I just want to make sure I can keep up with them in a stock rig.

I can either get a

2003 Disco SE with 75K Miles for 10,000
2003 Disco S with 61K Miles for 8,000

I was thinking of getting the S and use the 2,000 bucks extra for off-roading equip.
But if you think a stock land rover can take the punishment then I should go with the SE???

I just want to make sure I'm not going to damage anything.
I would rather spend the 2,000 and be safe with the extra clearance and protective undercarriage.

I had a BMW and hit a curb going 25 and the damage to the one tire/rim/suspension totaled the car.
So that's why I'm getting a LR to off road and to destory curbs lol.

 

Also I found a body lift for a D2

http://www.lucky8llc.com/Products.asp?ProductID=2131

 

hehe, well after an experience like that I definitely respect your ideas. I've eaten plenty of curbs in my day and believe me, these trucks really do eat them. My plans for my truck are almost exactly the same as yours. I haven't decided to go with an OME lift (about 1.5 inches, $700 for springs and shocks) or a Pro Comp lift (2 inches, $500). Make sure you get the VINs for any 03 DII you look at and call the dealer and ask them if the VIN falls in the range for the oil pump failure. It's not covered on a recall, and if it does fail you're looking at a new engine. Any DII you get you MUST replace the double cardon in the front driveshaft with greasable u joints or it will fail, and give your transmission some nice new holes for aero dynamics in it. Also it will cost about $7000 to fix. And you also MUST use premium gas.

You may want to look at a DI too. They're a lot simpler in terms of electronics and such, so a lot less that can go wrong on a trip. But the DII's do have the advantage of hill decent and electronic traction control and stuff. Just something to think about.

anyway, when you do get it, take it wheeling a few times to get used to what it can handle. A lot of people get used to rigs like you mentioned that need huge lifts and stuff and move to a Rover and are surprised at what it can handle with 2", and even stock. Oh, and if you go over 2" of lift you're going to need a lot of new crap (drive shafts, brake lines, etc) so most people stay at or under 2.

Edit: forgot to mention, do a search for the 3 amigos on the Disco forum, they're the second annoying problem with the DII.

 

Thanks for the reply!
Yeah I know all about Premium gas from the bimmer.

Yeah 2inches sounds perfect for me.

I just want some mud terrain tires.

 

Read my post to you on the LRO.
Don't buy this truck unless you have a good $10000 TO SPEND ON IT FOR ALL THE STUFF YOU ARE DREAMING ABOUT.
ALSO CALL A ROVER DEALER SERVICE MANAGER AND SEE IF THE TRUCK YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS ON THE ENGINE FAIKURE LIST BY THE VINN, YOU DON'T WANT to buy a new engine somewhere down the road cause you were in too much of a hurry to buy something.

 

I checked with a dealer they said the engine failure was with

The VIN range is all 2003 Discoverys ending with 3A771801 – 3A808362

The three I was looking at our

3A780420 - Which Does Have The Engine Failure Luckily Someone Bought it two day's ago!!!
3Z824545 - Which Doesn't Have The Engine Failure YAY!
and
3A812785 - Which Doesn't Have The Engine Failure YAY!

I did realize that there is a lot more off-road equipment for 02's then 03's?
Should I just go with a 02?

 

Also if I could ask where do you guys buy your parts from?

Do you have a few websites?