Lucky8 was lucky this week for sure! We were given the opportunity to tear into a brand new 2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 over the 4th of July holiday. The goal of this exercise was to come up with some tasteful modifications that would complement the new Discovery.



The list of mods we are shooting for are as follows:

A beefier front skid plate that integrates nicely with the factory bumper. The stock plates are good but we think that we can do better.



Hidden winch mount. We are hoping to do this with little to no cutting of the factory bumper. The initial measurements and test-fitting were very promising.



Driving light mounts. I know that this might sound superficial, but having auxiliary lights on fire roads and trails can quickly change from a “poser luxury item” to being an accident preventing piece of safety equipment.



Roof rack. This is nearly complete. It just needs to be a tad bit longer.



Lastly, rock sliders. Our initial findings have proven one thing: This mod is going to be difficult.



Due to the short amount of time we had with the truck, we had some limitations on the mods we could explore. Most regrettably we were not able to get a more realistic tire size in hand to run on the stock wheels. In true Lucky8 fashion we did try and see how large of a tire we could stuff under the truck. Did you expect anything less?



Finally, I would like to address some of the hate mail that we have received over this project. I have been around Rovers long enough to remember that the Discovery 2 (D2) was the end of Land Rover. That's right, all that technology in the D2 was the death of the brand. Even sitting here typing those words sounds utterly ludicrous, but I remember it vividly. Then the LR3 on the other hand was a complete abomination. With the launch of it Land Rover completely destroyed the brand and all of those electronics were nothing but a hindrance. Let's not even discuss that “awful” air suspension. Yes, that was most people’s initial view and reaction in 2005 to the LR3. For many years I believed it myself. Now everybody is clamoring to hang on to the last real Rover being the LR4. Who can blame them? The reality of it is that I've done more with Project LR3 than I have with the D1, D2 or even the Defender and all while being comfortable and still able to do 80mph down the thruway on 35's.

The truth is that Land Rover Discovery 5 (soon to be nicknamed D5) is here whether you like it or not, so why not embrace the new technology? Smile, get your scissors out and start the modifications.



Enjoy the Photos

Justin

 

Great to see! Looking forward to what you come up with.

What's the challenge for the rock sliders?

 

Also, what wheels are they?

 

They are a modified TF wheel

 

 

I just bought a 2020 discovery se. I want to rough it up and get this same set, wheels roof rack etc. who can do this for me and how much?

 

Just curious, are there wheel spacers on the D5 above? Some of the photos looks like the wheels and tires are pushed out more than normal.

 

Are these wheels available for purchase?

 

Such a great looking rig! Surprised not much discussion over this thread. I would love to one day get my D5 setup like that. Looks so awesome built up. Even just a little makes a huge difference in my opinion. These are great looking rigs.

I also remember the days of the LR3 release. I bought one with the HD rear locker pkg, put a 2” lift and some 32” AT tires. Added sliders and under armor skidplates. That thing was practically unstoppable on the trails. So many people would be blown away at it capabilities.

Hope to get my D5 close to that level one day but it looks like the aftermarket attention is 100% on the new Defender. Hoping there is so overflow into the D5 platform…