MyRovers.com

Well, I finally got around to swapping out and installing the modified sensors! The front sensors were clipped 13mm and the rears were 12mm. 2-1/2″ overall lift accomplished!!! The fronts more because of the heavy ARB bumper installed. In a nutshell:

new access mode = old normal mode
new normal mode = old offroad mode
new offroad mode = super mega extended mode!!!!

note: at new offroad mode, rear camber looks a little off. No big deal because I’ll only use when needed. Front camber looks fine. I’ll definitely keep an eye on it though. Side note - ALL tire rub vanished at full lock on the front now!!

In “new” normal mode, the computer does not kick down at 30mph. Yeah Baby!! In “new” access mode, while driving, the computer still allows all speeds. Whew! Rides like stock at this setting. “Old” access mode is now lost. Who cares. I don’t slam, and I hate 22’s!!

to shorten the rods, I simply cut out the amount from the centers with a very fine toothed mini-hacksaw. The plastic is pretty rigid so no problems there. Be sure to leave equal parts available on the remaining ends. After cutting down the arms, I filed the ends to accept tubing as a sleeve. I bought fuel line as well as clear vacuum line of the proper diameter (I’ll check that diam tomorrow morning and let you know). I chose the clear for the first run just so I could see if the ends were butted tight (shut up Griff). I then dropped a small amount of Krazy glue gel into the ends. After that, I put a dab of clear silicone inside the tubing and pushed the ends together. Let them sit over night and installed the next day. Unplugging the ends is pretty simple. First, use a small Torx bit to unbolt the sensor (2) then unplug. The rubber grommets come off pretty easy after that. Just turn each front wheel to full lock to access one at a time. I did take off the rear tires to gain access. I don’t see any other way. Be sure to remember the exact orientation of the ends before you cut and splice. The fronts are 90* off from the bottom. The rears are lined up. I’ll keep the originals around to someday fab up some links which are proper. Threaded rod with adjustable grommets seems do-able. Plastic and rubber is lame. You’ll see.

LR3 Suspension

http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic14219-60.html

The front links are available seperately…

Part #RVF500011

US retail is about $5.00 each.

The front links are turned 90 degrees out. the rears are in line.

I am not going to recommend that anyone actually do this though, there are still to many unknowns as to an algorythm freak out if the yaw sensor does not like the new specs especially at speed…. Not to mention, warranty will go out the window.

SO, with that being said…

After a month and 1000 miles, I’ve had no problems…..YET!!!

Shortening the rods ~10mm will basically put standard height at where off-road height used to be, while maintaing driver access to off-road height, and still keeping an extended mode.

We tried 3 different lengths…

35mm shorter… Uh, way too tall. standard height is basically the same as stock extended mode… tooth fillings are now somewhere under the floor mats.

15mm shorter… Standard height is now 25mm higher than stock off-road height. Damn close to being perfect.

10mm shorter… Standard height is now +-5mm from stock off-road height. Bingo!

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Joining rods removeing, Front, just turn steering full lock to make it accesable. Rear , put in off road hight, open door and leave it open, jack up and it is good to get at, use some silicon spray to lube up the rubber ends, push of the top rubber first, a blunt small screwdriver will help but be carefull, then remove the bottom rubber, be carefull as the sensor lever is plastic and could be damaged.
To put back on this is realy easy, lube with silicon spray, and they push on with little effort. Caution a grease or spray must be compatable with rubber.

Good luck, it works well and is fairly quick Thumbs Up

Rob

PS. There is no need to remove wheels but it could make the rears a little easier, I did not.

PS, Order not quite correct, amend , off road first, oped door, turn steering, jack up for rear, hope that makes sense. Whistle

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Shorten front and back by exactly 10 mm.

There are several ways to acheive this, some have cut them to length and had them plastic welded.
I cut them to length, found some plastic hose that was a good tight fit, put some silicon in as glue, softened the tube with heat then then pushed it together, simple and strong. They held tegether with no sighn of failure on my recent trip, Just rember when you select some traction programs, off road hight will be automaticaly selected and you will have to put it back to on road hight [or that is what the computor thinks]

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Hose I.D. is 3/16th and Torx T20 for screw removal.

LR3 Chassis, LR3 Suspension

Here are the specifications for the stock 18″ and 19″ wheels that fit the Land Rover LR3/Discovery III. This information has been compiled from reports posted on this forum, and others. It does not include the 17″ wheel option for base spec models.

Wheel specifications:
- Pattern: 5 lug
- Pitch Circle Diameter: 120mm
- Offset is 53P (approximately 165mm or 6.5″ +/-)

Tire Options:

Generally, you are limited to just under 32″ dia tires for the LR3. People have reported minor rubbing with 32″ tires, and slight rubbing with 31.5″ tires.

General size comparison numbers:
- Tire size calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
265×60x18 = 30.5″
275×60x18 = 31″
285×60x18 = 31.46″
275×65x18 = 32 (probably too big)

Tire options - 18″ rims

* Nitto Terra Grappler 285/60/R18 (31.38″ x 11.54″)
* Bridgestone Dueler Revo AT’s - P265/70R18 People report rubbing with these (slightly larger than 32″ dia.) Also available at: 275/65TR18
* Pirelli Scorpion Zero - 255/60VR18
* Michelin Cross Terrain’s - 275/55/18
* BFgoodrich All Terrian - 265/65/18
* Goodyear Silent Armour Wranglers - 265/60/R18 and R19 (30.5″dia - May not be available yet in USA)
* Yokohama Geolander A/T-S - 275/60/18 or 265/60/18
* Cooper Discoverer - 285/55/18 or 265/60/18 (30.25″ and 30.4″)
* Toyo Open Country A/T 285/60/18 (31.4″ dia)
* General Grabber AT2 - 255/60/R18 (30″ dia) - May not yet be available?
* Goodyear MTR 275/60/R18 - Not available yet (in USA)
* Pirelli Ice/Snow Scorpion - 255/60/18
* Goodyear Wrangler AT/S - 275/65SR18
* Goodyear Wrangler HP -255/60/HR18 (not a good tire)
* Goodyear MTR LT275/65R18, “E” (Not yet available in the USA)

Tire options - 19″ rims

* Goodyear MTR 255/55/R19 - Not available yet (in USA)
* Goodyear Silent Armour Wranglers - 265/60/R19 May not be available yet (in USA)
* Michelin Synchrone 255/55/19
* Pirelli with the Scorpion Zero 255/55/19

LR3 Suspension

Front Brake Pads - changing Report post

Just done the front pads - on a scale of 1 - 10 they are a 1, very easy.

Tools required;

Good jack and stands, wheel brace, 13mm spanner, 15mm spanner, Pliers, brake cleaner, brake grease, piston retraction tool.

1. Securely jack the car onto axle stands and remove front wheels
2. On the left hand side, use pliers to pull the pad wear sensor off the pad
3. Remove the 13 mm bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper frame (use the 15mm spanner to hold the sliding joints whilst you undo the caliper bolts)
4. Discard the caliper bolts (new ones are in the kit)
5. Lift off the caliper and support, take care not to strain the brake pipe and wires.
6. Remove and discard the old pads.
7. Remove and discard the pad support springs (new ones in kit)
8. Use piston compression tool to fully retract pistons into caliper - take care and push the pistons slowly and squarely.
9. Clean the caliper with brake cleaner.
10 Fit the new support springs to the caliper frame
11 Smear a little brake grease onto the back of each pad, and a little onto the sliding surface that fits into the support spring
12 Fit the pads into the support springs
13 Replace the caliper onto the frame and use the new bolts to secure.
14 Refit road wheel

Make sure you put the wear sensor onto the left hand side inner pad. The wear sensor has a small brass contact spring that fits around it. This was stuck into my old brake pad, and could easily get lost so make sure you retrieve it.

Before you drive the car, pump the pedal to seat the pads properly. The brakes may be spongy for a few miles.

Took me 45 minutes for both sides.

LR3 Suspension

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….. be prepared for a nosebleed though, and take a ladder unless you have legs like a Giraffe Wink

Is normal extended + foot-brake + hold up button for 5 secoinds as high as it will go then?

Do whaqt I do. 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.

LR3 Suspension

Is normal extended + foot-brake + hold up button for 5 secoinds as high as it will go then?

LR3 Suspension

Delphi Air Suspension Featured on Land Rover Discovery 3 (LR3)

Delphi Corporation logo. (PRNewsFoto)

TROY, MI USA 08/03/2004

Technology helps provide exceptional blend of on- and off-road performance

New materials and manufacturing processes meet challenging targets

LUTON, United Kingdom, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ — Innovative air suspension
technology is helping Land Rover combine the legendary off-road ability of its
vehicles with exceptional refinement and driving dynamics. A key part in the
development of the airspring modules was played by Delphi Corp (NYSE: DPH),
which manufactures the units at its facility here. The new technology will be
available on the Discovery 3 (called LR3 in North America), launched at the
Mondial de l’Automobile show in Paris today.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020315/DEF002LOGO )
“The Discovery has always had an outstanding reputation for off-road
ability, which had to be maintained with the new vehicle,” said Guy Hachey,
Delphi vice president and president, Delphi Energy & Chassis. “The challenge
was to combine this with levels of suspension refinement that would normally
be expected in conventional luxury vehicles.”
Land Rover also set tough targets for packaging, durability and the air
spring’s ability to maintain vehicle trim height, even when left fully laden
for long periods with the engine off. The packaging requirement dictated the
use of small volume air springs, which made the refinement target more
challenging because the smaller air volume drives very high internal operating
pressures, introducing the possibility of suspension harshness.
The vehicle’s ability to travel quickly on poor surfaces presented further
challenges because air springs have a natural tendency to become stiffer under
low amplitude / high frequency road inputs, again potentially leading to
suspension harshness.
The technology chosen uses front and rear airspring modules with integral
twin-tube gas dampers, controlling the vehicle’s four-wheel independent
suspension. Delphi’s engineers developed a new generation of compact, very
high-pressure airspring units and new manufacturing and testing techniques to
provide consistently high quality.
The new airspring modules allow Delphi to meet the packaging targets and,
compared with conventional coil springs, weigh about 7 kg less. The units are
designed to withstand the most demanding burst pressure and temperature range
requirements set by any vehicle manufacturer.
The new design of airsleeve is constructed of soft, thin rubber reinforced
with nylon chords: a construction chosen to minimize suspension harshness. An
aluminum restraining cylinder is placed around the airsleeve to give it
rigidity, increase durability and allow it to resist very high pressures.
Protection from mud and stones is provided by a rubber gaiter.
During the design processes, Delphi engineers paid particular attention to
component sharing between front and rear units and to design-for-manufacture,
allowing faster development and reducing both development and manufacturing
costs. Final calibrations were supported by Delphi’s mobile ‘ride
laboratory,’ which allows the specification of components such as dampers, air
springs, spring aids, and top-mounts to be quickly changed and evaluated on
the vehicle.
Several new manufacturing and quality control processes were developed to
provide that the units will withstand the very high pressures required. More
than 35 in-line tests confirm critical stages of assembly, including two high-
resolution laser gauges accurate to just 0.001mm. At the end of the
production line, a custom helium leak test system is used to verify the
performance of every unit before delivery to Land Rover’s plant in Solihull,
United Kingdom.
As well as enabling an outstanding combination of on- and off-road
ability, the air suspension system provides automatic self-leveling,
regardless of the mix of passengers, cargo or trailering requirements, the
ability to change the ride height for increased ground clearance or to improve
the approach and departure angles for off-road driving, and the ability to
lower the vehicle to ease loading or for trailer attachment.
Other Delphi technology on the Discovery 3 (LR3) includes Delphi’s Smart
Cruise Control system to increase comfort on long journeys, an advanced airbag
system, a high-durability lead / calcium battery and a carbon canister for the
emissions control system.
For more information about Delphi, visit the Virtual Press Room is at
http://www.delphi.com/media .

LR3 Suspension

Installed the 265/65/18 BFGoodrich All-Terrains this week. Looks pretty good. Doing the math, they are only 2 millimeters taller than the 285/60/18 Nathan and others have been running. I went with these, because the BFG seems to have a gnarlier tread, the width is about 3/4 inch narrower, for a litttle more dig and bite through the snow we face around here, and honestly, I’ve used BFG before and just have a pile of faith in them. They’ve taken me through everything back when I had my FS Cherokee. Anyway, now you have even more choices in the big tire department.

How does it go? I’ve lost a little snap out of the throttle, which is to be expected. Stopping takes a little more too. Remember, you are adding about 20# per wheel additional rotating mass to the braking system, but it isn’t anything huge, just a change. Clearance is not a problem at all in the front, and the rear rubs on a little bump in the front of the wheel opening about halfway cross the tread. But just a little bit, and only when making a hard-core quick turn that leans the body into it. I suppose that it would rub that driving in access over bumps too. No problem, that shield is open @ the bottom, so anything that gets in there will leave anyway. I may hit it w/a heat gun to see if I can warp it inward. The thing that really suprised me is the the ride and handling. The ride is stiffer, and part of that is tire pressures, but steering response tightened up. Those Goodyears were like driving in slush compared to this. I reckon it is due to the stiffness in the 3-Ply sidewall. I can detect just a little road noise, but nothing huge. All in all, I’m pretty satisfied. Well, except I’m stuck to the house this weekend and can’t take them out. Damn!

LR3 Suspension

Just done the front pads - on a scale of 1 - 10 they are a 1, very easy.

Tools required;

Good jack and stands, wheel brace, 13mm spanner, 15mm spanner, Pliers, brake cleaner, brake grease, piston retraction tool.

1. Securely jack the car onto axle stands and remove front wheels
2. On the left hand side, use pliers to pull the pad wear sensor off the pad
3. Remove the 13 mm bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper frame (use the 15mm spanner to hold the sliding joints whilst you undo the caliper bolts)
4. Discard the caliper bolts (new ones are in the kit)
5. Lift off the caliper and support, take care not to strain the brake pipe and wires.
6. Remove and discard the old pads.
7. Remove and discard the pad support springs (new ones in kit)
8. Use piston compression tool to fully retract pistons into caliper - take care and push the pistons slowly and squarely.
9. Clean the caliper with brake cleaner.
10 Fit the new support springs to the caliper frame
11 Smear a little brake grease onto the back of each pad, and a little onto the sliding surface that fits into the support spring
12 Fit the pads into the support springs
13 Replace the caliper onto the frame and use the new bolts to secure.
14 Refit road wheel

Make sure you put the wear sensor onto the left hand side inner pad. The wear sensor has a small brass contact spring that fits around it. This was stuck into my old brake pad, and could easily get lost so make sure you retrieve it.

Before you drive the car, pump the pedal to seat the pads properly. The brakes may be spongy for a few miles.

Took me 45 minutes for both sides.

LR3 Drivetrain, LR3 Suspension

I’ve got a extra inch lift on my D3 without using spacers, just fit bigger tyres like the Cooper STT’s 275/65/18.

I also purchased a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers, measured tested andchecked for fit 285/60R18, they seem very good. If you are off roading, they would be good. The stock tyre is junk, worn out prematured, and and simply dismounting them tore 2 of the 4 sidewalls… 2 tyres I would suggest are;

off/on road (mostly highway)
Goodyear Silent Armor Wrangler 265/60R18 (or your size)

on road/off road (mostly off road)
Nitto Terra Grapplers 285/60R18 (or your size)

If your in the States, TX specifically, I highly suggest Lambs Tire. http://www.lambstire.com/ Store #6, George and crew are great.

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If your looking for a more aggressive mud terrain type tire, I know a few guys that run with Cooper STT 275/65/r18’s MTs. From what I understand the ride is a little rougher but not bad, and they rub a little at full turn but that can be fixed with a dremel tool.

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I also have the Nitto Tera Grapplers and they are awesome - haven’t tried them in thick mud yet though. In rain they are stellar, in the dirt and sand they are great. Pretty quite on the road, and sticky in the rocks.

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THe Nitto Terra Grappler A/T is a good tire also. Quiet on the pavement and very effective off pavement. 285/60/18’s

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I’ve just put Cooper STT’s on my 18″ wheels they are a little bit bigger than standard 275/65/18

LR3 Suspension

275/65/r18’s (3k on them), with a set of nitto 285/60/r18
Here’s a pic of a 285/60/18

I’ve just fitted a set of the BFG’s in size 285/65-18 to an 05 LR3. They fit, but not without a little finesse. Up front, the inner fender liner needs to be trimmed at the bottom rear, and there is a spot were several body panels are seamed together. A little nudge with a hammer, and no rubbing. I was worried that they would foul on the upper a-arm and ball joint, but no problems.

There is plenty of clearance inside the fenders with the stock wheels. Did not have to touch the fender flares at all.

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Here’s a picture of Cooper 275/65/18s that fit without any rubbing at all.

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Thake the GoodYaer Mt/R in 255/55R19, are very good!
Next week i fit 4 new one on my LR3!
They are aveable in Europe!

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I’m still a prospective owner/troll, but did notice that Yokohama is going to be offering their new Geolander A/T-S in 265/60R18 110H+, which is only about a 1/2 inch larger than stock. Looks like a good tire for those of us who want an AT at a minimum.

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Sorry, I mis-quoted the tire size, they are 265/65/18 (285/85 would never fit of course).

I got them at a sears auto center (only because it is across the street from work). Any place that carries Goodrich tires should be able to get them for you. A bit pricy at $255 but the stealership wanted $310 for the POS wranglers.

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LR3 Suspension