LIFT 1.5" or 3" and tire size....

[saharatj98]

Alright.... I first heard 1.5 is all you should do. I have then heard 3" is fine without having any problems that both the dealer and ARB have told me exist. I think 1.5" is a waste of time and money. I also think any tire less than 31" is worthless off road.... I would prefer a 3" set up with 265's giving me about 31.7" working out to be roughly 5" total lift and 2" under the diffs before airing down....This I think is a good compromise between street and trail. Stock articulation is 8" front and 11" rear I am wondering what will give me the best flex but still be stiff enough to support a ARB bull bar and winch and rack, tent ect. Also at what point do you run into spring retention issues. I am sure some of you run with stock gearing which I may for awhile as I figure out which way I want to go for lockers and a t-case replacement or all 3.... I ran a 2001 Cherokee on 31's on stock gears and a/t for several months and it felt fine jumping from basically 28" 225 75 15's....
Wheels......... I like steel but am told stock tire sizes only... second hand Alloys are hard to find around here. I am pretty sure about trusting my tried and true BFG Mud Terrains for a tire...

[rmuller]

Read through this board more and don't listen to the dealer...

For a 'Safe' 3" lift you can either go OME 3" Lift (check www.expeditionexchange.com) or a RTE 2" lift which generally nets closer to 3" ... your flex is limited to your shock length... if you go with OME's or Ranchos or something similar, you'll max out before you have to worry about retention.. if you go with Bilstein 7100s (www.rovertym.com) or Procomp ES9000 +2's (www.dap-inc.com), you'll get more flex, but you'll have to do a crossmember extension ($30 from RTE), brakeline extensions ($22/ea from RTE) and reroute your ABS lines (simple enough). At that point you'll still be limited by your sway bar, so you can do sway bar disconnects... then you'll start getting to the point where you will start worrying about retaining or using dislocation cones. With the 2" RTE or 3" OME, you'll be able to run 265/75/16's fine. As for any driveline issues, replace your front u-joint (search for more info) as a precautionary measure anyways because they tend to blow out around 50-70k.. and carry a spare rotoflex if you're worried about the rear.

In a few years, when you're ready for lockers/regearing, you would have probably read all the threads on them already so I won't get into them here.

[saharatj98]

I was planning on gears and lockers for a winter project after I get comfortable with this truck and get a better idea of what it needs. I have too much going on this summer to do everything. Also I believe to truly get a feel for a vehicle you must start small and work up. This allows you to know the capabilities/limits of the vehicle. Without this base line I do not want to go crazy. I am not new to offroad but new to Rovers.... Dis connects are a give in. I'll leave my rear because I will tow a ski boat during the summer months. Every vehicle is different and that is why I am asking questions. I am looking for experience to help resolve most of the trial and error to find what works. Priorities now are lift, tires (5), rock sliders, ARB and winch, skid plates, gears and lockers... rear bumper issue I am still working on.

[rmuller]

The truck is very capable in its stock form... start slow and get a feel and figure out what you need... Before you even think about lockers/gearing, get yourself a center differential lock... since you have a 2003 you'll need to either source a used transfer case or a rebuild kit to get the CDL mechanism in there.

ARB bumper is one of the least desirable bumpers for the Disco's.... bad approach angle, crush can mounts, thin steel... RoverTym is the hottest out there right now... they also offer a rear bumper... Just sit down for a few hours and read through this forum and discoweb.. you'll find that the advice I'm giving you is the consensus of hundreds of people who've tried it all... all this information is out there, just gotta sort through and find it.

[p76rangie]

You can fit 34 inch tyres under a D2 with only a 2 inch spring lift. How big are you wanting to go. A 1.5 inch lift would be more than enough for 32 inch you are wanting to fit.

[Roverhound]

I have a 3" RTE lift with 285/75-16. I'm running the extended lines from RTE and had an extra set of front ABS sensors I threw in the back for the longer cables. I also have the Pro Comp extended shocks but they suck and will be leaving soon once I figure out a length and shock I want to use. They just can't handle the spring rate.
For the rears I have spring retainers and a modified Watts linkage to allow for extra flex. If you're keeping the rear sway bar you won't have to worry about flex in the rear but I will warn you, I broke a linkage on my rear sway running a trail so for me it was moot. I'm running with out sways front and rear and don't miss them at all.
You can also get rid of the roto flex by using a drive shaft from an RRC or non-roto D1. Give Will Tillery a call, he should have the parts you need. Search his user name, his number is listed.
Forgot to add that I also have custom rear shock extenders from RTE that raise the lower shock mounting point up 2" for more travel. Not sure if Steve is offering these for sale now or not, won't hurt to ask.

[werldcup]

Roverhound do you have a Disco II? The RTE rear shock extenders aren't available for the DII, did you special order or modify them?

[Roverhound]

Yes, a DII. It's a project that Steve from RTE and I worked on. Basically they bolt into the stock lower mounts and extend the mount 2"s up. This of course allows more shock travel.
It's not on the web site but if you call him and mention my truck he should know what you mean.
Like above I have 3" lift and no sways front or rear. I have also extended my watts linkage so it doesn't bottom out before the shocks.

[Steph]

I'll agree that 1.5 to 2 inches is basically nothing on a TJ, but to my suprise, it seems more than that on a Disco. I just did the 2 inch OME with 265/70-16 instead of 265/75, for the reason that I did not intend to change my gear ratio, and I'm quite pleased with the results. My other vehicle is a 4inch lifted 33 inch tired TJ sahara.

[Crysyn]

I have a 2 inch OME lift and I would like to put in sway bar disconnects front and rear, do I need to worry about extending brake lines or anything because of the increased articulation?

[Disco Mike]

Originally Posted by Crysyn

I have a 2 inch OME lift and I would like to put in sway bar disconnects front and rear, do I need to worry about extending brake lines or anything because of the increased articulation?

Which truck are you planning on putting the quick disconnects on? You know you can't install them on your ACE.
Mike

[Crysyn]

Yeah, I realized I should have clarified. Its the 99 without ACE.

Doesn't the ACE system let go of the sway bars when in low range?

I am wanting to make my 99 into a fairly serious offroad vehicle, the 01 is getting quiet street tires next go around.

[Disco Mike]

Originally Posted by saharatj98

I was planning on gears and lockers for a winter project after I get comfortable with this truck and get a better idea of what it needs. I have too much going on this summer to do everything. Also I believe to truly get a feel for a vehicle you must start small and work up. This allows you to know the capabilities/limits of the vehicle. Without this base line I do not want to go crazy. I am not new to offroad but new to Rovers.... Dis connects are a give in. I'll leave my rear because I will tow a ski boat during the summer months. Every vehicle is different and that is why I am asking questions. I am looking for experience to help resolve most of the trial and error to find what works. Priorities now are lift, tires (5), rock sliders, ARB and winch, skid plates, gears and lockers... rear bumper issue I am still working on.

Before you make many changes, I would suggest you find some other Rover owners and go ride a number of trails this coming summer so you can see what you truck is capable of and what needs to be changed to make it more capable. This is not a Jeep and will need to be modified with different parts and heights to make a good trail rig.
As already mentioned, the t/case will need to be replaced before any gear and diff work are done other wise the lockers won't work.
Good luck with your project.
Mike

[Crysyn]

Hi Mike, looks like we posted the same time, so you may not have seen I responded to the question.

Also, what does 4:11 gears do to your gas mileage on the highway with the 32 inch tires, does it make your engine rev much higher?