lifting advice needed

[chris abell]

hi, im hoping to give my 300tdi disco a suspension lift to 3" and also some bigger tyres but am confused as to what things i need do i just need the springs and shocks or would i need to buy a full kit with all the dislocation cones etc, as you can guess im new to 4x4s this is my first. and im not all that mechanically minded??. but from what ive read going through some parts catalogues they say radius arms ect are recommended for 3" plus lift kits what would i need for a 3" lift keeping things comfortable and safe but keeping the cost to a minimum, not that im a tight ****?. i just dont earn that much!!! also what size tyres could i have with a 3" lift. thanks for taking the time to read this and hopefully replying?. chris:rolleyes:

[jen.s.f]

We've just fitted a +2" to our 200tdi and decided to do the whole lot while we were at it, dislocation cones, extended brake lines and bump stops etc. Thought it would be easier to get the lot done at once instead of deciding, a few months down the line, that we needed to fit something else and have to take the whole lot to bits again!!

Why a 3" lift? Ours copes with most things with the 2" and we haven't had any problems with radius arms etc, where as you might find you do with a 3". However, instead of replacing the radius arms you can get corrector bushes (I think Mill Services do them) and also bushes for the prop shaft to compensate for the extra angle.

If you are intending to do some serious off-roading, which it sounds like you are, then you also need to think about some underbody protection. We have diff guards, steering guard and rock sliders and will also be fitting a tank guard and heavy duty front and rear bumpers. It's suprising how much time you spend banging your diffs and rock sliders in a Disco!!

[chris abell]

hi there
thanks very much for your reply, your advice is much appreciated i think i will just go for the 2" lift its about £100 cheaper than the 3" kit anyway, and ive been told i wont have probs with a 2" lift so it makes sense for me to go with that.
whats the maximum size tyres i could fit on with a 2" lift as ive only got 205/70s on at the moment, without me having to cut away at the arches?. thanks again no worrys if your too busy to reply. chris.:p

[jen.s.f]

Hi Chris,
I think you've made the right choice, the extra £100 could be better spent else where!

As far as I can remember the biggest tyres you can fit are 235x70x16, but I think this is to a standard Disco, ie with no lift. You might find this helpfull
http://members.shaw.ca/jbarge/tires.html
We have 245x70x16's fitted and as you can see there is plenty of room for movement. We're thinking of going a bit bigger, or even going for 15"rims, but that will have to wait untill our present tyres need replacing. And don't forget, on top of your 2" suspension lift, you will get another inch or more from the tyres so you will end up with a 3"+ lift anyway. Out wing mirrors are a good 4" higher than a standard Disco!!:D You may find you need to adjust your steering stops after you've fitted new tyres as they might rub a bit. Ours made a horrible banging noise, but only on one lock. I know we put up a post on the forum about "steering stop adjustment" so if you do an advanced search using those words and my user name you should find it.
You might find that your Disco will "wander" slightly after you have fitted the lift, ours does, but once you get used to it it's no real problem. I've taken to driving around with my elbow resting on the door to keep her steady!! No really it's not that bad at all!
I'm not quite sure of the differences in the 200 and 300 tdi suspension, but we found that on top of the lift kit the only thing we needed was some new turret retaining rings on the front, they tend to rust and the captive bolt shears off when you try to undo them. Also if you buy a kit it should have heavy duty spring retainers in it, if not it would be a good idea to get some. I've heard stories of the spring pulling out of standard ones!!
Are you planning to do the job yourself?

[chris abell]

hi thanks for the reply its much appreciated im not going to do the job myself my friends going put the new springs etc on he,s a car mechanic he,s not done much work on 4x4s but he stands a much better chance of getting it right than me.
i think im going get one of the 2" lift kits from mm 4x4 £398 for the complete kit and get him to fit the lot so its all done in one job save keep doing bits and replacing bits here and there. i think ill probably get the heavy duty shock absorber turrets £60 quid for the pair. you really could spend an absolute ton of money on your disco!!!!. i was really surprised how much you can get for them, anyway thanks for your advice. chris.:)

[jen.s.f]

Hi again Chris,
We got our kit from Paddocks. They have one advertised for a 200tdi, but not sure if they do one for the 300tdi, might be worth a phone call to them to find out (0845 584499). The kit contains Britpart yellow springs, Pro-comp ES-9000 gas shocks, front and rear dislocation cones, extended break hoses, heavy duty spring retainers and 4 extended poly bump stops. Price £369.66 and they don't charge for postage, so it works out a fair bit cheaper than MM4x4.
The kit we got from them only had rear cones and bump stops, so they must have changed it in the past few months.
It might be an idea to get you mate to have a look at your wheel bearings and brake pistons while he's doing the job and everything is stripped down and get those done if they need it at the same time. If you need any spares in that area try looking up Island 4x4 on e.bay. We have used them a couple of times, bought an axle bearing kit which was £12.99, 4 bearings oil seals etc. the cheapest we got quoted for individual bearing elsewhere was just over a fiver. The other thing we bought was a headlight adjuster kit. Rimmer Bros, our local suplier wanted over £30 per side, Island 4x4 was £3.50 including postage. Everything we have ordered from them has come by next day delivery.
They can cost a fotune alright! Since we got ours we have fitted the lift kit, new rear brake discs pads and wheel bearings, rock sliders, steering guard, new boots and safari snorkle. All we realy want to do now is get some heavy duty bumpers and a tank guard, but as Hubby can weld , he's going to make those himself. We would like some bigger tyres, but they can wait.

[chris abell]

hi
yeh ill have to phone paddocks see about a kit for a 300tdi, thanks for the info and supplier info ill write down about island4x4 and keep it in mind for when i need any thing hopefully i wont for a long time but unfortunetly when you buy a car thats 13 years old theres always something looming ready to be replaced aint there?.
all the underneath of the disco seems really well for the age my mate was really surprised cause i only paid £1450 for it theres no rot really few little rusty bits but non major ive spent the last 4 days under neath it wire brushing the muck off and under sealing i think the work done now will save me money in the long run on welding through neglect!!! preventions better than cure so they say.
chris.:D

[jen.s.f]

Ours is the same underneath. Looks like someone has been under it in the past and painted the whole of the chassis with underseal. We took her for the dreaded MOT a couple of weeks ago and the mechanic said she had been well looked after in the past and was in great shape. We've got a couple of break pipes that will need replacing soon, but as you say, what can you expect from a vehicle of that age, ours is a year older than yours! The body work isn't too hot on ours, but we are slowely going round and treating the bits that need doing then giving them a coat of green hammerite! Not a bad colour match actually!!! Anyway, anything that looks too tatty gets a sticker over it!!!
The thing is with Land Rovers to look after them and even if you give them some abuse they will go on for ever.

[oily]

if you need to replace the retaining rings on the front springs go for the later td5 ones which are rubber coated so cuts out some vibration through the springs

[oily]

p.s part number for the retainers is RBC100111

[chris abell]

thanks very much ill bear that in mind.:)