lifting a d2

[pinhead]

well i had a great time playing this weekend but have found that i have masive body clearance problems so my questions are

will it look silly with a 2" lift and standard tyres (any 1 got any pics)

its a v8 7 seater i will prob go down route of getting rid of the air at the rear and will want hd rear springs but will hd be too much at the front being the lighter engine, i will probably add a steel bumper in the future but probably not a winch

do i need to extend brake pipes or abs sensor wires

and will ace be ok left on or does that need dropping down/off(currently working fine with no leaks)

there may be more when i think of them and if any one thinks of 1 i should be asking please let on with the answer

tia

andy

[russ1]

hi,

I run a d2 v8 using old man emu front springs and set of 4 dampers of the same make,

On the rear i have kept the air bags and used spacers on the sensors, i might be wrong but if your running the 7 seats i think you will have problems with the insurance if you remove the bags and run springs.

Russ

[plasticbadger]

Something like a Terrafirma 40mm lift would be a good start and probably not look too stupid with standard tyres. Slightly oversize tyres would be better, like 255/70/16 or 245/75/16.

In terms of rear air suspension, you could keep it and buy/make some extended sensor wire actuators to give the lift, the bags have the travel. Kits like terrafirma or britpart can be bought with air-replacement, or just as a front end kit I think. The terrafirma can also be bought in different load ratings, though I think a standard load system would work best with the V8 and some extra bumper weight.

The ACE should stay, a 40mm lift wont hurt it and it's like having disconnecting anti roll bars, no resistance at low speed and anti roll bars at speed on the road. You shouldn't need extended brake lines with a 40mm lift.

Have you looked into trimming the front bumper, or sourcing the post 2002 spec bumper?

[Wolfie69]

I am running a td5 with a 60mm block lift and 265/75/16 cooper stt's and it looks quite good(or at least I think it does)

[pinhead]

Rear air wise I would have kept it but compressor won't have much more life in it, it struggles to keep level with a heavy load in boot and can't make enough presure for extended height mode often have compressor request fault when plugged in to my mates hawkeye

Plenty of folk have got rid of air with 7 seats I know it's an old argument but not 1 I want to start again

Not looked at trimming bumper yet where do I cut or does the bottom bit un bolt

so does 40mm(1 2/3") sound a better option than 50mm( 2")

Reason I want to keep standard Tyres is I just bought them and I feel the bigger tyres screw the gear ratios up the 20" rims I have just taken off are only 2 1/2% bigger but it feels slugish on them compared to standard size

[M&S]

Is this a family road going vehicle or are you going to be using it as an off roader?

The reason I ask is that I've owned and used mine heavily off road for two years now and still haven't lifted it. It does very well with a few mods such as the bumper trim I suggested on the other thread.

Why do you want a 2" lift, what are you hoping to achieve? There may be more disadvantages than perceived advantages. One of the main reasons for a body llift is to allow for the fitment of larger tyres (which gives you a lift under the diffs and axles). Sticking with standard tyres sort of defeats the object.

Approach angles can be hugely increased with the front bumper trim. Departure angles can be improved by raising the air (which actually reduces the front approach angle slightly) and removing a towbar if you have it.

You should inform your insurance company if removing the rear air and/or lifting the vehicle.

Personally I'd use the vehicle off-road some more, wear down the current tyres and learn to enjoy the vehicle as it is. You'll save a fortune in uneccessary mods.

[pinhead]

m&s

its swmbo's daily driver we have no kids it will be used 90% on road

the bumper trim is 1 thing that i want to do could someone post some pics please so i know where to cut

the 2" lift will i hope improve body clearance all round front bumper, rear overhang(i want to keep tow bar on)and under the sills

i feel the current front springs have had there day and why not upgrade when swapping, same with the shocks these have been on my to do list a while now

a friend has 1 lifted and we went down to northampton in it and i could not fault the ride (much better than ours) but he has still got air at the rear just altered his sensors not put blocks under (i personaly dont like this) but he is running much larger tyres and god is it gutless but the tyres look right and unless you parked next to another you wouldnt know it was lifted he also doesnt have plus 2" shocks so axle travel will be limited

i may in the future put larger tyres on if i find i have axle clearance problems but this weekend i had body clearance and tow bar digging in first this would for me probably have to be coupled with a transfer box ratio change (maybe the auto can be re programed to help the gutlessness)

but above all i have permission from swmbo to lift the suspension so i better get it done before she changes her mind

after some research i have found some spacers for the rear air at foundry 4x4 and may re consider keeping air at the back but i will have to find a compressor or rebuild mine if this is posible(it runs nice and quiet just builds presure real slow worn rings?)they also have plus 40mm brake lines and i will use these and britpart plus 40mm springs(i know what folk say about britpart but again same as on my friends and i like the ride)

my mate also has some plus 2 gas shocks still in the box that he says he wont get round to fitting any time soon(i was suposed to have his standard lenth ones when he decided to lift his 200 miles after fitting them hence why they are still on my to do list but he is slack/busy)

thanks for all input so far just want to do things right and not miss any thing as i said i am non too impresed how my mate has done his (no extended brake lines and no rear spacers) but it does have the desired effect

main question still is what to do with ace will it be fine ?

what are the disadvantages of the lift ?

thanks again and sorry for the long winded waffle

andy

[pinhead]

just re read what pb had put regarding ace thanks again

[M&S]

I think that for 10% off road use a lift is uneccessary but then I don't see it as an "upgrade" either. I am in the minority I think, one of the few people who go green laning with standard size tyres and no lift

If you tow a fair bit I'd definiately keep the rear air, it's great.

Get a removable tow bar such as this: http://www.firstfour.co.uk/p0/receiver-hitches/394709.htm and it will really help your departure angles.

The Disco 2 is very capable off road as it is.

Trim the front like this:

Or this (Ron C from Nevada, posted on LRA forum):

[pinhead]

thanks

will have a look at trimming it this weekend

still want to lift it though may just order the bits now

[pinhead]

well got my bits today

decided to keep air so have some spacers for the back and 40mm springs standard+30kg for the front

longer brake pipes

and shocks to pick up from my mate

just got to brave the cold now and get them fit

[M&S]

Take plenty of pics (before and after).

[MrKev]

Except those towbars are not type approved, so cannot legally be used for towing on a post whichever-date-in-1998 vehicle.

Saying that, I use one on my D1, and I think they're great.

Kev

I think that for 10% off road use a lift is uneccessary but then I don't see it as an "upgrade" either. I am in the minority I think, one of the few people who go green laning with standard size tyres and no lift

If you tow a fair bit I'd definiately keep the rear air, it's great.

Get a removable tow bar such as this: http://www.firstfour.co.uk/p0/receiver-hitches/394709.htm and it will really help your departure angles.

The Disco 2 is very capable off road as it is.

Trim the front like this:

Or this (Ron C from Nevada, posted on LRA forum):

[M&S]

Except mines a commercial vehicle so the type approval doesn't apply

[Range Rover Blues]

If I remember correctly you can re-program the height of the back suspension, so if the air bags have the extra travel as stated near the top then you can do a software lift on the back. As with a DI the brake lines should be checked if you fit longer shocks.

I think the ACE will cope witgh a lift better than the ARB on the DI. Both propshafts may suffer a UJ failure soon after you lift it due to the extra angle at the gearbox end and I wouldn't be surprised if you get a tiny bit of drivetrain noise for the same reason.

[M&S]

Yes, you can use a Nanocom to set the rear ride height. It is a PITA though, took me ages!

[pinhead]

Well thought I better update

Got it done last weekend and to my surprise the old shockers werent that bad but the bottom bushes on the front were shot new springs didn't look much longer than standard but felt firmer

I have gained about 3" on the front and I suspect this is due to how saggy it was before the rear is also about 2" higher but it sits nice and level

The ride is nice much firmer and very controlled on road I am not sure if it may be a bit stiff off road but we will see

Swmbo says it feels ok not much different can tell it's higher

If anyone is thinking about doing this I have no regrets so far it maybe just because all the bits are new and tight it feels better but it certainly does

Andy

[M&S]

Changed my lower front shock bushes recently as well, they were very, very worn!

I'm glad you are happy with it, but as I use mine on bumpy tracks and off-road a lot your thoughts about it being "stiffer" on road are the main reason I haven't changed mine yet. I like a bit of comfort off-road (although stil feel it's too stiff over harsh bumps).

What springs and dampers do you have now?

Photos????

[pinhead]

[pinhead]

Before

[M&S]

Looks good...needs bigger tyres now