Is it really true?

[SnakeLogic]

Hi everybody.

I'm in Japan (though I'm not Japanese), and I'm having a LOT of trouble getting reliable information regarding off roading mods on my 95 300tdi.  As you can imagine, most off-roaders drive Japanese vehicles.

My dealer insists that with the 2" suspension lift that I want (better clearance, and I want to fit bigger tyres) I DO NOT need to change my brake lines, and I can even keep the Bilstein dampers that I have now.  Is he right?  I always get my hands on his LRO magazines, but there's not help for this question to be found.  I have not met ANY other Discovery owners who actually take their Disco off road.

With a 2" suspension lift and fender cutting (I don't really care how it ends up looking, as the body is scratched and dented all over anyway) what size tyres will I be able to fit and still actually use it everyday?

Next question:

Why does Safari Snorkel's website state that they DO NOT recommend oiled air filters?  I was thinking of getting a K&N, and adding a Safari Snorkel as soon as possible (many of the off road driving spots are islands in the middle of rivers).  Does anyone have any experience with this set-up?


Any information will be greatly appreciated.

[Budgie]

I would advise getting extended brake lines if you're off roading with it. Otherwise you stand a chance of snapping the lines on full articulation.

What size tyres depends on how much you want to cut out of the arches.
I run 33" on a +3" lift but there are some who are running 35" tyres on a +2" lift.
You can get wheelarch flares that make it look much better and cover the wide tyres. These need about 3 inches cutting out of the wings to fit them.



As for the Safari Snorkel, I use a K&N air filter on mine and not had any problems in the last two years. No idea why the they say not use them.  :?

Lastly.........Welcome to Mud Club!  :mrgreen:  =D>

[thermidorthelobster]

I've put a 2" lift on a 200tdi and a TD5 Disco and not had to extend the brake lines on either, but other people's experiences vary.  So you'll have to try it and see!

I have just switched back to a normal filter from a K&N, as I found it was not doing a good job of actually filtering stuff out of the air intake, including things like wasps and other large bits that then splatted on the air flow meter.  When I had to replace my MAF meter I decided enough was enough.  To be fair, it might not have been to do with the filter, but I suspect it could have been - oil and wasps on the meter are not what it was designed for.

[Jake]

If you have anti roll bars you can still run the original brake lines with a 2" lift.
I did for a year with no problems.
I have now changed to extendeds as i have removed the anti roll bars.
I run a K&N filter with a Safari snorkel.
Great little set up.
A bit of extra power and deep water wading capibilties.  :D
Have a look at the mods on my 96 Disco
http://members.mud-club.com/profiles/Jake/vehicle
If you have any questions, just ask  
Good luck with your changes
 :D

[driftwood]

http://members.shaw.ca/jbarge/tires.html

this should help with the tyres

[SnakeLogic]

Well you certainly know how to make a guy feel welcome!

Thanks for all the great info and links.

A few more questions:

From the photos, I can't understand how the Southdown snorkel gets the air to the filter box, as it would have to snake around the windshield washer reservoir  somewhere.  Anybody know?  And is the Southdown any better or worse than the popular Safari?

Also, I'm looking around for a winch bumper.  The Devon one seems nice, though I don't see that it has jacking points, and lacks lamp guards.  I've already had to replace a turn signal once, and am looking for a winch bumper that has this feature.  Or would you recommend a regular one and then adding on lamp guards?  The only fully integrated bumper I've come across so far is the Safari Gard, and that's pretty expensive.

Again, any help is most welcome, and I appreciate your taking the time to help me out.

[Skibum346]

Snake,

Lots of us make our snorkels ourselves. It's very straightforward and saves a lot of cash for other more expensive items for your beastie.

For an idea of the process, check out my gallery in the members profiles section. All it cost me was a 6ft section of drainpipe, some elbows and some rubber air pipe from a scrap yard.

HAppy to answer more questions on the subject.

Skibum

[Bulli]

Hi Snake , welcome to the forum. The guys on here are cool and know most of what you want to know.
I wouldnt contradict anything that has already been said but would just add the safari snorkels are good kit.

[SnakeLogic]

Skibum,

Nicely done.  I don't know if I'd have access to the parts I need, but I'll look into it.  The local shop wants a fair bit to install a Safari Snorkel, and I've calculated that I wouldn't save much doing it myself (after paying for the import shipping and duties) if I went with a Safari.  

So what did you use as the top "mushroom" to keep out rain/dust?

[Thrasher]

Snake ... check out my pics in www.pigletsplace.com and also http://community.webshots.com/user/landroverdiscoveryv8i

This should give you some ideas. All this was done some years ago now ..... most of it before you could buy the kit ... :-)

Good luck!

I run 238/85 tyres and a 2" lift and retained my original brake lines (as I also kept my anti-roll bars). You will see the spec for my vehicle on the piglets place page ;-)

[Range Rover Blues]

There are issue with K&N, some people have said they don't filter as well, some think that with the added "ram air" effect of a Safari snorkel top you will force dirt through the filter, normally they work under vacuum.

Simply, I don't know but there you go.

Lift, well you can lift 2" and leave it at that, but why.  Better to leave it the same height and increase droop travel, for that you need longer dampers and brake lines.

If you fit a lift and simply drop the damper mounts down you just end up with a 2" taller car, no extra travel.

[Skibum346]

Skibum,

Nicely done.  I don't know if I'd have access to the parts I need, but I'll look into it.  The local shop wants a fair bit to install a Safari Snorkel, and I've calculated that I wouldn't save much doing it myself (after paying for the import shipping and duties) if I went with a Safari.  

So what did you use as the top "mushroom" to keep out rain/dust?

I used a proper Mushroom top that I bought for about £20 from one of the shows I was at over here. You should be able to find one on the web somewhere for a similar price. The Mushroom top does two things, keeps rain, bugs, leaves, twigs, small children from entering the breathing system of the engine (small children are particularly difficult to combust... you need a good 5 degree advance on timing to be sucessful!) the other is to help draw the air in.

For the piping I used marley drainpipe with Marley welding cement. I think it was 48mm drainpipe and it fits a standard snorkel top perfectly. It seems to be one of only two standard sizes on sale in the typical DIY stores here. The cement, used effectively and copiously, forms a complete seal. If it's designed to keep water in and air out... I'm pretty certain i'll keep air in and water out!

Good luck