Disco vs Frontera

[Coddy]

Hi all, newbie here with a shed load of questions..

I own a Series 3 Land Rover, was looking at changing it for a Disco, but they are all rotton!! So plan B is a Frontera, want a 2.5 TD not sure whats best for laning, and some more adventurous stuff SWB or LWB?? What tyre sizes can I go to on normal rims, without mods to the body etc..

What do I look out for on a Fronny, such as main areas of rot etc. Have been told they dont like water, is this for the elictrics on the engine? (I want the diesel)


Anyone on here from North Wales, just moved up here, jonny no mates and want to do some laning, im near Mold, so there MUST be some good areas about.

Regards
Simon

[muddycarl]

frontera's don't rot away like disco's do ...

to be honest the frontera is just a re-shelled isuzu trooper

think i'd stay away from the 2.5tds tho ..as everything is fly by wire  (electronic)  ..

it uses the VM41 engine (same one found in some range rovers ..and Jeeps) it has 4 separate heads and needs a high maintenance routine

the main thing that lets frontera's down is the IFS on the front

[666]

So plan B is a Frontera, want a 2.5 TD

2.5 is a great engine when its running right but once it starts having issues it becomes a right pain! The 2.8TD is probably the best version to get, a fair bit of torque and probably one of the most economical ;)

[william127]

mix it all together and buy a range rover with the 2,8td and all the rust already repaired- thats what i did :dance: :lol: :D

[SSteve]

I've got both a disco (2.5TDi I think) and a Frontera Sport 2.8TDi

The disco rolls more.

I find the seating position in the Frontera more comfy than the disco ..
no centre console to batter the elbow !!
but I do like the high position for the handbrake

[jonny ramrod]

i have had modded and standard fronty's(lwb and swb) and disco's.. As standard, a disco will walk all over a fronty when the going gets tough.. Once modded, well its not worth talking about because peoples ideas and the mods they do are different. and then they are no longer fronty's or disco's, just a modded 4x4. (if that makes sense)

If i had the money i would search out a rot free disco, they are out there. But they are also going up in price. As it is, i have just bought a standard 2.5 lwb fronty. A lot more car for your money.  You pays your money ...etc etc..

btw... i'm not far from you, in cheshire, next to delamere forest, so if you fancy getting out and doing some lanes, let me know..plenty of good un's near by in north wales.

Oh, i have a series 3 as well.. ;)

[Drift]

Yer but Jon... dont you like the heat  :lol:

Good to see ya again bud  :D

[jonny ramrod]

ow-doo mr drift sir....

i'm going back to a landy...anyone want to buy a nice fronty... 8-[

[phil c]

the only thing about the fronty is that if ur tall its quite easy to hit ur head getting in and out of them as they have quite a low roof, other than that a think there quite nice vehicals

[666]

the only thing about the fronty is that if ur tall its quite easy to hit ur head getting in and out of them as they have quite a low roof,

Would agree with that! I have belted my head more times than i can remember when trying to get in when the truck has been sitting in ruts  :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Glynparry25]

If i had the money i would search out a rot free disco, they are out there. But they are also going up in price. As it is, i have just bought a standard 2.5 lwb fronty. A lot more car for your money.  You pays your money ...etc etc..

I second that- last year I bought a 91 Disco V8 for £900 with just a little rot on the sills, and my dad also bought a 93 Disco Tdi without a spot of rust on it- previous owner had it waxoiled from new, and he paid £2000. They are out there- just have to shop around.

Glyn

[discowoman]

Fronty is a good all rounder, disco is better ..
Fronty has smaller rot issues
I prefer the low maintenance of the 2.3 fronty - old school engineering , slow but reliable
MPG in both (inc the 2.8 fronty) is mid to high 20's 30+ on a run
2.5 doesnt like bio diesel, disco and 2.3 and 2.8 fronty do.
Disco has diff locks - fronty doesnt
I found the fronty had more room for passengers, and also luggage
Nicer driving position in the fronty - but Disco has advantage of a higher position
more bolt on goodies available for the disco - off the shelf!
Fronty has a more DIY approach to bolt on goodies


ie - its what you want it to do!!!

[dxmedia]

Fronty is a good all rounder, disco is better ..
Fronty has smaller rot issues
I prefer the low maintenance of the 2.3 fronty - old school engineering , slow but reliable
MPG in both (inc the 2.8 fronty) is mid to high 20's 30+ on a run
2.5 doesnt like bio diesel, disco and 2.3 and 2.8 fronty do.
Disco has diff locks - fronty doesnt
I found the fronty had more room for passengers, and also luggage
Nicer driving position in the fronty - but Disco has advantage of a higher position
more bolt on goodies available for the disco - off the shelf!
Fronty has a more DIY approach to bolt on goodies


ie - its what you want it to do!!!

Disco's don't have difflocks ;) - Only one on the centre diff, which the frontera technically also has.

[marjan]

I got sick of Landys and bought a Gassed 3.0 V6 SWB Shogun, only suffers from lowish ground clearance but this can be cured with a body lift and 33" tyres. Loads of comfort and toys and goes like the clappers  :) :) :) (and it has a rear air locker as standard)

[dickycaz]

i have been running 2.3 fronteras for a few years now .no electronics to go wrong and very easy to sort mechanical .as for being slow if you change the turbo pipes for after market ones then they have plenty power. i run 33" tyres and still it pulls away with out any problems

[Drift]

Dicky and the evolution of a new beasty  :lol:

[jonny ramrod]

i still have my 2.5 lwb fronty....although its having some maintenance at the mo...(up on axel stands... :roll:)

have found that vx dont do some of the water hoses anymore for them, so am having to try and source some others. Trying to match them up with silicon hoses..

Its also waiting now for its basic 2 inch lift and new wheels and tyres. Although finding a snorkle is hard, and i refuse to go down the drainpipe route..(sorry guys, just think it looks awful..). Also going to fabricate my own sliders and winch bumper.

So far have found the 2.5 pretty reliable, once i had found out how to start it in the cold weather.

As to the original question...fronty or disco..??? If i could afford a real nice, sorted disco i would have that, for now, i will stick with the poor mans landy.. :lol: :lol:

[dxmedia]

If i wasted my money on a hunk of [!Expletive Deleted!] rot box I'd be gutted, but for a fraction of the money I can get a frontera which will go anywhere a landrover will with the eqivilent amount of money spend on mods...

There you go, fixed that for you.

[jonny ramrod]

 

but, as i have said before, once you start modding something, it is no longer a fronty, landy or whatever you started with...so a totally modded fronty should go where a landy can. Having owned and driven loads of 4x4's, i still can't see why there is such a problem with people saying 'my suzi/fronty/jeep/ is just as good as a landy'. Seems like some sort of reversed snobbery. In my humble opinion, any 4x4, with a mild lift and good tyres will go to places that 99% of similar vehicles will.

Anyway, basic 2 inch lift and 33x12.5x15 m/t's.....reckon i will have any rubbing issues on my fronty.?

[dxmedia]

Yes.


To fit 33x11.5x15's on mine I needed frontera 'a' offset rims with 30mm wheel spacers.

2 3/4 inch lift
2" body lift
and a lump hammer at the bottom corner of the 'a' pillar, oh and remove the valance from the front bumper.

[dxmedia]

Oh and I'd prefer a stock isuzu 4x4 over a landrover. Reliability lack of rust, on road cumfort, internal toys, towing ability and style all mean a little more to me than getting something overpriced.  Which is why I own a jeep  :lol:

[jonny ramrod]

lump hammer...i like the sound of that... :D :D  Im going down the route of making a one off front bumper, so thats not a problem. Not so keen on a body lift.  Using modular wheels, so that should be ok. Could go to a 2 3/4 or 3 inch lift, just the problems you start having with the ifs...

My last 2.3 lwb had a lift and 31 inch tyres on, just thought they looked a little lost in there. At least i didnt have to cut any of the rear arch away to run 31's, not like on my disco. That had a 2 inch lift and i still had to cut a good bit away at the rear so they didnt catch on full articulation...

If i had the money, a jeep rubicon would be on my wish list, or a land cruiser....

[Manicminer]

I sold my 3.1TD Isuzu 18 months ago and bought a Landcruiser Colorado 3.0TD. Loads better offroad, but I miss the intercooler and the oomph when towing.

[jonny ramrod]

have sold my fronty now and bought a jeep cherokee..... :D

[muddymoon]

i have been running 2.3 fronteras for a few years now .no electronics to go wrong and very easy to sort mechanical .as for being slow if you change the turbo pipes for after market ones then they have plenty power. i run 33" tyres and still it pulls away with out any problems

I also have a 2.3 td and it has given me nothin but greif great when running well but when it turrns pete tong its a sod never do another engine chainge on it  lol :)

[dxmedia]

Going by your sig muddymoon, you don't have much luck with trucks though.

[muddymoon]

wel daihatsu dyed while my brother was borrowing it the 2.4 head gasket went and for the 2.3 well just look in the vauhall tech posts on the n4x4oc site lol but think its geti sorted now done cam tensioners headgasket and now just need to do manifold gasket and i think pump timeing might need a bit of a tinker as i was smokeing a little bit on way home from work so little things let lol