Need advice from someone with offroad LR4 experience

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Socialseb83

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18" wheels and the requisite mods to run 275/65 or 275/70 tires, Proud Rhino strut spacers, and a GAP Tool is where I would start.

Nothing else adds as much capability or flexibility as those changes.

A real set of sliders that protect the compressor such as the TR ones would probably be next.

It seems pretty unanimous that i should spend the money on getting 18”s which means i have to buy rims plus tires. I’m guessing this will run me around $2k if i want good stuff? Maybe $2500?

then the GAP tool, and then the rock sliders. Is there a brand/model of sliders that is generally considered “the best rock sliders out there” (the way everyone seems to speak of KO2s for tires) Or is it a matter of preference?
 

ryanjl

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Rims alone will run you $2k if you want aluminum. Steel, you're looking at around $1k for wheels.

Or, you can find a set of 18" LR3 wheels and run them with 1.25" wheel spacers.

Most like the Tactical 4x4 sliders. Those or the Lucky 8 "Proud Rhino" sliders give the most protection.
 

backroadnomad

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Do not buy wheel spacers. Big, offroad E-rated tires are a crapload heavier already and put a ton more stress on all your bushings, ball joints, and axles. Wheel spacers add a ton more stress to all those parts. Do some research on performance driving, both off and on-road. No one looking for function + reliability will ever install a wheel spacer.

I re-ordered your list, with some notes.

Required, Required, Period.
1- IID tool from GAP Diagnostics ($550) - Best money spent, hand-down, on an LR3/LR4 if you don't want to go broke at the shop/dealer. This should be bought along with any truck.

Required for even moderate off-road duty:

2- Tires & wheels - Definitely do your research and as everyone has said, go with 18s and drop the money on wheels. Compomotive PD1881 or Lucky8 steelies are the general go-tos.

Outstanding and nice-to-have if you camp a lot

3- Dometic CFX40 fridge ($500) + 2nd battery ($100) - Do your research. Unless used, a decent fridge is twice that much. Also look at Snomaster for the best durability.

Optional for moderate off-road duty. Good common sense can avoid the need for these in most cases

4- Rock Sliders ($350) - Good sliders, as mentioned need to truly protect. Don't skimp on cost. Buy quality sliders which will hold the weight of the truck.
5- Maxtrax ($300)


Not worth the money unless you do a lot of heavy, technical driving...or just have no common sense

6- Bumpers Tactical front ($1720) and rear ($?) Lucky8's - Tons of weight which will wear out parts faster, but definitely functional if in the back-country a lot. Just keep an eye on your air struts and compressor performance.

Completely a nice-to-have.

7- Rear Differential Lock ($1500) - The traction control in these trucks is more than sufficient. If you truly need the rear locker, you probably bought the wrong truck. Also, no way would you do this for 1500 unless you source from a junkyard and do 100% of the work yourself. There are zero aftermarket options for the factory rear diff (only ARB offers one for the front).
 
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ryanjl

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Do not buy wheel spacers. Big, offroad E-rated tires are a crapload heavier already and put a ton more stress on all your bushings, ball joints, and axles. Wheel spacers add a ton more stress to all those parts. Do some research on performance driving, both off and on-road. No one looking for function + reliability will ever install a wheel spacer.

I re-ordered your list, with some notes.

Required, Required, Period.
1- IID tool from GAP Diagnostics ($550) - Best money spent, hand-down, on an LR3/LR4 if you don't want to go broke at the shop/dealer. This should be bought along with any truck.

Required for even moderate off-road duty:

2- Tires & wheels - Definitely do your research and as everyone has said, go with 18s and drop the money on wheels. Compomotive PD1881 or Lucky8 steelies are the general go-tos.

Outstanding and nice-to-have if you camp a lot

3- Dometic CFX40 fridge ($500) + 2nd battery ($100) - Do your research. Unless used, a decent fridge is twice that much. Also look at Snomaster for the best durability.

Optional for moderate off-road duty. Good common sense can avoid the need for these in most cases

4- Rock Sliders ($350) - Good sliders, as mentioned need to truly protect. Don't skimp on cost. Buy quality sliders which will hold the weight of the truck.
5- Maxtrax ($300)


Not worth the money unless you do a lot of heavy, technical driving...or just have no common sense

6- Bumpers Tactical front ($1720) and rear ($?) Lucky8's - Tons of weight which will wear out parts faster, but definitely functional if in the back-country a lot. Just keep an eye on your air struts and compressor performance.

Completely a nice-to-have.

7- Rear Differential Lock ($1500) - The traction control in these trucks is more than sufficient. If you truly need the rear locker, you probably bought the wrong truck. Also, no way would you do this for 1500 unless you source from a junkyard and do 100% of the work yourself. There are zero aftermarket options for the factory rear diff (only ARB offers one for the front).

Wouldn't wheel spacers add no more stress than a wheel of that additional offset would?

And I'm sorry, but as a owner of an LR4 without the rear locker, I can get into a scenario fairly easily (mud) where I wish I had a rear locker. Yes, the traction control works well, but the wheel spin it requires to engage isn't nearly as elegant as a rear locker is. When you are in tight spaces (in a bunch of trees), it can get pretty hairy.
 

avslash

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I ran 1.25" spacers for aprox. 45K miles without issue.

I'm not going to argue it's a best practice, but I did not have issues with it. And yes, I am familiar with the bushings, LCA's, hubs/bearings etc.

I actually carefully inspected my front hubs when I proactively changed them at around 85K. There was no detectable issue with either side. Likewise, my truck is still on the original half-shafts.

So it may not be best, but it can be done.

On another site, Scott Brady actually asked the spacer question directly to a group of JLR engineers. They said no issue in their opinion. This was way back when before the current spate of wheel options that LR4 owners now enjoy.

The benefit of the spacers is about a $500.00 cost to play vs. $2K plus for the wheels.

I'm not going back to them, but I tell people not to sweat it, either, if that is what they can afford.
 

backroadnomad

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Wouldn't wheel spacers add no more stress than a wheel of that additional offset would?

And I'm sorry, but as a owner of an LR4 without the rear locker, I can get into a scenario fairly easily (mud) where I wish I had a rear locker. Yes, the traction control works well, but the wheel spin it requires to engage isn't nearly as elegant as a rear locker is. When you are in tight spaces (in a bunch of trees), it can get pretty hairy.

Wheel spacers add a lot of weight (thus more stress on components. More offset generally isn't more weight to a particular wheel. The offset does add a little more stress just due to the geometric differences, but it's nowhere near the effect of a spacer.

On the locker, you're right to a degree, as I may have exaggerated the point in my post. There are cases where it would be nice, but 95% of drivers wouldn't notice the difference. Plus, if you learn to drive the Rover as designed, it will generally handle it. You're right though, a locker may allow for a little slower approach, which is nice in some cases.
 

backroadnomad

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I ran 1.25" spacers for aprox. 45K miles without issue.

I'm not going to argue it's a best practice, but I did not have issues with it. And yes, I am familiar with the bushings, LCA's, hubs/bearings etc.

I actually carefully inspected my front hubs when I proactively changed them at around 85K. There was no detectable issue with either side. Likewise, my truck is still on the original half-shafts.

So it may not be best, but it can be done.

On another site, Scott Brady actually asked the spacer question directly to a group of JLR engineers. They said no issue in their opinion. This was way back when before the current spate of wheel options that LR4 owners now enjoy.

The benefit of the spacers is about a $500.00 cost to play vs. $2K plus for the wheels.

I'm not going back to them, but I tell people not to sweat it, either, if that is what they can afford.
Valid points, and some have had good luck with them. Others have had catastrophic failures. I'm sure there's an element of how much of a quality spacer you buy, and especially how much attention to detail/maintenance you give to the suspension/drivetrain. It's certainly not the worst modification one can do, but I always push hard to educate people so they at least are aware of the risk. For many, it's worth the risk.
 

avslash

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Valid points, and some have had good luck with them. Others have had catastrophic failures. I'm sure there's an element of how much of a quality spacer you buy, and especially how much attention to detail/maintenance you give to the suspension/drivetrain. It's certainly not the worst modification one can do, but I always push hard to educate people so they at least are aware of the risk. For many, it's worth the risk.

Have you personally seen a spacer related failure on a 4 or 3?

Genuinely curious. I have not, but my sample size is limited.

If so, I'm curious what part have up the ghost first.

I was honestly expecting to find some wear on my front hubs after 45k with the spacers, but I just didn't find anything notable.

You make a very valid point that any spacer needs to be a proper fit for the application.
 

Socialseb83

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Do not buy wheel spacers. Big, offroad E-rated tires are a crapload heavier already and put a ton more stress on all your bushings, ball joints, and axles. Wheel spacers add a ton more stress to all those parts. Do some research on performance driving, both off and on-road. No one looking for function + reliability will ever install a wheel spacer.

I re-ordered your list, with some notes.

Required, Required, Period.
1- IID tool from GAP Diagnostics ($550) - Best money spent, hand-down, on an LR3/LR4 if you don't want to go broke at the shop/dealer. This should be bought along with any truck.

Required for even moderate off-road duty:

2- Tires & wheels - Definitely do your research and as everyone has said, go with 18s and drop the money on wheels. Compomotive PD1881 or Lucky8 steelies are the general go-tos.

Outstanding and nice-to-have if you camp a lot

3- Dometic CFX40 fridge ($500) + 2nd battery ($100) - Do your research. Unless used, a decent fridge is twice that much. Also look at Snomaster for the best durability.

Optional for moderate off-road duty. Good common sense can avoid the need for these in most cases

4- Rock Sliders ($350) - Good sliders, as mentioned need to truly protect. Don't skimp on cost. Buy quality sliders which will hold the weight of the truck.
5- Maxtrax ($300)


Not worth the money unless you do a lot of heavy, technical driving...or just have no common sense

6- Bumpers Tactical front ($1720) and rear ($?) Lucky8's - Tons of weight which will wear out parts faster, but definitely functional if in the back-country a lot. Just keep an eye on your air struts and compressor performance.

Completely a nice-to-have.

7- Rear Differential Lock ($1500) - The traction control in these trucks is more than sufficient. If you truly need the rear locker, you probably bought the wrong truck. Also, no way would you do this for 1500 unless you source from a junkyard and do 100% of the work yourself. There are zero aftermarket options for the factory rear diff (only ARB offers one for the front).
This was SOOO helpful!!!
 

ryanjl

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Wheel spacers add a lot of weight (thus more stress on components. More offset generally isn't more weight to a particular wheel. The offset does add a little more stress just due to the geometric differences, but it's nowhere near the effect of a spacer.

An aluminum spacer doesn't weigh much more than a pound. I don't buy your weight argument at all, especially when that weight is confined to the center of the rotating mass. There's far more than a pound difference between the stock tires and the E-rated tires, and there's more than a pound difference between different brands of E-rated tires. Yet the wheel spacer is the trigger?

On the locker, you're right to a degree, as I may have exaggerated the point in my post. There are cases where it would be nice, but 95% of drivers wouldn't notice the difference. Plus, if you learn to drive the Rover as designed, it will generally handle it. You're right though, a locker may allow for a little slower approach, which is nice in some cases.

Sorry, but you'll never convince me that any traction control is better than an actual, full on locker in all off road situations. That line of thinking is the same line that had Land Rover build the D2 in the early 00's without a center diff lock, thinking the traction control was equal or better. That decision was a colossal fail.
 

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