Rigid spring installation vs air struts

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Houm_WA

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Kris, you did the conversion even while admittedly knowing little about the LR3 and how its drivetrain works? That's....well, ill-advised.

Anyway, the LR3 is all wheel drive but with a locking center diff that can't be manually locked but choosing various terrain settings make it more apt to lock (like Rock Crawl). Also, 4-Lo has to be manually selected.
 

bbyer

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I was rereading my previous post #9 and I kind of have to agree with Houm above.

I bought my 3 because it had air suspension whereas pretty much 15 years ago, nothing else 4x4 did.

I still have it 15 years and 400,000+ km later I guess because it has 4 wheel independent air suspension and not much yet exists that is its equal. One can buy an F350 and at least get a frame equal to the 3, but sold axles front and rear on leafs and coils is for the young.

Over time, I have replaced all four air springs, not because of anything wrong with the rubber but I wanted fresh shocks and complete new assemblies is the easy way to get new shocks.

I might also add that my 3 is more reliable now than it was when new - took lots of effort and was not fun but I guess it was worth it as I still have it.

My wife still thinks it is a great grocery getter, and me, I bought it to stay on the road, and well it has yet to go off road and will hopefully remain so. Now that we are both +seventy years old, we really appreciate the old person exit and entry mode.

Businesses used to pay me to go off road with their vehicles but those days are long gone. The icon is me in North Africa - one followed the trails marked by the oil barrels or the power towers and aimed for the flare pits as Defenders are not mine resistant. While you cannot tell from the jpg, that is a D90 pickup hiding behind the tower. He was following the towers, I was following the barrels, both headed for the flare pits - the odds were at least one of us would get thru.

Here, there is still snow, not as much as in the picture and for the most part, I can see the potholes in the streets of our village now.

In fact this winter was what I call a krap winter - must have had the 3 in Snow mode for about twenty days this season whereas five is more normal.

The two heaters got a workout this year as well.

If this DropBox link will open, there is about a twenty minute video from 2007 with really haunting type background music - a French LR dealer expedition into the Libyan Desert - watch for the burned out tank and bogged down Toyota's - those are driven by the Minders.



The video was done for a Paris based Land Rover dealer who every so often runs expeditions into North Africa. JFC 4x4 per the link below.


LR3 at Fernie in snow.jpgLR tower desert2.JPG
 

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