disco lives offroad as much as on, help please.

hi there,

this is my first post. i have an '04 disco with toyo street tires, its been great on road. i've driven across the majority of the u.s. in the last month have found myself requiring it to be off road in locations traveled almost exclusively by military hummers, tracked vehicles or on foot.

while i thouroughly enjoy being off road and have found myself out there in my spare time, i'm not looking for mud or places to really test where i can (and can't) go. HOWEVER, given the aggresive tread on the hummers, their snorkles, and high clearance there are many roads that are iffy for me to travel. (and jeep wranglers, i pulled out a high centered wrangler last week)

i haven't been stuck yet, since i can't really afford to be (being alone in areas without cell reception. but i am finding it increasingly difficult to not get in water too deep or not high center.

i intend on buying some 255 55 r 18 bf at's (or slightly smaller) and perhaps body lift . . . and a snorkle. the question is, after lifting would those still be appropriately sized tires? and i had read about maintanence issues with the suspension lift, with a body lift i won't encounter the same issues will i?





any recommendations for favorite skid plates? bumpers? i realize there is lots of info on the site about all of these, but am curious if there is some general consensus as to which brands to use and or stay away from.

trick up your disco all you want my friend, then go 'alone' on a trail..!

before you find any of these bits, find a friend to go with..!

If you've never been stuck, you will never know just how much a second vehicle will help. No matter what.

Bigger tyres will get you into bigger trouble.

What B said ...

No amount of kit, short of a hi-lift or a winch of some sort will help when, and I do mean when, you get stuck and are alone ... and in the US you could be a long way (and time) from help ....

If you're going to carry on alone, at least use good hiking practice and let someone reliable know of your planned route, and times of departure/return, with suitable tolerances, and stick to the routes!!

Join a local club.

An a lift won't give you any extra ground clearance at all. though it will make it easier to fit bigger wheels. but for what you're thinking of fitting the extra lift won't stop you from grounding out.

Buy a quad put it on a small trailer and when ya get stuck leave the disco and go get help on the quad

karlos said:

Buy a quad put it on a small trailer and when ya get stuck leave the disco and go get help on the quad

Click to expand...

On the back of the quad, use ratchet straps to hold on a small 2 stroke Monkey bike. If the Quad gets stuck use the Monkey bike.

On the Monkey bike, use gaffer tape to attach a good set of Walking boots...........

Inside the Walking Boots, Insert a homing Pigeon.....

.. and stick a spare phone battery up the pigeons arse.

Very very funny... Laughed till my ribs hurt.

Perhaps a bit of help and seriousness for the bloke

Why do trees in the US all grow leaning way over to the right?

I mean, he was parked on a steep slope to impress us ..... right ????

He wouldn't be cheating on us and tipping the pic would he?

CharlesY

you guys are right, a buddy vehicle is best, but in my military role not a likely solution. i guess the real question is . . . what tips or modifications do you think are going to help me the most in NOT getting stuck, or damaging my vehicle in those unavoidable situations where i'm going somewhere close or beyond my driving or the vehicles abilities.

i take extra fluids for the vehicle, a compressor, shovel, tow rope (in case i can find a passer by or call someone) military map, drinking water,rifle. grill, food, tarp, rope, 2nd set of boots. gortex rain gear.

charles, hehe, its windy as hell here . . . honest. heres a dif look at that spot, just going over the top of the hill, on three wheels.




a long ways from help



we aren't on an artillery range are we?


but seriously, i put 50 trail miles on today without retracing any paths - - - i have to go out there for work, walking isn't really an option.

gps and a sat phone with rattys number on speed dial - you did say you take food and liquid with you ?

raTTY'S?

i usually have some kind of commo, either cell or radio. always some food and water, and water is plentiful in the area, unless my commo went down and i broke my legs i doubt i would end up needing food for anything more than a luxury item.

i guess where i'm going with this, is where would you guys start?

Change your tyres for something a bit more agressive.

then get yourself a big ol' Tirfor, it'll winch in any direction and plenty of lengths of recovery strops to support it. some sand ladders and a 4 tonne exhaust jack or Hi- Lift. Once you use a Tirfor you'll never get stuck again!!!

A standard disco will go where many others wont... gather stuff to get you out of trouble first. Then build on that experience to guide you for what you need in the way of Mods.

looking at your photo's and your sandy terrain... have a look at this: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqBQ8q2mxuY"]YouTube - X-Jack and X-Trax[/ame]

Air Jack's are the absolute nuts!
If you are using sand ladders or waffles, tie them to a long rope onto your back bumper, that way you can drag them if needed down the trail until you hit hard ground again.

thanks a ton man, thats what i was after.

may i suggest a winch bumper (with winch of course) and a set of ground anchors and snatch blocks. In this event at least you have someway of self recovery. Or if you dont fancy the winch on your vehicle try a tirfor type winch like I carry plus the ground anchors

ah tirfor already been mentioned lol didnt notice the thread had progressed to 2 pages :doh: