dieseldan

New Member
So my mate came round this afternoon,(he's a bike mechanic/preps bikes for rally raids),and he's got me thinking about doing the Hellas or Transanatolia Rally in the Adventure,(non-competition),class.
I have a Disco 2 Auto btw,and I only have offroad experience on bikes.So where to start? Apart from fire extinguishers/first aid kit there are no required mods but I want to make sure I'm not towed in,so I'm looking for mechanical/suspension suggestions to improve reliability and handling rather than performance
 
Year of Disco? Do you have dif lock? If not getting that enabled would help your off roading capability. My 99 disco only has hi-lo range but the hardware for the diff lock is there I would just need to update the shifter. :)
 
It's a 99,no diff lock.It's pie-and-chips standard.had a look on here but not got a great deal of info (that I could find anyway),on a D2.Kind of thing I'd like to know is,better to spend a bit on a suspension lift or a big oil cooler? Or tyres before a suspension lift?
I don't want to turn it into an uncomfortable tank,it's a long way there and back on tarmac.
As stated this is not for competition or muddy greenlaning,I'm given to understand terrain is mostly sandy trails with a few rocky roads.as it's not competitive the adventure class can always turn back.but at the same time I'm prepared to mod it a little for the job
 
I`d think a proper Service, new ball joints and heavy duty steering and track rod would be a starting point. Underbody protection, a good suspension upgrade and slightly bigger tyres on steel wheel would be my way.
 
Major service is in the programme.Ball joints don't appear to be worn,I assume they don't age gracefully then?.Point taken ref underbody protection and s/rac.,I was looking at INSA Turbo Sahara tyres but got no personal experience.Ever tried them? Thanks for the reply btw
 
Watch the video on YouTube Camel Trophy through the years. It's about an hour and a half long but will demonstrate to you the capability of what a standard Discovery can do. Personally I would want an early 200 TDi as there is less to go wrong, however you have to work with what you have.

Don't waste your time and effort on suspensions lifts etc, especially as most of the distance will be on Tarmac.

If you are carrying a large amount of kit on a roof rack, higher suspension equals higher C of G and hassles. Perhaps an upgrade to heavy duty springs but other than that just concentrate on protection from rocks etc.

Insa tyres are pretty good. I have a couple of mates who use the remould copies of the insa treads and they perform excellently in sandy and muddy conditions.

I would install a winch so self recovery is always available to you plus manual recovery items such as a hi lift jack etc.

It is amazing how far you can get with a standard vehicle with a few choice modifications.

Good luck
 

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