Suspension
The Discovery features a Front and Rear CROSSLINK Suspension valve that makes the independent air suspension act more like an articulating solid axle vehicle. When one wheel is pushed into the wheel well, the air from it's airbag is actually pushed or transferred through this valve into the oposing air bag to inflate it and push the oposing tire down towards the ground similar to what you'd see in a solid axle vehicle.
Front: Double Wishbone
Rear: Multilink
1.5" Lift for Disco 5
http://johnsonrods.com/johnson_rods_3_010.htm
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19.7 Inches (500 mm) of total wheel articulation / suspension travel!
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What is the lowest point on the discovery? Officially it's the under the front bumper but technically there are little mudflaps that stick down behind the front tires but I suspect they will bend or whatever so they don't count. Official ground clearance measurement from Land Rover are from the lowest point of the Discovery at the base of the front bumper.
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HERE ARE THE LIFT AND GROUND CLEARANCE NUMBERS:
Access Height: -1.6" (from normal) up to 25 mph = 9.5" *(9.9")
Standby Access Height: -0.60" (from normal) when ignition off and seat belt unbuckled in anticipation of getting out, only when auto access height is enabled. = 10.5" (10.93")
Speed Lowered Ride Height: -.51 (from normal) above 60 mph = 10.6" "(10.9")
Normal Ride Height: 11.1" ground clearance *(11.5")
Off-Road Height 1: +1.57" (from normal) up to 50 mph = 12.67" *(13.1")
Off-Road Height 2: (+1.4 from off road 1) +2.95" (from normal) up to 31 mph = 14.05" *(14.5")
Extended Modes are very inconsistent and there are no official numbers from Land Rover. I do know that I have never been able to get the Discovery above 15" so I feel that is the absolute maximum. What changes are the amount of lift I get in Ext. Mode 'vs Super Ext. Mode. Sometimes I get no lift in extended mode and an inch in super extended mode. Sometimes I get and inch in extended mode and nothing in Super extended mode. I never get past 15 1/8".
Extended Mode / Super Extended Mode: +2" (+4.95" from normal) up to 3 mph for 30 sec. = 16.05" *(16.48")
(I was only successful getting 2" of lift in Super Extended mode after I installed running boards. I'm not sure why but 1" was the most I could ever get before that)
Some documentation I have read indicates that we should get 1.4" of lift from extended mode and an additional 1.4" in super extended mode, from the height in which the vehicle was stuck, so if the vehicle was at it's highest point in off-road mode when we engaged extended mode we should be able to get 16.85" of lift... I'm still working on this.
*(Plus an additional .43" because of my slightly larger tires)
MY CONCLUSION:
4" - 5" OF LIFT INCLUDING EXTENDED (AND SUPER EXTENDED) MODE
3" OF LIFT NOT INCLUDING EXTENDED MODE
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How to get into Extended and Super Extended Mode:
1. Raise the car to off-road height, if it has not already automatically raised (as it should when you select a TR program).
3. Use the Discovery's jack or your pre-cut 4x4 block of wood and position it under any of the jack location points under the chassis rail. Wind up the jack until just before it touches the jack point (you can do this by hand) or use your wood block.
4. Get into the car, close the driver's door and select "normal" height using the suspension down button. Don't apply the foot brake!
5. The car will attempt to lower, sense the obstruction and then enter into Extended Mode. The car may raise up anywhere between 0.0" - 1.0". Wait for the up arrow on the switch to extinguish.
6. Now apply the foot brake, and hold the suspension switch in the "up" position until the car chimes, it will then raise the vehicle to it's maximum height (if it didn't already in the previous step) of about 15" ground clearance which about 4" of lift from stock ride height. Again wait for the up arrow to extinguish, now you are at maximum suspension height.
7. Remove the jack from under the car!
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RUGGED SUSPENSION ARCHITECTURE Another key factor in the driving capability of the All-New Discovery is the rugged suspension architecture. Primarily constructed from aluminum components, the suspension is fully independent, with a widespaced double-wishbone design at the front and an advanced multi-link layout at the rear. The suspension concept is specifically developed to maximize the unrivalled breadth of capability, offering responsive and agile handling together with supreme ride quality and refinement.
The All-New Discovery has been designed to a deliver a confident, comfortable and engaging driving experience to make the miles go by virtually unnoticed. With its wide-spaced double-wishbone design at the front and advanced multi-link layout at the rear, the suspension delivers more responsive handling without compromising all-terrain capability.
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kits@llams.com.au
The Llams electronic air suspension height controller allows selection of off-road and high-speed heights at any speed.
The L494/L405 version of the kit, whilst not yet tested, is expected to work with the addition of a separate 12V power wire due to a minor wiring difference. The L494/L405 kit uses the permanent 12V supply for the CVD section of the suspension module because it is in one of the 2 (of 5) connectors intercepted. However as CVDs aren't offered for the Discovery, no CVD wiring is installed including that power wire. Hence a wire will need to be run from behind the steering wheel across to the passenger compartment fuse panel to fit a piggy-back fuse in a suitable spot. The wire route, length and fuse position need to be determined. A person has volunteered his vehicle when it arrives in about 4 weeks for testing and installation pictures. It will probably then be a couple more weeks before the kits are available.
I regularly ship kits to the US. The US price for the L494 RRS / L405 RR / L462 Discovery kit is/will be A$540 including EMS shipping. As the loom mating connectors are bespoke, having been designed and manufactured just for these kits (no others exist), these kits are slightly more expensive than the kits for the earlier vehicles. Payment will be by paying a Paypal invoice that would be generated when a kit is ready to ship.
Thanks for your interest in the Llams kit and thanks for your encouraging thoughts. I'll keep a note of your interest in the DIscovery 5 kit and get in touch when the kits are available.
Regards,
Graeme Small
