Mike_C
Member Since: 05 Oct 2012
Location: Bucks
Posts: 8
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| D3 Commercial overlander? |
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Evening all,
Following a successful 3 week overland trip last year with my brother in my G4 RR Sport, I am planning a huge overland trip with the missus late next year, and need a vehicle for the job.
Although it won't be an offroad trip, I would like the option of heading off the beaten track and some of the countries we will be visiting won't exactly have well paved roads.
I am strongly considering a basic D3, but could do with some more info, please. One thing I learnt from the G4, is the less technology the better - the air suspension compressor was replaced before we went, but even so it was a cause for concern when it got over 45'C in the Sahara day after day! The aircon broke before we even got to Morocco, and the amount of sand/dust that got into the cabin played havoc with certain electics and took me ages to clean out.
So, I digress; I am considering a D3 Commercial, and would like to know:
- Did these ever come with coil sprung suspension, rather than air?
- If they did come with coil springs from the factory, do they still have terrain response?
- If they were not available with coil springs, can you get decent coil spring conversions?
- As I will be putting a serious amount of miles on it, current mileage isn't an issue. However, other than the 105k/7 year cambelt change, and the usual ARB's/bushes/etc, what else should I be looking at replacing/have been replaced on a higher mileage vehicle?
- Other than the false floor, bulkhead and boarded windos (better security for rear compartment), are there any other advantages for my usage to a Commercial over buying a standard car and removing the rear seats?
Really, what I am trying to build is a more comfortable and refined Defender Utility, as the Defender is just not big enough inside for me to be comfortable; a D3 Commercial seems to be a compromise.
Any answers to the above, or further thoughts welcome!
Thanks.
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 10th Jul 2014 11:06 pm |
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nighthawk
Member Since: 24 Jul 2010
Location: Malta
Posts: 1163
  
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I'm not 100% sure if they came with coil springs, but in any case I do seem to recall someone who said they converted to coil springs so it definitely can be done. There are some kits if you google "Discovery 3 coil spring conversion"
Coil spring D3s do have Terrain Response, after all terrain response is more a function of the centre diff, traction control and abs. What they obviously don't have is the height level switch. The Terrain Response control panel in the cab will be missing the height level switch.
Having said that, unless you're going to extremes of temperatures or extremes of terrain for lengthy periods of time, the air suspension model will do the job just fine.
I can't think of any other advantages of using a commercial over a normal car. If you get an Irish commercial they have a different "false floor", which is basically a galvanised box, which you can tear open with a grinder, install a couple of hinges to make a door and you've got acres of space under there for less frequently accessed items (you do have to unload half the car to open them  ). Down there I installed my AUX battery fusebox, CarPC, hardmounted air compressor and small tank, and in the process of putting in a small water tank with a couple of pumps to fill the tank and to pump the water to where I need it and still have space for axle stands, tow ropes, and my socket set and box of emergency stuff (multimeter, bits of wire, crimp terminals, different types of tape, etc)
http://www.disco3.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5077 Dennis
2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 Commercial Manual Buckingham Blue
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| 11th Jul 2014 8:08 am |
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