Episode 3: Cargo / Land Rover LR3 / Air Vs. Coil Shoot-Out / Military Mobility

[@natehoule567]

Quick note on the air suspension height test: You loaded the air sprung vehicle, got in it, let it adjust, GOT OUT, then measured. It likes to be at a particular height and does things to always keep it that way. You’ll notice every time you park and get out of the car it blows off some air. When you get out and it’s unweighted it’s now resting too high so it releases air, keeping it where it likes to be. In your measurement here you let it hit its desired height then got out, making it lighter and higher, which is why it measured higher than before being loaded up.

[@m.w.6607]

Agree

[@MilitaryMobility]

Thanks so much for joining the conversation. Yes we totally agree. Our LR3 usually blows off air upon exiting the vehicle as you said, but not always. It didn't do it that time so we measured it as it was. Overall the concept we're trying to convey is that the air suspension will allow you to carry more cargo weight without affecting your ground clearance as it will with the coil conversion.

[@martyndunham2013]

Great to see the comparison between the two suspension set ups. I'm from the uk and have recently converted to coils using the Dunlop coil conversion kit with 2" lift. The distance from centre hub to underside of wheel arch at the rear was 23" which was the same when my car was in extended height with the air bags. I noticed you commented on the height of your coils from Atlantic British with a measurement of 20.5". I thought the Atlantic British coils where the same spec as the Dunlop kit, may be not ! I believe the Dunlop kit is a partnership with Terrafirma supplying the coil and Dunlop the damper. Very happy with the conversion so far. Keep up the great content. Martyn

[@MilitaryMobility]

Mmmmm….. this is very interesting. You’re getting an additional 2.5” of lift on your kit. Will have to look into this for sure. Thank you for reaching out, and for watching! 🙌

[@kamrankp85]

@@MilitaryMobility Also, you don't mention ride mode on the airsuspention when referring to the measurement.

[@kamrankp85]

I think he looses some clearance due to heavy front bumper .if you compress the front , you lose height in the back.

[@MilitaryMobility]

@@kamrankp85 the height is irrelevant for the comparison as we are measuring sag. However, although not at that exact time, that for the majority of the comparison we are in normal ride height (unless the vehicle automatically raises itself when in Rock mode) and we’re running Johnson Rods.

[@kamrankp85]

@@MilitaryMobility I see. I was just thinking that the airsuspention gets stiffer the higher up it gets. So I would assume that you would have exponentially linear curve related to sag. So for normal hight = softer suspension and less pressure in the bags =more sag. Extended mode = harder suspension and more pressure in the bags =less sag . But do agree that it doesn't matter when it aligns when the car automatically compensates 😉

[@gc857]

You guys rock ! But one observation. You did not roll the vehicles after loading to get the correct sag measurement on the spring unit. The air will always level up regardless :).. Food for thought for the ones that did not know. On the tow hook being low just a suggestion. When you think it might be needed on the trek, we attach a tow strap already and keep it on while wheeling so we dont need to crawl down there in the event we are stuck. :)

[@MilitaryMobility]

Thank you for the encouragement!! It really means alot to us. Appreciate the tip; we bit off a pretty big chunk diving into this series and we believe we’re covering more detail than anyone else has before, but there are little things that we could be doing to improve for future work. Greatly appreciated, we’re taking notes!! 🙌🇺🇸

[@gc857]

@@MilitaryMobility been watching you guys and told my friends and family to follow and we all learn along the way. You guys are as honest as could be and we appreciate that. I own a few Land Rovers and love them and will die in them for sure. LOL. No mods needed at all to beef up powertrain etc. just run her the way she is from factory and it really will make you smile. Tire upgrade is a plus for serious treks but thats all it needs really. We will keep watching ! Thank you as always.

[@MilitaryMobility]

@@gc857 Thank you for all the support; it really does make a massive difference!! 🙌

[@1srowlings]

Great video. I got the Xlifter kit. Maybe put discovery 3 in title or description

[@MilitaryMobility]

Thanks very much. Here is the U.S. it’s known as the LR3 but point taken for the international crowd; we figured they’d see the pic and know what’s up too. We aimed to balance out the clearest and most appealing visuals and messaging we could 👍

[@auesom1924]

It would be interesting to see if the ride characteristics are different with the weight. The last episode it seemed like ride quality with the the air suspension was just slightly better, but almost un-noticeable. I wonder if it would get more noticeable with 400lbs in the back or perhaps the spring suspension would do better? Anyways, I really enjoy this comparison, I look forward to future videos.

[@MilitaryMobility]

Oh thank you so much. And yes you bring up a great point that we had discussed highlighting but eventually kind of got lost in the shuffle. There was just so much material to cover and film with this series! Truth is the 400 lbs didn’t make any noticeable difference to the ride quality in the rear of either of the rigs. The air springs are constantly adjusting to weight to maintain its ride characteristics and the heavy duty coils, like most heavy duty truck products should in theory be smoother with some weight but there was no noticeable difference here (or even when we’re really heavy). Towing you can tell a bit but that’s another episode! Side note our Ford F450 rides much smoother when heavily laden as opposed to empty; as it’s been designed to haul weight and is happiest when doing so.

[@kamrankp85]

Hi:-) I'm building a interesting LR3 now. And this series is perfect!! What I'm taking away from this is that I'm adding the spacers to my list. My project is kind of extreme ( for me at least). The car is stripped and I'm restoring the thing with sansblasted frame, underside new engine, ARB diff locks front and back etc.. and almost all new Evrything . Digging deep into my pockets this bastard !😂) However, the plan is to have a ready to go truck. So it's going to have a constant heavy load ( steel bumper front and back, winch front , considering winch in the back , roof rack, rooftop tent, roof cargo , drawer system in the back + plus all the junk for overlanding etc). So I think I will probbably sag 80% of a 2" spacer kit !! so maybe i end up with a slightly higher lift then the TF coil kitt with the 2"lift. Hope it doesn't get to stiff! Also . I really whant the lucky8 CV kitt! But god damn they are Extremely expensive. But I have to consider it. Any one have any experience with them ?

[@MilitaryMobility]

Sounds like a heck of a project for sure! With that type of weight the air may be a good option for its ability to adjust to your payload. Also have you considered a rugged overland trailer? They’re awesome for lugging along all kinds of stuff and taking weight off of the rig. From our experience with proper recovery skills you can save yourself the burden (and weight) of a rear winch, which will also get hung up in the rocks. We have seen folks carry a receiver winch and place it front or rear depending on the situation. Best of luck with the build! Would love to see how it turns out 👍

[@kamrankp85]

@@MilitaryMobility Thanks for replying. Trailer is in the pipeline. I have bought a base trailer that I will focus ( bulding my own)on when the disco is done. The thing is that I live in Norway, and there isn't really a lot of exciting offroad stuff to ride legally. That means that you need to be creative with where you offroad 😂So the idea for me with the back winch is the be able just get out of the situation. If I call for recovery, the recovery car will come with a police escort😂 Its really strict over here. They take your license on site. And my recovery skills are equal to almost nothing🤦‍♂️ This build is just me building my dream overlander. To be honest, probably will be able count the extreme offroad trips on one or 2 hands 5 years from now👀🐵 Its mainly overlanding with my wife ,2 kids and dogs that is the agenda . And I'm shooting for reliability on the least reliable car on the planet. So hence the coil kit . Loved the Discovery for many years ,but haven't pulled the trigger before now. Considering making some youtube videos of the build this year ( I hope )😉.

[@MilitaryMobility]

@@kamrankp85 the build sounds like a very fun and worthwhile project, and allows you to dream of future adventures. We are big advocates of proper land use as going off trail gets things shut down; however I can understand the yearning to get yourself wheeling in some heavier terrain. Perhaps there’s a creative solution out there somewhere; private land, terrain park, etc.

[@IowaLR4]

Look at the newer ARB Summit bar. It has much better winch access. It will work on the LR3 or early LR4 models, ignore ARB's 2014+ thing.

[@MilitaryMobility]

Thanks, we’ll check it out. Just did a quick search and saw a very hefty price tag, from a couple of the standard big name vendors; almost $900 more than we paid for our ARB. Yikes! That’s a lot of money for less steel 😆 but you’re right it does look like a better design 👍

[@IowaLR4]

@@MilitaryMobility if you are more into a crawler look and want a better approach angle, check out the Tactical 4x4 option. It sits in a lot closer to the front. I run the T44 rear bar with dual swings, but I am less interested in the T44 front because it is (no offense to T44) not engineered professionally or tested in crash situations and isn't built the same way. ARBs have crush cans so they don't set off airbags more easily (its about impulse rate of deceleration and a solid bar with no give will create a more peaky pulse and set off airbags in a front end bump without some absorption). The arb is also one giant steel sheet that is bent, welded and has 60mm+ diam tube that is braced internally and not just tacked on at the end of the bar like most garage bumpers.

[@MilitaryMobility]

@@IowaLR4 great gouge here. Our rigs see multiple duties; highway, overland, and rocks. You make some great points for folks to consider when looking at bumpers. Thanks for being part of this community 🙌

[@yupieatcrayons5331]

I really wish someone mad a 3 inch coil

[@IowaLR4]

ya? who makes higher angle CVs and suspension arms to account for that constant angle change? You can't just jack the thing up to the sky without accounting for other things. It's not also about just lift... you loose down travel which is arguable just as important (or more!) off road as clearance.

[@MilitaryMobility]

Looks like it’s time to start a company! I joke, but that would be nice.

[@MilitaryMobility]

@@IowaLR4 We’ve recently learned about Lucky 8’s SYA kit which is essentially a spacer along with limiting straps to ensure you don’t exceed what the CV can handle. We’re going to give it a try and see how it does.

[@ignoreamos1]

@@MilitaryMobility I tried L8's SYA kit on my 2.5 HD coil lift on my 06 LR3... didnt work... if thats what your looking at.

[@MilitaryMobility]

@@ignoreamos1 woah, do tell! Yes that’s what we’re looking at. Please share your experience with it to help us and others out. Thanks in advance 🙌