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19 inch Rims with AT Tyres and Spring Lift

99K views 156 replies 47 participants last post by  Anthmar 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,
Just thought I'd share some pics of my DS. Factory black 19 inch rims with 255 55 R19 Cooper LTZ Tyres. I have also done a spring upgrade using Eibach Springs. Total lift is 60mm including tyres. Pics are taken on Moreton Island, Australia. All sand driving. The DS didn't even look like getting stuck even when the bigger Nissan Patrols were having a hard time :D. My wife is 170cm tall to give you an idea of height.
 

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#2 ·
That looks AWESOME!! I have 20s on mine and I was thinking of going with 275/45R20 in the Coopers LTZ or the Atturo Trail Blade XT.

What is the part number on those Eibach springs? Did you have them installed or did you do it? Any warnings or codes being thrown?
 
#3 ·
That looks awesome as well as totally badass. Yours are the first pictures I have found that show what a DS looks with a lift and A/T tires. Congrats. Thats a great rig, and thanks for posting.

Questions, if I may:
What were the dimensions of the OEM tires that you replaced?
Are the springs removable? (I am leasing my car)
Does TPMS still work? Any other warnings?
Any changes to handling on pavement?

Riddy
 
#4 ·
I used to work for ARB so had some invaluable help.. Fronts were easy...ish. The rears took a lot longer. Normally LR would probably remove the fuel tanks to remove the lower control arm but we didn't. We released the control arm and sensor brackets and levered it down. Then we used spring compressors and levers to get the spring to seat correctly. The biggest issue was getting the rubber insulator to reseat with the spring as it slipped into place. In the end some well placed cable ties did the job. All up they had the vehicle for a day and this included time for a 4 wheel alignment. I have kept my OEM springs to refit once I sell.
-My vehicle doesn't have TPMS.
-The OEM tyres I replaced were 235/55R19.
-The springs are E30-71-007-01-22 - Eibach Pro Lift Kit for Land Rover Discovery Sport. (Listed as 30mm lift but mine came up higher!)
-No warning codes being thrown.

I cannot be happier with the ride. The springs maintained the ride quality whilst giving me the lift. Handling is a little less responsive because of the height but consider it a small trade off.(Actually I haven't changed my driving style at all)
Sort of looks like the new Disco...actually better!!
 
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#16 ·
Only the springs in this case. The lift isn't high enough to warrant changing the struts and shockies. Plus I haven't found anyone offering a raised strut or shock. All seem to be lowered. I can have them custom made through Bilstein but am not in a hurry.
 
#20 ·
Thought i'd better join the forum and say how great it is to see a DS set up to tackle more than bitumen. Really nice nigmar! I've been holding off Moreton trips and one to Fraser in the past year, simply because mine is not ready for it. Have done several beach runs and a few light tracks, but I don't want to wreck the 20 inch tyres/rims I have on the car at present. Will be purchasing some 17 or 18 inch rims soon, as offroad wheels and now will be adding a light spring lift to the equation. You've given me inspiration to get off my butt and get it sorted.
 
#22 ·
Nice to hear that another DS will be hitting the tracks and beaches!

I have a set of 18" Evoque rims just sitting in my garage if you're interested. I painted them black and was going to use as a second offroad set but ended up re shoeing the 19's. Open to any offer... bottle of bourbon etc:)

Let me know.
 
#21 ·
Talk to Matt Cain at Coopers Plains. You would need to supply the springs etc but these guys do an excellent job.
 
#26 ·
Hey nigmar, did you do tyres and lift at the same time? I'm wondering if a 50mm tyre diameter increase will fit without scrubbing if I skip the spring lift, pending feedback from Eibach.

Also, it seems like according to Queensland code of practice for vehicle mods we're only allowed to change one of tyre size OR spring lift if it is fitted with ESC - which the DS obviously is. Changing both regardless of overall lift height requires certification from my reading, which aside from direct cost I'd guess (from no actual experience or authority) would also get the insurer inflating their premiums.
 
#25 ·
Would have taken these in a heartbeat. Unfortunately the day before you posted them, I grabbed a set of 18's with tyres off eBay. Still waiting for them to arrive from interstate seller. They are the silver ones (not my preferred choice, but good enough for a second set). Tyres are the stock 235/55. Was going to try them once then decide if I go to the expense of new rubber (ideal aim is a set of BFG A/T in the 255/55 size for Offroad).

If you don't offload them might still hit you up for them, but will see how these go first.
 
#24 ·
OK so this is the response from Eibach regarding the springs on Adaptive Dynamics suspension:

"The technical department have responded with : although the springs will physically fit the vehicles with dampening control we have found the ride to be very hard with the Pro Lift Kit when the dampening setting is on firm."

I've responded by asking what the ride's like in normal mode (rather than dynamic/firm) and whether the system throws any error codes, they're going to chase up some people who've installed the springs on AD cars for some feedback for me - might take a while though.

Getting closer...
 
#27 ·
Finally put my 18 inch rims onto the car. Tyres that came with them were Cr#p (joys of buying online). Ended up ordering a new set of 255/55 R18 General Grabber A/T shoes. They ended up being a good balance between onroad and off. My 20 inch wheels are in repair mode (damaged a sidewall apparently), so was a good time to get the second set up and running. Hope to have the new wheels on the beach real soon.

Onroad - really doesn't feel any noticeable difference, slightly taller diameter so should correct the -10% speedo differential, I noticed on my 20's. Car is sitting 20mm higher off the black stuff and no signs of any clearance issues. I don't like the look of the higher profile tyres as much (probably largely because the rims aren't black!). More aggressive tread does look quite good though.

They should be on the car for a week, so will try to find some dirt.
 
#28 ·
nigmar, you absolute legend. Yet another Brisbane-based Discovery Sport owner here. We bought ours as a "family car" and then discovered what it can do and am now discovering what it *can't* do because of limited clearance and factory tyres. I've gotten stuck in sand on Bribie once, and this weekend nearly put a rock spike through the exhaust system right in the middle of the car then had a fair bit of trouble getting up a moderate but slippery climb near the end of a long off-road loop.

I almost bought a 2nd hand D4 the other day before my wife suggested she'd be happier with making a few improvements to the current car now and putting off any big upgrade for a little while. And a couple of days later I find this thread. Lift kit –*ordered! I had resigned myself to 235/60R18 Grabber ATs but yours is the first confirmation I've found anywhere that 255's are OK in the Discovery Sport wheel arches.

My next big decision is whether to stick with 29" (255/55R18) or step up to 30" (255/60R18). Obviously the bigger wheels would give me even more ground clearance and more leeway to drop pressure on sand, but Meddo's concerns about legality and insurance combined with the fact that my spare wheel is a 29" skinny makes it feel risky.
 
#29 ·
Terry
Great to hear of another DS getting a little bit of an upgrade. Even better that you are based in Brisbane!

The tyres make the difference! Nice having the extra ground clearance but having the grip difference is huge. There are some bash plates I have been eyeing off and will probably invest in. see here (Discovery Sport | Land Rover | 4x4 / SUV | RIVAL EUROPE). These could help with your decision to stay with the 29's.

I will investigate the modification plate option through some sources of mine. Interesting that most(all) new 4x4's have ESC and are insurable when lifted. All my previous vehicles all have had lifts/tyres and have been fully insured. Maybe it's because we are classed as a soft roader :( I'll keep everyone informed.
 
#30 ·
My springs are getting installed this coming Friday and the Grabber AT 255/55R18s are going on at the same time.

I've started looking into how to get the Rival protection plates. 6mm for me since I'm more interested in mountain tracks than beaches –*but I'll definitely spend some time on the coast and islands too. The only place I found that I can order via website wants to charge over 200 euro to ship via DHL so I'm firing off a few emails to places both local and overseas to see what other options I can find.
 
#36 · (Edited)
Edit: Missed some later posts so don't worry about answering questions you've already answered... :p

Hey Terry, how'd the install go? Does your DS have the Adaptive Dynamics or just standard suspension? Happy with the Grabber ATs and the ride?

I'm picking up mine this weekend hopefully and will likely be swapping out the stock Wrangler 235/60/R18s for either BFGoodrich T/A KO2 255/55/R18s or the General Grabber AT 235/60/R18s prior to pickup. I still haven't heard from anyone else who's done the spring lift on the magnetic suspension so holding off on that for the time being - if it buggered anything up the missus would be most displeased...

My preference between the two tyres is probably for the BFGs but in that size (the only 18" that will fit) they only have a speed rating of R which is 170 km/hr limit. In theory as an MC-plated vehicle that should be fine but our friends at the NCOP and Vehicle Standard Instructions for modifications include a disclaimer that the off-road vehicle tyre speed limits apply to "MC-plated vehicles other than soft-roaders", without actually defining what an "MC-plated soft-roader" is. Bloody confusing those documents, and I almost wish I'd never read them and just done the mods in ignorant bliss...
 
#34 ·
I posted a reply with pics nearly 24 hours ago and it said it went into moderation or something...

Short answer, the springs are awesome, as are the tyres. The actual lift is a bit higher in the rear than the front without any load in the car. Something like 40mm front and nearly 50mm rear. I drove through D'Aguilar national park "on my way" home and it handled so much better than standard. Grip, poise, a much easier drive.

Also confirmed that in Queensland you're permitted to lift the suspension by up to 50mm with replacement springs, and there are rules around bigger tyre sizes too, but definitely if you have electronic stability control you're not allowed to do both at the same time. So stick with 29" tyres like the originals. General Grabber AT in 255/55R18 are working great for me.

British Off Road did the lift. They say the Disco Sport is harder to do than the Evoque or the Freelander and you need to budget 6 to 8 hours of labour just for the springs. They're happy with the result though – they put a pic of my car on their Facebook banner.

No links or pics in this post so as to avoid moderation black hole, sorry.
 
#35 ·
Looks great Terry. Yea you can certainly see the height difference ( esp in the rear). I was close to getting some BFG AT but settled for the Grabbers - more than happy with them also. Seems we are building a nice little Corris Grey DS Army in SEQ ;)

Thanks for the report - I'm procrastinating on the spring change but between you and nigmar; 2/2 favourable reports and I'm almost convinced. Just put a towbar on a few days ago, so might just be springs in Spring.
 
#38 ·
Hi Meddo, no I don’t have the Active Dynamics package. I don’t think it was an option when I ordered my car, but regardless I’ve just got springs and shocks. If I ordered a new car today I’d probably get the Active Driveline but that’s all about rough roads for me rather than fast ones.
 
#39 ·
Hey @nigmar28 have you had any issues with your front steering since doing the spring lift? I’ve been out of town for 2 weeks so my wife’s just been driving the DS city-style, no heavy off-roading, and it’s developed a big squeak noise from the front sometimes when turning the steering wheel to the left. At a particular angle of left turn at low speed, forward movement of the car makes it squeal continually.

It’s not a really high pitched squeal, more a “whine”.

I’m wondering whether the changed angle on the CV joints etc could be a challenge. Possibly something as simple as a bush or boot needing some lubricant due to being extended further than normal all the time.
 
#40 ·
I've given mine a pretty hard work out and have had no front driveline sounds or issues on mine. Done approx 20k klms with only a spring seat noise to report on the right hand side. The rubber insulator is slightly off so when I'm at full travel and the car/spring is wet I get a metallic boing boing :) sound. Doesn't worry me as the car is making a few noises when I'm bouncing up a hill anyway.:D
Yours sounds as though it could be a CV particularly as it only happens when turning. Although it should give you some indicators whilst driving straight. Do you have any vibrations at any speed? Also what have Brittish Offroad said?
 
#41 ·
Thanks for the reply, mate - very reassuring. I only got back into town yesterday morning so haven’t had a chance to ask BOR. Will be giving them a call in the morning.

In other news, I took off the plastic engine bay underbody protector this morning and found that I have an oil leak, seemingly spraying under pressure. Somewhere near the front, down low. That one will be a dealer question I suspect.
 
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