Anybody doing an LR3 as an off-road rig?
- Thread starter Bullsnake
- Start date
Ron B
Explorer
Bullsnake and Rovertrader -- what year hummers do/did you own? I have heard of some having bad luck. Knock on wood I have had a great 7 years of ownership -- well...the 1st year was $$$ to fix everything the bone-head previous owner ignored (but other than that...). It is definitely no daily driver, as fun as I find it to drive parking the beast is often a pain.
As far as the LR3, I don't know much about them, but someone here mentioned airbag/airline failure as a potential (common?) problem. Is it the same part on all 4 corners (if not 2 spares would have to be carried) and fixing an airline is pretty easy if it's the standard lines most use. If it's not already, it can be upgraded to braided lines to be much less likely to break/melt/leak etc.
rb
As far as the LR3, I don't know much about them, but someone here mentioned airbag/airline failure as a potential (common?) problem. Is it the same part on all 4 corners (if not 2 spares would have to be carried) and fixing an airline is pretty easy if it's the standard lines most use. If it's not already, it can be upgraded to braided lines to be much less likely to break/melt/leak etc.
rb
From an off-road standpoint is the LR4 an improvement, downgrade, or about on par with the LR3? Is the new motor an improvement or downfall of the new truck?
Sorry for all of the questions-I just don't have much time to do my due diligence this time around and I want to make sure I'm getting the "right" truck...
Sorry for all of the questions-I just don't have much time to do my due diligence this time around and I want to make sure I'm getting the "right" truck...
Ron-
I was chuckling in regards to the question about the airbags and if they are similar-as a Hummer owner I have three half-shafts in my onboard tool chest at all times! (the two odd-ducks for up front, and the one for the rear!) This is a SUPER hard decision to make, as I currently own the H1 that I most coveted ('06 Alpha wagon loaded up with about everything Rubber Duck can do to an Alpha.) truck that I have ever hoped to own. My issues are the following:
1.) The truck flat hates me. Every time I send it three states away to have it worked on it comes back with something else wrong with it. Over the last 18 months that I have owned it it has been on the road to Ohio to be fixed or worked on more than I have had it home (this is a fact!). I just got it back two days ago from having the coolant fan gearbox rebuilt and a host of other little niggling things, and now the CTIS which has always worked well is flatting out the rear tires every night. I am sure that it is some small issue, as it always is, but as a husband and father of three with family that loves to travel to Moab and Colorado to do a little light off roading, hiking and camping I am getting more and more leery of heading out on a long road trip with the three most important people in my life in a vehicle that keeps giving me fits.
2.) The general perception of the H1. As a business owner with a depressed economy and fuel prices being what they are it is getting harder and harder to look my employees in the eyes and tell them they can't have a raise at this time because the quarterly income doesn't warrant a raise for anyone. I own the truck outright, with no loan against it, but I will never be able to prove to my employees that I am not taking money from the company to support my off road "habit" and leaving them in the cold. I have a great group of people working for me right now, and a little bit of "self sacrifice" would go a long way for moral.
The problem is I still keep circling back to the fact that it took a LONG time to get the Alpha, and a LONG time to get it close to where I wanted it to be. If it wasn't continually fighting me with small issues here and there I wouldn't get so down on it, but I am really starting to wonder when the financial bleeding will stop with this truck. If I knew that "this repair will be the last repair I have to do for the next six months!" I would feel a lot better, but I just can't get the damn thing to be reliable whatsoever...
I should also add that the H1, and if I sell it and pick up a LR3 / 4 will not be my daily driver. I have an '08 Super Duty truck for that (Cattle business is my main interest), and I also have an '85 D 110 that has been "upgraded":sombrero: and a '78 FJ 40 that has been EXTENSIVELY modified by Proffitt's Cruisers for my hard core off roading excursions. The H1 gets driven about twenty miles two or three times a week, and the LR3 / 4 would see the same duty...
m3 bavaria
Adventurer
I had an LR3 and not only was it the most practical, most versitle vehicle I've ever owned, but it performed fantastically in the light to moderate off-road duties I threw at it, even on street tyres.
My biggest concern would be if something broke out in the bush, because it can be difficult to repair without a computer. Beyond that, it's a fairly expensive truck, so I'd be a bit more concerned about body work and damage, but that's just me.
My biggest concern would be if something broke out in the bush, because it can be difficult to repair without a computer. Beyond that, it's a fairly expensive truck, so I'd be a bit more concerned about body work and damage, but that's just me.
jdholder
Explorer
It's a different part for Front Right, Front Left and either Rear - so three spares needed.
JD-
How have you gotten along with your '03 FF RR? When I had mine they were always scaring me to death with threats of the front diff grenading and sending the vehicle and all occupants to their fiery death in the nearest ditch. I actually ended up getting rid of mine and getting an '08 just because of this. All said I never seemed to run into anyone that had actually experienced it. I loved my '03, and it gave me a lot of trouble free miles.
If you can get around fine in your rig on the trail I am starting to feel a little better about an LR3...
How have you gotten along with your '03 FF RR? When I had mine they were always scaring me to death with threats of the front diff grenading and sending the vehicle and all occupants to their fiery death in the nearest ditch. I actually ended up getting rid of mine and getting an '08 just because of this. All said I never seemed to run into anyone that had actually experienced it. I loved my '03, and it gave me a lot of trouble free miles.
If you can get around fine in your rig on the trail I am starting to feel a little better about an LR3...
Dave Legacy
Adventurer
LR4 has a 5.0L V8 which is more powerful, but having to run 19s is such a drag! They relocated an important module from behind the battery to it's own compartment which should solve some water ingress damage risks. Stuff like that tells me the engineers learned from some of the mistakes made with the LR3.
The 4.4L V8 from the LR3 is thought to be one of the more reliable of the recent Land Rover aluminum V8s, but that's just what I've been told...
The 4.4L V8 from the LR3 is thought to be one of the more reliable of the recent Land Rover aluminum V8s, but that's just what I've been told...
Ron B
Explorer
you're right about that -- most who wheel seriously will center the front diff with the kit and just carry one halfshaft. I haven't done this yet, nor have I upgraded to the 12k hd shafts.
I am interested in how the bags work as I have put them on my truck.
rb
jdholder
Explorer
I love my MKIII. It is the most capable offroader I have ever owned - and I have owned a few. It is also the most comfortable. It has all the creature comforts.
The weak areas on the MKIII are the airbags, computer complexity and center viscous coupling diff.
My airbags and compressor are new (so I feel confident).
On the computer side, the most troublesome is the EAS one. I have a GAP Innovations module that allows me to read and reset the EAS ECU through the dash. It's a MUST HAVE.
I haven't worked out a plan if the VC dies far afield - if it does, I'll need help towing the truck back to pavement as when it dies, the truck doesn't move. That's bad.
Overall I love the truck and since I travel in groups out on my camping trips, I don't worry too much and try to enjoy my heated steering wheel and seats while everybody else is freezing their butts off in their open top jeeps.
jdholder
Explorer
Both the front and rear bags are easy to change. The rears are simply a single bolt on the bottom and a clip on the top, unscrew the air line and to assemble, simply reverse the order.
The fronts are McPhearson Struts, so 3 bolts up top, a single large bolt at the bottom, unscrew the air line - to assemble reverse the process. The struts are large though, so carrying spares for those is TOUGH. If I was going to carry a "spare" for the front, I'd probably just carry a coil spring conversion kit and instead of replacing the entire strut, just replace the airbag with a coil spring to get me home. Of course, you could just coil the truck (if it was a MKIII - not LR3/4) and forget about the airbags completely.
In any event, an airbag replacement would need computer reset to clear the codes.
A well appointed LR3 can be a beautiful thing and my understanding is that the LR3 change all the rules at Moab due to its amazing ability.
Here is my 2008 LR3 G4. Locked Rear Diff, front skid plate, Warn 9000 winch and Goodyear MTRs. All you need. Rock sliders would be nice.
D
Here is my 2008 LR3 G4. Locked Rear Diff, front skid plate, Warn 9000 winch and Goodyear MTRs. All you need. Rock sliders would be nice.
D