Sam Odio, founder

Planned Land Rover LR2 off-road modifications

October 23 2011

Filed under: freelander   land-rover   lr2   off-roading  

Above you can see the Land Rover in its current state. Modifications so far include a tow hitch receiver, bull bars, and roof rack (discussed in detail in my previous post). To get the vehicle ready for some more serious off-roading I'm planning on making a number of modifications in the near future:

• Terra 45 4,500lb Superwinch. This is an underpowered winch for the LR2, which has a curb weight of approximately 4,000lbs. I plan on using it with a block to double the pulling strength of the winch. I'll be mounting the winch to my class III hitch, which can really only handle 4,000-5,000lbs of force.
• Rear skid plates. I haven't been able to find any rear skid plates that protect the muffler and gas tank. The closest that I've been able to find is the Skid-Grid, sold by D.A.P. for the freelander. I've contacted them to see if it's compatible with the 2008 LR2. Update: Mantec sells a skid plate for the LR2/Freelander II. It's not listed on their website, but you can contact them directly to order it. There are photos on freel2.com
• All Terrain tires The Pirelli Scorpion A/T All Terrain tires are the most aggressive tires I could find that fit the LR2's stock wheels (235/60R18). I'm considering wider tires since they're more common, like the Nitto Terra Grapplers or the General Grabber AT2. Both have 255/60R18s which may fit the LR2 (investigating). If anyone has installed 255/60R18s on their LR2 definitely contact me: first_name@last_name.com.
• Snorkel. I noticed Mantec sells a snorkel for the Freelander I. They also supplied a snorkel for the 2009 G4 Freelander II (tech sheet). No word yet on whether that snorkel is commercially available.

I'm also planning on bring these miscellaneous items on my off-roading trips: Hi-lift jack, tow straps, tree protector, hi-lift jack winch kit (in case the superwinch fails), 30ft of chain, battery jump starter with A/C power & compressor, fire extinguisher, solar panel charger, two-way radios, snow shovel, and emergency blankets. Finally, these are the modifications I'm considering:

• Surco basket. I expect that this basket would allow me to mount some off-road spot lights, a hi-lift jack, and a spare tire.
• 1-2" inch lift. D.A.P. makes a lift kit for the older Freelanders. Steve at Muddy Oval has posted some great photos and a basic howto describing how he lifted his Freelander. Unfortunately D.A.P. has no plans to make such a kit for the LR2 and I haven't been able to find any other lift-kits on the market. If anyone has any experience successfully (or unsuccessfully) lifting an LR2, please email me: my_first_name@last_name.com

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