Weak Link: Spare-tire Location
Models Affected: '99-'04 Discovery II
What Happens: The factory tires on a Discovery are approximately 29 inches tall. Rover provides a fullsize spare and even makes the spare easy to reach on the rear door. However, a larger spare cannot be easily mounted without the tire coming in contact with the bumper and preventing the door from closing.
Sturdy Fix: Fortunately, a simple offset plate is all that's needed to fit a larger tire. Atlantic British offers such a product that is constructed from aluminum and comes complete with countersunk mounting hardware. The offset tire mount accommodates up to a 33-inch spare.
Contact: Atlantic British
Weak Link: Steering Damper Location
Models Affected: '95-'99 Discovery I
What Happens: The factory location for the steering damper on the Discovery is low and poorly protected, making it an easy and common item to damage on the trail.
Sturdy Fix: Rovers North sells a steering damper relocation kit that puts the damper in a similar location to the Defender. The damper is moved from this vulnerable location to high in front of the axle, out of the reach of most boulders and trail obstacles.
Contact: Rovers North
Weak Link: Suspension Articulation
Models Affected: '99-'04 Discovery II
What Happens: Sway bars are beneficial on the street, but on the trail they limit articulation. This contributes to tires lifting off the ground and losing traction.
Sturdy Fix: Fortunately, there's no need to discard the sway bar entirely, as Slickrock Fabrication manufactures sway-bar disconnects exclusively for the Discovery II. These sway-bar discos are length-adjustable to accommodate different lift heights and feature Zerk fittings for squeak-free operation.
Contact: Slickrock Fabrication
Weak Link: Airbag Suspension
Models Affected: '99-'04 Discovery II
What Happens: Three different rear suspension options were available on the Discovery II, including the SLS self-leveling airbag suspension. While the airbags offer a nice ride, they commonly fail between 60,000 and 90,000 miles. There are already enough potential failure points when you are in the backcountry-no reason to have another one unnecessarily.
Sturdy Fix: Factory coils or Old Man Emu coil springs can be retrofitted in place of the SLS system and provide better durability, along with the potential for lift with the OME springs. British Pacific stocks everything necessary to make this conversion a quick and easy process.
Contact: British Pacific
Weak Link: Amplifier Module
Models Affected: '94-'96 Discovery I
What Happens: Over time, the engine will hesitate and eventually die, typically as a result of a failed amplifier module. Often, this issue starts gradually and gets worse as time goes on, particularly when the weather is hot or the engine is under a sustained load.
Sturdy Fix: From the factory, the module is located atop the distributor, where it is subjected to high heat from the engine. Land Rover recognized this issue and moved the amplifier in '97. Atlantic British produces a module-relocation kit for the earlier Discoverys that moves the amplifier to a cooler location in the engine bay where it can operate properly.
Contact: Atlantic British
Weak Link: Stock Two-Pinion Carrier
Models Affected: All
What Happens: All U.S.-specification Discoverys, both early and late models, came factory-equipped with two-pinion differential carriers. They also had small crosspins that were prone to breakage when subjected to hard use on the trail.
Sturdy Fix: A variety of stronger carriers are available from Great Basin Rovers, from four-pinion open carriers, to Truetracs, Air Lockers, or Detroit Lockers. Each user's needs will vary depending on intended use and budget, but all of these options are significantly more robust than the stock differential. Great Basin Rovers is a full-on differential remanufacturing facility and can supply completely remanufactured exchange differentials to your exact specifications.
Contact: Great Basin Rovers