foster

Great write-up Miles. Sounds like an awesome trip that will be remembered for quite a while!

If you haven't been yet, make sure to head out to East Brothers Beer Co in Richmond! https://www.eastbrotherbeer.com/ They have a great taproom and patio, tasty beer and awesome tacos, but they are a very very generous club sponsor who always keeps the beer flowing for us.

Just bought my ticket and am looking forward to seeing everyone in September!

Greg, you want this one?

Rods are the cheapest way to be at off road height at all times. My experience is.... Upside: more lift. Downside: harsher ride. I didn't care for the ride, so I took them off and got a gap tool. The rods are pretty easy to put on/off. Maybe 20 minutes at first, and you'd probably get faster. I wouldn't want to do it all the time, though. If you install them for permanent use, you'll want to get an alignment. Not a big deal, but another expense. I'll send you my unused ones so you can play around with them.

Never was a huge fan of that guy but I guess I'll show up.

I'll have moved by then but I'm hoping to come back for this and ride shotgun if someone has an open seat.

I have a bunch of stuff available! I need to go to my storage unit to actually inventory it, but lots of LR3/etc EAS parts, some P38 things, maybe even some camping gear. I'll post more of what I have when I get it together. Most importantly, I have a P38 available!

It's Meeting of the Members time, which means it's also SWAP MEET TIME! Post up what you have!

Bring her and get her something nice at the swap meet!

Has this same friend also punished bone stock Mercedes MLs, per chance?

I forget what I put in my P38... I do whatever Jiffylube synthetic because they top it off for free between changes. This is a policy that will likely bankrupt my particular Jiffylube franchise. I do roughly 4,000 miles between changes.

I really really like my Falken Wildpeaks. They're not great in snow, and the sidewalls seem to get cut up on rocks a bit, but I've never had them let me down.

Looks great! Welcome to the club!

I briefly had a RRS that I was planning to build into a dedicated trail rig. A few people here have built out RRSs; Esten and Chad. Esten's is a later one, and likely the one you saw at the Annual. Mario's minty green one was there, too, and I think I remember discussing it with you. They are pretty trail-capable out of the box, just like all the modern LR3 and later Rovers. The shorter wheelbase makes it pretty maneuverable, compared to my LR3. If you wanted a fun on the pavement but can handle itself off-road truck, the RRS is a very good platform. Some of the 2010+ ones have a rear locking diff, but it's harder to find. The limitation for adding off-road bits are two major things; brake size and parts availability. Wheel sizes are limited by the brakes, and all over the place. The 2006-09 4.4l NA motor will take LR3 18" wheels, no problem. I forget the specifics about the 4.2l supercharged and can't remember if any 18" rims will fit over the Brembos. 2010+ non-supercharged will take 18" compomotive wheels, and maybe tuffant wheels, or 18" LR3 wheels with spacers. On 2010+ supercharged RRS, I think you're stuck with 20" wheels. There are pretty good 20" AT tires now but you definitely will have a lot less sidewall. Depends on what you want to do with the truck, but something to consider. The bigger issue I had was parts availability. Off road parts for the LR3 are plentiful, tested, and all across the price spectrum. For the Sport, there aren't many aftermarket parts suppliers, so things like sliders, bumpers and roof racks can be way more expensive with fewer options. But, they're out there. I really like the RRS, and don't think you'd regret it. 510hp sounds like a blast (and is on my short list for the next truck I get). The LR3/LR4 is a bit more practical (bigger, more utilitarian design, etc) but the RRS looks better and is a bit more luxurious. There's a tradeoff either way, and no wrong answer.

Informal gathering of Rovers will be roving through Hollister Hills tomorrow morning. All are welcome! We'll be meeting at the ranger station at 10am. I'll be in the green P38. I'll have ham on 140.460. Call/DM/Whatsapp me with questions. Wooo!

Basil will be making his debut, too.

We're gonna look like a Midwest Rovers club at events with all these South Dakota/Nebraska/Minnesota/Montana license-plated trucks. Welcome to the club!!

I'm in Berkeley so you're welcome to swing by and get them anytime, or I can drop them in the mail (they're pretty small). Either way works for me.

https://www.gap-diagnostic.com/products/ the IID Gap Tool is a good thing to have. Not only does it allow you to control suspension height (for when you want to do something crazy like....go 26mph at off road height without a warning/lowering), but also reads codes, allows you to set some other preferences as well. Nice thing to have. I have some lift rods that I'm not using, if you'd like to use those. They install in 30 minutes and give you 2.5" of lift, so basically off road height as the standard setting, extended height as the off road setting. Easy enough to install at the start of Mohave, and take off at the other end. They're yours for free, if you want 'em. In terms of the Mojave Road, I don't have any advice for ya... I've never been but hopefully will be going there this winter, as well!

Despite tomorrow being the first Saturday of July since the invention of the calendar, here's a last minute MORG. Hollister Hills, 10am. We'll meet at the ranger station and go from there. Definitely Hudner, probably up McCray Rd, and some fun at the obstacle course to finish it all off. Cell service is limited but I'll be on the radio 146.460 Open to all! From Freelander to Crawler, there's fun to be had for everyone! Hollister Info: http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1179 Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/1VVLeWqZ58xUMb3d9

https://www.englishandeuropean.com/ I've also taken trucks here, and have liked the work they've done. Simon and Adam are nice and reasonable guys.

Man, that sucks. Hope the warranty covers it. Colin with CT Motorwerks (Walnut Creek) is a good person to start with. EDIT: didn't see Rupert's comment before sending mine but glad we're in agreement Welcome to the club. Hopefully the truck gets up and running soon so you can bring it out to a club event!

Dang, I'll be honeymooning so I will get the download after your trip so I can run it myself later on! Looks amazing.

That's an ambitious day! Call out on 146.460 when you're heading into Los Padres from the coast... if you're near where I'm camping you'll have to stop by for a cider.