First time off road?

[Matt.t.]

oh i got a massive roll of rubber stuff which is used under ice of ice rinks, gonna make me some mats and a boot tray thing!

seat covers are on the list! wanted simple grey or black, they only had max flower ones in the shop!


Noted on the rad! cheers

[Range Rover Blues]

Thing is a standard LR is pretty capable, if you've got mates who know a bit about what they are doing tag along.

Every one gets stuck once in a while and when it starts to happen you can ask yourself why it happened.

If the answer is driver error, well, you know what to do about that.

But if the answer is equipment then it's time to think about upgrades.

Ask you mates/us lot why we bought the things we did, are they worth the money and would we do it again with the benefit of hindsight. Like I've had my winch ofr 18 months and I've used it 4 times, 3 to move cars out of the garage/onto the trailer and once off-road, hardly worth the money.

Steerring guard, well the big dent in the middle of it should answer that one.

Jackable sills, handy but over rated.

Tank Guard, nice to have, removable tow bar makes it well worth the money (see Guardian about one) but then again it weighs 36 Kg plus the NATO :shock:

Your first big expense might be tyres.  If you plan more radical mods later on these might become redundant down the line, so look for a good set S/H or look after them and sell them on.

But honestly, the biggest difference between our cars when we bought them and our cars now is the state of the paintwork :roll:

[Jesska]

But honestly, the biggest difference between our cars when we bought them and our cars now is the state of the paintwork  :roll:

We hardly have ant paint left  :roll:

[redneck]

I've had my winch ofr 18 months and I've used it 4 times, 3 to move cars out of the garage/onto the trailer and once off-road, hardly worth the money.

That's very true as i've only used my winch a couple of times so it's really been quite an expensive item working it out like that, however I used it once to recover a RRC on one occasion (no reflection on the RRC BTW, anything would have got stuck where it did   ) and just for that one occasion it was worth the money spent alone because there was no way we would have retreived it any other way   :shock:

[richo]

Matt t if you go to tixover let me know as iv'e not been there yet[PayPlay virgin]and might be able to tag along if i'm not working.
I also know where all the good lanes are around you .If you get yourself a os map i will give you grid refs.Most of the good lanes are closed around Pboro until about spring so if you up for a bit of laning mate i could show you some one week end.
Footloose 4x4 are good lads ,very helpful .I had my 110 service with them and was very happy with there service.

[Matt.t.]

excellent cheers richo, will give you a bell, think im planning on goin on the 27th or 28th december as im off work

car comes with Collway 4x4 all terrain tyres on, just scouring ebay really for some protectors

[Matt.t.]

any driving tips?  i was thinkin keeping low-ish revs 2nd gear?

[kourgath]

Hi Matt.T

plenty of good advice above.

I train novices in a 300tdi disco, I also started off-road driving in 93 ina disco - without bending it.  We have added front bash guard (cheap alloy one quite long, bent on centre of ruts - go for a short steel one) put a Jate ring on the front, use the towball at the back.  We added side sills, diff guards and mud tyres. Removed front spoiler. Tow rope, friends etc as above.

Goes further than many expect, but don't think it will go everywhere.

Advice on driving.  

Get out and watch others. Don't let others egg you on unless you REALLY trust them... Listen to ONE person if getting out of trouble. Never put your motor where your mind hasn't alredy been. If it goes wrong it was probably YOUR fault (wrong line, wrong gear, wrong speed) accept this and learn - nobody knows it all, and/or tyres.  Thick clay will fill up almost any tyre very quickly.

2nd low is the normal trundle about gear, third only if up *slippery* slopes, first for down.  Make sure you centre diff is locked BEFORE you need it, probably as soon as you get on site - if it is anything like ours which can take ages. Need diff-lock as without it you only need one wheel to slip and you've lost power/engine braking. Scary downhill.

Tyres, I'm sure if you asked for a tyre recommendation, you'd probably get tons of answers.  BFG Mud have a lot of fans, but really the good ole Trac Edge was the best overall - can't get them now. I think the nearest is the Goodyear MT/R - expensive but LR use then on G4 challenge.  Maybe a second set of colway MT (remoulds is a good way)

Take it easy, watch, sit in with others using same vehicle, have fun
Gavin / kourgath

[Matt.t.]

cheers, is it best to engage diff lock and drive around like that? i had a defender for a bit and only tried it on the road

[TDi90]

only engage diff lock when you think traction is likely to be lost.
R

[kourgath]

Hiya

Diff-lock is one of those things that make a difference to the ways a vehicle behaves.

LR products have full-time 4x4 so require a diff in the centre between front and rear axle as each wheel follows a different path when you turn- drive onto a sand/gravel flat area and do a tight turn and you'll see what I mean.  For off-road driving you want to ensure that power goes to all wheels.  A normal diff will send all the torque to the easiest side to turn - think of it being lazy.  If you lock the diff then you get 50% at each output shaft no matter what. [I'm keeping this discussion within reason, so no tecky LSD/VC/Torsen stuff :) )

On grippy surfaces this diff-lock and 'not same paths' thing can cause damage to the transfer box/centre diff as the wheels/axles need to rotate differently but you won't let them, so something has to give.  Off-road this is fine as it scrubs it away on a slippy bit. On-road it causes handling problems, extra understeer, potential damage as above.

I've suggested putting the diff-lock in (it's only the centre one in a LR unless you paid for more) as it can take some time to engage properly and without it you stop once one wheel spins.  With diff-lock in, you need one wheel on each axle to spin before you stop.  The light being on doesn't always mean it really has gone in so be careful, give it time.

Now without starting a religious war, LR decided not to put axle diff-locks for two reasons, 1)more profit, 2)better suspension design keeps the wheels more evenly loaded on the ground so less chance of a wheel spinning.  Part-time systems don't have a centre diff, so should only be used in 2wd on grippy roads.  Also many 4x4's have different suspension design priorities, so often have less wheel movement so are more likely to cock a wheel in the air, so manufacturers offer a rear diff lock to overcome the downsides of nicer on-road handling. You pays your money and takes your choice.

Land Rover have been fitting Anti-roll bars onto disco's for some time now and these can have a negative effect on off-road abilit traded off with less lean on road.

Cheers
Gavin /kourgath

[Matt.t.]

thanks gavin, i think i understood, we will see, i will soon learn

[baz2236]

Hi I am organizing a trip over to Three Holes near Wisbeach for this weekend it’s a 4x4 pay and play site you are more then welcome to come along its not a very big site like tixover but it might be good for you to get used to your truck and see what it can do.

Here is the link

http://forums.mud-club.com/viewtopic.php?p=467443#467443

[Matt.t.]

cheers i would, but doubt i will have a car now the disco i was gettin, caught fire!!

another weeknd searchign by the looks of it!

[kourgath]

bu&&er me backwards throuh a hedge as a mate used to say (no not in the evening when camping)

Hope you get a decent motor, maybe it's better it caught fire before you bought it not 10 mins after...

C ya G

[Matt.t.]

yeh only disco2 i found in my price range too! got a few to look at now, made some phonecalls,

2 S1 discos
1 shogun

[redneck]

yeh only disco2 i found in my price range too! got a few to look at now, made some phonecalls,

2 S1 discos
1 shogun

I notice you're looking at a Shogun, you should also consider a Pajero, here's the differences.

Some Shoguns have a proper locking rear differential which is really nice to have for off road whereas most but not all Paj's have a limited slip rear differential which is pretty good on the slippery stuff (I mostly only need 2wd in mine off road) but ultimately not as good as the locker in the Shoggy however as the Pajero is the japanese inport version of the shoggy (don't panic about insurance BTW it's very cheap for these   ) and the japanese don't salt their roads in the winter you are far more likely to get a good rust free example of a Paj than a shoggy. As an example I have an F reg paj and it's solid.