Thread: RRS TDV8 on the Beach Yes or no?

Nothing beats driver experience.

The D3/D4/RRS are heavy - so what, so are LC200s etc....
Most touring 4wdrives are ridiculously heavy (overloaded) and do fine.

99% of the time its the driver, not the rubber / vehicle / conditions - causing the problems...

Understanding the vehicle, Taking the time to learn about it (RTFM) and doing things 'by the numbers' will get you further in almost any vehicle.

Tyre pattern is also often spoken about...
Smooth for sand
Agressive for Mud etc..

Well smooth for sand is bollocks Drive appropriately and Claws / Simex Centipedes are some of the best Sand rubber out there!

And if one person tells me a wider footprint by airing down works better- I will scream...
Its totally incorrect....

Start screaming then ...

cheers,
Terry

Originally Posted by Tombie

Nothing beats driver experience.

...

Tyre pattern is also often spoken about...
Smooth for sand
Agressive for Mud etc..

Well smooth for sand is bollocks Drive appropriately and Claws / Simex Centipedes are some of the best Sand rubber out there!

And if one person tells me a wider footprint by airing down works better- I will scream...
Its totally incorrect....

Yep, couldnt agree more. Even a basic AT pattern will pull my truck out of deep wheel ruts in sand much better than HT and will give more traction up dunes etc and airing down is certainly about longitudinal length and the approach angle of the tyre being a little shallower and tending therefore to dig in less (and this is where clearance on stock vehicles can also become a problem in terms of creating a sand anchor with the front bar, diffs etc) and driver experience is a well overlooked issue when comparing what vehicles have been seen stuck etc.

Cheers
PS. The truth is that most of the market want to have more seats, carrying more inside, tow heavier, have electric heated seats etc and 102 airbags in the vehicle and then the handling and looks to make it all sweet (ie big alloy rims)...but there must be a down side and for a 4wd that down side is realised on sand. You just have to do you best to work with it and realise the limitations on sand. Worst case, you don't tow heavy in very soft sand if your vehicle struggles in the deep soft stuff WITHOUT a towed load or if you go that way, make sure you have max trax or similar or a mate who can tow you (although the later is a pain in some spots).

Originally Posted by roamer

If stuck in sand Rock Crawl and DSC off is exactly what you need to be in

It may be the way to get out when stuck but its not the best way to drive on sand before you get stuck.

cheers,
Terry

My fault with explanation the guy with stuck disco had been in Sand Mode then when he got stuck went to rock crawl. Which seems the right way to go. My 100 series was earlier live axle model, no IFS. A fantastic, reliable truck, but, not much to drive on road, and ultimately, boring. I drive a Land Rover because every time it starts I think yippee it goes! They are interesting cars that have "character". Some of that character I think comes from the faults and having to know about them.

I think even the later model 100 series were available in a VERY basic model with vinyl front bench seat, manual box and live axle front and rear.

Cheers

So are both the RRS, RR and D3/4 all pretty much equal in deep sand when not towing - assuming all have factory or better (but same profile) rubber and in experienced hands with DSC off? Or are there advantages in one or the other?

Cheers

The RRS has the shortest wheelbase. The RR has the greatest ground clearance. And engine choices are different, thereby affecting weight.

How that translates to sand performance depends on the specific conditions.

Cheers,

Gordon