Learning to 4WD, in a Discovery Sport

"Be safe – and don't hurt my car!"

That's how Michelle farewells me when I head off exploring the national parks for a few hours. The good news is I succeeded in staying safe.

I went back up into the Mt Mee forest to check out some of the facilities and tracks from The Gantry over to Somerset lookout. The Qld National Parks map has the main loop coloured green indicating that it's an easy (i.e. pretty but boring) drive. The lure of the yellow ("moderate") side track was too great and I turned off to explore what the DS and I could do.

You'd have to classify me as a cautious person. I took it slow and steady, and when the track started to get a bit rutted and rough I walked ahead clearing dangerous looking rocks and sticks, scouting for safe lines. I came to one washed-out descent which was right on the borderline of my risk tolerance and spent more than a few minutes deciding whether it was time to turn back. The sort of thing a full Disco would handle almost without noticing but which had a couple of spots where the DS's lower clearance would be tested. After walking up and down a few times I reckoned I had it figured out.

I was nearly right.

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What you see in that third picture is my front end nearly grounded (I heard it touch before I stopped) with a spike of rock about to rip the heart out of the first stage of my exhaust. That rock wasn't sticking up like that beforehand, it must have been rolled up by contact with the engine protection plate.

Not yet owning a long-handled spade, I tried removing it with a sturdy stick but I could only loosen it. No way to go forward but my front left wheel had just dropped into a lower section so by reversing less than a foot I was able to lift the body and then remove the rock. Still the problem remained of proceeding without bellying on a crest of broken granite.

I didn't have a spade but I did have these:

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Have only owned Max Trax for a week and this was their first time under the rubber. The extra few cm of clearance they provided let me stick to the line I'd chosen going in to the next section which was even more badly washed out. Even though this is pretty trivial as off-roading goes I was pretty pleased with myself for getting to the bottom with my exhaust intact.

Not that I escaped unscathed though... think I might be needing a new cross-brace. And then a set of bash plates if I can find some.

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PS Please don't tell my wife.

So long as your wife doesn't venture onto AULRO you should be safe. Not much chance of her getting underneath for a stickybeak I would guess. Ha ha. Nice save by the way!

That crossmember is the bane of Evoque and DS.
An Evoque came to driver training at Stockton and was great on smooth sand.
Once it came to a badly rutted bit it was stuck sitting on that crossmember.
It was a problem even using my Maxtrax as the tyres didn't have sufficient tread initially to grab on, although they were damp also. We had to dig them right under the wheels.
You should be aware that this will be a problem wherever there are deep tracks in sand, like near rocks on Fraser.

Still it was a good recovery exercise.
Regards Philip A

Buy the ATs now. Consider other vehicles later.
Also, normally the rear tyres should be higher than the fronts. Maybe lower by about a quarter of the pressures recommended on the door plate for your 18s, but less for 19s or bigger. You want longer (not wider) tyre footprint, but not enough bulge to damage sidewalls.
If there are protection plates then I recommend you get them.
Enjoy.

Thanks for the comment, Mick. LR recommended cold pressures for the current tyres with a light load are 35 front and 31 rear. For a heavy load 37 front and 41 rear.

On Saturday I started with 30 each end (warm) which I figure is about in line with your suggestion. Took them down as low as 20 to try and get traction on a later slippery climb.

I’m definitely getting ATs. I mentioned in the tyre and rim thread that 255/55R18 are the current leading contenders now that I’ve had confirmation they are not too wide. Would *Love* the extra half inch clearance afforded by 255/60R18 but need to maintain compatibility with my 29” spare. General Grabber AT is probably the go.

Also my lift kit arrived today. Next thing is to find somebody good and hopefully local to install the new coils.

How much lift? Can you get a Bridgestone D697 in that size? In 265/60/R18 they are an LT spec which is strong so maybe same in your size. They have excellent traction considering how quiet they run on road. Almost as good as highway tyre. Not sure how they compare to the GG.

Scott

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LRD414

How much lift? Can you get a Bridgestone D697 in that size? In 265/60/R18 they are an LT spec which is strong so maybe same in your size. They have excellent traction considering how quiet they run on road. Almost as good as highway tyre. Not sure how they compare to the GG.

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30mm lift according to Eibach
Eibach Pro Lift Kit <br/> Land Rover Discovery Sport Buy suspension from Eibach including adjustable suspension and automotive coil springs. E30-71-007-01-22

I don't think 265s would fit in the wheel arches, and D697s don't come in any other size which suits. My other option in 255/55R18 size is a KO2 but it just feels like overkill. Some folks are running 255/60R18 which is an inch greater in diameter and that would open up the Pirelli Scorpion ATR as a 3rd AT option.

The more I get to know it, the more I love this car.

Back into the D'Aguilar range again this afternoon, staying off the side tracks, exploring Neurum Creek Road north of the Gantry. No big deal, but it was late in the day and some light rain came over to make the surface just that bit more interesting. Lots of up and down climbs, a mix of broken rock and hard packed dirt and some softer stuff with a bit of a clay look to it. Some pretty rough patches, 30cm deep wash outs etc but nothing dramatic.

In all my previous driving around that area the loose stones and dirt put me in mind of "gravel", so I have done everything using Grass/Gravel/Snow mode. At some point today a little light dawned in my head and I realised that on some of the much slower, bumpy stuff I could do with more ready torque and more persistent rear-wheel assistance. I tapped the button to switch into Mud Ruts mode.

It's such a stupid name. "Mud Ruts" makes me think of huge bog holes. There was just about zero mud to contend with today but suddenly the car starts acting like I imagine a "proper" 4WD should, getting down into 1st gear, pushing with the rear wheels, with eager throttle response and a determination to just clamber over the rocks and gullies. And it felt much happier and less stressed doing it this way compared to the gently-gently approach you get from Grass/Gravel/Snow.

It's still on the original tyres and springs, but I'd dropped pressure to 30psi warm. They're getting replaced this coming Friday so I didn't care if they got a bit chewed today, and I wanted to drive home on the bitumen without having to stop and reinflate. Once again, that transformation between off-road explorer and highway cruiser for the drive home seems like magic. I'm so impressed with the way this one vehicle can feel so comfortable and capable in such different driving conditions.

Anyway, Neurum Creek camping ground looks like a nice spot to spend a night as a beginner. Roof racks are on my shopping list, plus something like an OzTent to carry on them.

It's gonna be a long time before I can hold my head high around the likes of this guy though...
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I know that feeling of being impressed. Does it have Rock Crawl mode too? It has more of the same change you've noticed moving to Mud Ruts, which I find to be the most effective mode in most situations in the D4. The word gravel is really misleading, it is very much a snow mode and certain sand situations.

Scott

No the DS just has three terrain response modes - grass/gravel/snow, mud ruts and sand. No rock crawl. Which doesn't surprise me given we don't have low range. But we do have 9 gears.

In normal and ggs modes the car uses 2nd gear to pull off. Mud ruts and sand start in the significantly lower 1st gear.