Does anyone use their P38 Offroad

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Well I think they are fine off road, I am a Defender and Discovery owner and only bought my current P38 to use over the winter whilst rebuilding my 110, I like it so much that I am keeping it on the road. New MT tyres next week, will be adding a winch and bumpers front and rear and will protectors. The air will be staying and it’s so capable off road in standard trim but once modified it will be better.
 
Mine gets used occasionally. The rear bumper is prone to damage though.

And while the air suspension is cool. In extended mode it does ride quite hard over the bumps off road. Which is a bit of a design flaw.

They flex quite well stock though. And the 4 channel TCS on the 99+ models makes them very capable.

However in the real world in the UK. My SIII would probably go more places and suffer less damage.
 
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300bhp/ton said:
Mine gets used occasionally. The rear bumper is prone to damage though.

And while the air suspension is cool. In extended mode it does ride quite hard over the bumps off road. Which is a bit of a design flaw.

They flex quite well stock though. And the 4 channel TCS on the 99+ models makes them very capable.

However in the real world in the UK. My SIII would probably go more places and suffer less damage.
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The extended setting is for slow wading not for rough terrain.
 
wammers said:
The extended setting is for slow wading not for rough terrain.
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Not according to the manual ;)

Just to clarify. By extended I mean the raised mode on the selector switch. Not the super extended mode when it beaches itself.

And you do need to use it. The long wheelbase means they are prone to beaching even when raised. Using them in the normal ride height would result in even more rear bumper damage too.

The Arnott Gen 3 springs should solve this as they ride softer when raised due their design. This same principle is applied to the air springs on the L322 and D3 newer models too.

:)
 
300bhp/ton said:
Not according to the manual ;)

Just to clarify. By extended I mean the raised mode on the selector switch. Not the super extended mode when it beaches itself.

And you do need to use it. The long wheelbase means they are prone to beaching even when raised. Using them in the normal ride height would result in even more rear bumper damage too.

The Arnott Gen 3 springs should solve this as they ride softer when raised due their design. This same principle is applied to the air springs on the L322 and D3 newer models too.

:)
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Improves entry/exit angle off road (slow speed) and recommended for wading. You can of course use your vehicle as you wish. But the P38 is essentially a road vehicle with good off road capability. Not an off road vehicle with good on road capability. It is not for setting in high and bombing around rough terrain. Put it in high on road and drive over a speed bump at 25 mph you will see what i mean. ;):D:D
 
wammers said:
Improves entry/exit angle off road (slow speed) and recommended for wading. You can of course use your vehicle as you wish. But the P38 is essentially a road vehicle with good off road capability. Not an off road vehicle with good on road capability. It is not for setting in high and bombing around rough terrain. Put it in high on road and drive over a speed bump at 25 mph you will see what i mean. ;):D:D
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No it is most definately an off roader. Ladder chassis, long travel suspension, off road biased traction control and live axles, plus a steering box. ;)

And I'm not talking about going at speed off road, I'm talking about tackling the same terrain at low speed and directly comparing to a Defender 90. The 90 will ride better because the way the p38 increased ride height is to increase the spring rate.

As said, the Gen 3 Arnott springs would solve this, as well as make it better on road, as they make it stiffer when lowered. Which is also the opposite of the stock setup. Sadly I've never been able to attain the Arnott Gen 3's for anything like sensible money, so haven't bought them. But the very fact Arnott designed them highlights the issue with the stock setup.
 
300bhp/ton said:
No it is most definately an off roader. Ladder chassis, long travel suspension, off road biased traction control and live axles, plus a steering box. ;)

And I'm not talking about going at speed off road, I'm talking about tackling the same terrain at low speed and directly comparing to a Defender 90. The 90 will ride better because the way the p38 increased ride height is to increase the spring rate.

As said, the Gen 3 Arnott springs would solve this, as well as make it better on road, as they make it stiffer when lowered. Which is also the opposite of the stock setup. Sadly I've never been able to attain the Arnott Gen 3's for anything like sensible money, so haven't bought them. But the very fact Arnott designed them highlights the issue with the stock setup.
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An Austin 10 and model T Ford had a ladder chassis but were definitely never off roaders. :D:D
 
TbF the P38 was the last of the country set RR's after that they went "hollywood" ;)
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Mine did very well around the fields at home, even with crap Plastic tyres ;)

4x traction control and low box lakes a very capable offroader..

Definitely go places the Defender and Disco never got..

Very capable..

Mechanically it is defo a biased offroader.
 
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I’ve had mainly Defenders for off-road daily work previously.

The P38 is awesome,

so much I kept it. I thought it would be worse due to the extra weight but nope it’s better and more durable :)
I am +2” on coils and catch tow hitch area regularly. single back box ripped off too easily so changed to pipe only (no box) for clearance issue - twin would be double trouble!
EAS can cope with off-roading but not unusual to rip an airbag at high flex

In my experience if you drive off-road like a lunatic in a P38 - EAS or coils - you will roll over. Never come close in any 4X4 or plant machine ever but P38 caught me out :oops:
Okay I was pushing it, but it did take it on the chin, is not damaged beyond repair by an amateur and is still going well :)
Never had a gearbox/diff/or anything pop from towing things i really shouldn’t. I worked the infamous Hilux to death but P38 takes it in its stride :cool:
 
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