Help/advice needed i got stuck!

danshelby said:

The ground was very wet we've only just got rid of the snow.Being grounded on the diffs? would that be why my front wheels were spinning quite fast and my rear wheels were barely moving?

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Hi and :welcome2:
It may be worth to check if the transfer box viscous coupling is working as it should. Do a search on the forum to find out how to test it.



But looking at the pic I doubt this is the problem.

Still looking at the pic, part of your rear right light guard is missing. It’s probably not your biggest concern at the moment...

I bogged down my first Rangie ('88 Classic) I think we all have at one point....

Rocking the car in Low Box, Diff Lock on (P38 has a VC so no need to engage) in drive and Reverse to get momentum going is one method...

Putting wood, carpet, anything you can find under the wheels to get purchase is 2.

And the two most important is to get out and walk the route with a big stick to regularly prod the ground for soft/hard spots, and (easier said than done) don't try something unless you are a). fully aware of yours and your cars ability and b). got a robust 'get out of jail' plan - you were lucky the farmer was in.....always have a backup plan and never offroad alone.

I have over the last few days driven over the same spot a few times with no problems (even my OH did it) but today i was forced to brake to avoid running over the dog! stupid little bugger decided to run in front of me...it was either brake and stop on the very soggy, muddy bit or squash the dog (don't think the kids would have been too impressed to find their husky puppy flat in the field ) ...the moment i stopped it i knew it was game over!

On that ground you shouldnt have been driving fast enough to need to brake...lifting off would have stopped you in a yard or two.

Saint.V8 said:

I bogged down my first Rangie ('88 Classic) I think we all have at one point....

Rocking the car in Low Box, Diff Lock on (P38 has a VC so no need to engage) in drive and Reverse to get momentum going is one method...

Putting wood, carpet, anything you can find under the wheels to get purchase is 2.

And the two most important is to get out and walk the route with a big stick to regularly prod the ground for soft/hard spots, and (easier said than done) don't try something unless you are a). fully aware of yours and your cars ability and b). got a robust 'get out of jail' plan - you were lucky the farmer was in.....always have a backup plan and never offroad alone.

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Ok thanks for the advice i would actually really like to get into off roading, i've been watching alot of vids lately and think i would really enjoy it... being in south west france finding a club to join may be difficult!
Also new tyres are more than likely in need.
Any suggestions on some good off road tyres would be appreciated

NicP38 said:

Hi and :welcome2:
It may be worth to check if the transfer box viscous coupling is working as it should. Do a search on the forum to find out how to test it.



But looking at the pic I doubt this is the problem.

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I would guess it has 2 wheel traction control which is what stopped the rears spinning

danshelby said:

Ok thanks for the advice i would actually really like to get into off roading, i've been watching alot of vids lately and think i would really enjoy it... being in south west france finding a club to join may be difficult!
Also new tyres are more than likely in need.
Any suggestions on some good off road tyres would be appreciated

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I have only done mild greenlanes and tracks etc....and throughly enjoyed myself...

I am waiting for funds to increase so I can replace my tyres too, once I have done that, I will be venturing further off beat....

Welcome to RR ownership it is a hoot...and remember to stay around on here too...despite the ribbing every now and then, the wealth of information is impressive.

Datatek said:

I would guess it has 2 wheel traction control which is what stopped the rears spinning

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I did read about the 2 wheel traction control on wiki the other day.
someone i know has an L reg Disco with an auto box and has diff lock option, does the P38 not have diff lock?

Datatek said:

I would guess it has 2 wheel traction control which is what stopped the rears spinning

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It's a MY 95 so you your guess is more than probably right Data. I wouldn’t expect something else from you

danshelby said:

I did read about the 2 wheel traction control on wiki the other day.
someone i know has an L reg Disco with an auto box and has diff lock option, does the P38 not have diff lock?

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It does, but it is 'Automatic'

It uses a Viscous Coupling that when the front/rear shafts start turning at different speeds (due to wheel slippage) the Viscous liquid warms up and get stiffer and this added viscosity in the liquid locks the two shafts up in the VC to turn together and distribute power to both drive shafts at the same time.

danshelby said:

I did read about the 2 wheel traction control on wiki the other day.
someone i know has an L reg Disco with an auto box and has diff lock option, does the P38 not have diff lock?

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The centre diff locks automatically via the VCU.

danshelby said:

I did read about the 2 wheel traction control on wiki the other day.
someone i know has an L reg Disco with an auto box and has diff lock option, does the P38 not have diff lock?

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No manually controlled differential lock.

Quoted from Workshop manual (download a copy if you haven't already):

Viscous coupling unit
The viscous coupling operates in conjunction with the
differential unit to control the proportion of drive torque
transferred to the front and rear drive shafts. The
viscous coupling is a sealed unit filled with a silicon
jelly which surrounds discs within the unit. The silicon
jelly has properties which increase its viscosity and
resistance to flow when agitated and heated.
During normal driving conditions, slight variations in
the relative speed of each drive shaft is insufficient to
increase the viscosity of the silicon jelly. Therefore the
resistance within the viscous coupling is low.

In off-road conditions, when the wheels lose grip on
loose or muddy surfaces, a greater difference in the
rotational speeds of the front and rear drive shafts
exists. The slippage, due to the difference in rotational
speeds of the drive shafts, within the viscous coupling
agitates the silicon jelly causing heat which increases
the viscosity. The increased viscosity increases the
drag between the discs forcing both sets of discs to
rotate at similar speeds, reducing axle slippage and
increasing traction. The viscous coupling removes the
need for a manually controlled differential lock.

Saint.V8 said:

I have only done mild greenlanes and tracks etc....and throughly enjoyed myself...

I am waiting for funds to increase so I can replace my tyres too, once I have done that, I will be venturing further off beat....

Welcome to RR ownership it is a hoot...and remember to stay around on here too...despite the ribbing every now and then, the wealth of information is impressive.

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Yep i will be staying around, i don't mind some ribbing... i'll admit to being a tit every now and then

So i've been browsing the net for some mud tyres and came across these

they are called MT KAIMAN ECOEXTREME however if i want some for my wheels they dont do the (255/65/16) but they do have (265/70/16)
can i fit them to my Range Rover and are they any good? and at 111.90€ (£94.60) are they expensive? cheers

danshelby said:

So i've been browsing the net for some mud tyres and came across these

they are called MT KAIMAN ECOEXTREME however if i want some for my wheels they dont do the (255/65/16) but they do have (265/70/16)
can i fit them to my Range Rover and are they any good? and at 111.90€ (£94.60) are they expensive? cheers

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Not a bad price...

They would be murder to drive on metalled roads...

P38's don't handle to well to tyres other than standard...but if you are prepared to put up with 'tram-lining' and wobble you'll be allright....

You may find you will have to make bodywork adjustments to handle the extra sidewall height, check the maximum tyre width for your rims too and also look at the steering lock adjustments to ensure they won't foul on anything when going to full lock.

Not sure how the plod would feel about such an agressive tyre pattern on road....unless of course you are only going to use them off road , and swap back to the road bias tyres when you have finished playing....

Ok cheers i just found these which they do in the same size i currently have fitted they are road legal (here in France) and are only £80 each so i think ill be safer with this option

Will keep you guys posted if and when i decide to get them... maybe finding some other rims to fit them to for play time would be a good idea

danshelby said:

Ok cheers i just found these which they do in the same size i currently have fitted they are road legal (here in France) and are only £80 each so i think ill be safer with this option

Will keep you guys posted if and when i decide to get them... maybe finding some other rims to fit them to for play time would be a good idea

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I can't help wondering how they would behave on an autoroute, in the wet, at speed, under heavy braking.

With kids involved I think I'd look for a second set of wheels.