Mild Off Roading nearly killed my Freeelander

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LandyMan

LandyMan

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somewhere in the UK
I was out over the weekend doing some greenlaning, i was in my freelander and my bro in his 110.

The green lane got a little technical, nothing major, I would say mild off roading, which resulted in my clutch nealry getting burnt out, the smoke was thick and it really smelled.

Just thought I would let you know, even though I have kitted my freelander out as much as possible to do some off roading, I don;t actually think it is up to the job for 1 reason, it has not got a Low Ratio.

Regards

Neil
 
my brother nearly got stuck in his 110, even though he had his diff lock on, his wheels where spinning and he only just got out of some deep ruts, however I went straight though no problems (thanks to TC) but it did nearly ruin my clutch.
 
The VCU does get a lot of bad press but its basically an auto diff-lock so kicks in before you get stuck - and therefore keeps your momentum going - I think its a great device for a 4WD. Mine's currently 2WD, but before that I found it much better coping when I left the tarmac than my previous D1s - my normal off-roading was on the beach and stoney river beds. As you say the TC is also great and I still take it down the river bed, just have to be more careful now! Its no substitute for a locking diff though - I don't know what LR were thinking with the D2!

I agree that lack of low-range is a big draw-back for the Freelander. The first time I towed a heavy load with mine I gave the poor old clutch hell and it let me know with that acrid smell. It was mainly getting onto my drive in reverse which has a big lip and an incline on the approach - I don't stop now - just keep moving with the clutch out. It doesn't feel right, but I force myself not to touch the clutch only stop if its all going wrong, and then I pull it forward and start again. The drive is quite narrow and if I have to ride the clutch, then I don't! It goes in and out very quickly with minimum revs - but then my drive is level so its 'easy' to do that - but it still doesn't feel right!
 
NDavies said:
TC didn't ruin my clutch, it got me through some rough terrain, I was having to slip the clutch for like a minute to get through a techical route.
Click to expand...

I would advise trying not to ride or slip the clutch. I know it's difficult and counter intuitive. And the Td4 is all to easy to stall too. And not slipping the clutch will result in you going faster than ideal.

But I agree, no low box is a major downer on an otherwise brilliant vehicle.
 
Its more than up to the job it just takes a bit more skill and care. There is a lot to be said for forethought and patience as better tools than any vehicle

I off road with a 110 (with steps) which many say is stupid etc etc, its not it just takes some careful maneuvering.

Sure we can all drive a 90 and be a no brained moron who drives at anything and it just goes over it.

Who would you trust at sea ? the owner of a 2 seater speedboat or the captain of an ancient Galleon ?

NDavies said:
I was out over the weekend doing some greenlaning, i was in my freelander and my bro in his 110.

The green lane got a little technical, nothing major, I would say mild off roading, which resulted in my clutch nealry getting burnt out, the smoke was thick and it really smelled.

Just thought I would let you know, even though I have kitted my freelander out as much as possible to do some off roading, I don;t actually think it is up to the job for 1 reason, it has not got a Low Ratio.

Regards

Neil
Click to expand...
 
ER1C said:
Its more than up to the job it just takes a bit more skill and care. There is a lot to be said for forethought and patience as better tools than any vehicle

I off road with a 110 (with steps) which many say is stupid etc etc, its not it just takes some careful maneuvering.

Sure we can all drive a 90 and be a no brained moron who drives at anything and it just goes over it.

Who would you trust at sea ? the owner of a 2 seater speedboat or the captain of an ancient Galleon ?
Click to expand...
The TCS on the Freelander makes it far more capable than it deserves. But lack of low range on certain terrain truly limits it's ability for the average driver. And it's not just about skill and care. With low range you can litter ally crawl up something no bother, where with high range only, your only choice is to simply go a lot faster. Which means it certainly feels more punishing on the vehicle and more prone to mistakes happening and less time to recovery from them.
 
jedi said:
All the toys would be great but we have to make do with what we got and adapt our driving styles to suit..:mooning:
Click to expand...

Ignorance must be bliss...... :p

I'm simply saying, sometimes you have little or no choice.

I know one hill climb out of a field. Has a tight right at the top and very deep tramlines crossing in front as you crest the top of the hill.

It's steep and loose. A stock Range Rover classic on 100% road tyres will trundle up in low first no probs, because you have plenty of wheel torque in low range. No fuss, no bother and nice and steady.

Freelander will bog and stall if you take it slow as it doesn't have the wheel torque.

Or you could try slipping the clutch, but the reality is, you'd probably just knacker it and still not get up. If you've driven a manual Freelander you know how easy it is to spin the clutch.

Last option is to physically hit the hill at higher speed so your momentum carries you up the hill, negating somewhat the lack of wheel torque. Trouble is, because you are going faster you hit the tram lines hard at the top as there simply isn't time to do anything else. And you have to be quick on the steering wheel to make the turn.

But driving up the slope like this results in an almighty thud at the top and isn't really all that pleasant.


Apart from not attempting the hill at all and finding an alternative route or going home. There really isn't much else you can do.
 
Absolutely, every vehicle has its limits - and without low-range you have to recognise the limits imposed by that.

Taking my reversing heavy loads onto my drive - the Freelander hasn't actually prevented me (so far) from getting them up to my house, but as said above, I have to attempt it a lot quicker than I would have in my Disco and be prepared to abort it because everythings not lined up correctly, and repeat, and repeat...

It doesn't help that I have an island in the road right in front of my drive!
 
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