P38 V8 Green laning Advice

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.

bigray

Active Member
Posts
132
Location
Notts
I’m heading to Wales later in the year Green laning with friends. Most of them are in Disco TD5’s but love them or not I really live a V8 engine. I’ve got a 4.0 P38 and I have no issues with its general abilities against a Discovery off road but being Petrol not Diesel water is the issue. Are there any sensible recommendations to give me a good chance of it going well? I’m not talking bonnet deep wading but there will be water! Advice welcome!
 
I’m heading to Wales later in the year Green laning with friends. Most of them are in Disco TD5’s but love them or not I really live a V8 engine. I’ve got a 4.0 P38 and I have no issues with its general abilities against a Discovery off road but being Petrol not Diesel water is the issue. Are there any sensible recommendations to give me a good chance of it going well? I’m not talking bonnet deep wading but there will be water! Advice welcome!

The air-intake is in the wing. Do not go above the black trim level on the doors or the bumper height. Watch someone else go through first to judge the depth or get out with a stick and measure it. Make sure a your door seals are good. Some people put vaseline on but mine was fine without. You'll need some radios to talk to each other to tell the last person whether the gate was open or shut. Be sensible and it will be fine.
 
My advice would be to leave the beautiful Welsh countryside undisturbed and stick to the tarmac.
Range Rovers are designed for rich people to take their kids to private school.
Discos are designed for poor people to take their kids to state school
Freelanders are designed for...well I couldn't possibly comment.
Series LRs are designed for chasing Russian infantry across the North German plains.
So stay on the roads and leave the green lanes to pedestrians and equestrians.
 
My advice would be to leave the beautiful Welsh countryside undisturbed and stick to the tarmac.
Range Rovers are designed for rich people to take their kids to private school.
Discos are designed for poor people to take their kids to state school
Freelanders are designed for...well I couldn't possibly comment.
Series LRs are designed for chasing Russian infantry across the North German plains.
So stay on the roads and leave the green lanes to pedestrians and equestrians.
Ha Ha +1 ^^^^^^^^
 
It's funny how age changes aspirations, back in the 'eighties I owned a Series 3 109 & belonged to a local LR club. I used to bounce around a RTV course clinging to a madly jerking steering wheel (thumbs outside the rim of course) whilst a young couple regularly traversed the same route in an old 2 door RR. I watched with envy as the car gently burbled its' way effortlessly over the mountainous ground with its' coil sprung suspension & power steering making such light work of it all.
Over the past two decades I've owned four RRC's but never really had any interest in taking them off-road. Worse still my current steed had a Husky winch fitted when I bought the car, something I'd have given my right arm for on the S3, which I promptly removed on the basis of 60kg of weight on the front suspension being unnecessary for something I was unlikely to use.
It's obvious that I've become a boring old fart :(

Enjoy your off-roading, but be prepared for some unavoidable peripheral damage.
 
Last edited:
My advice would be to leave the beautiful Welsh countryside undisturbed and stick to the tarmac.
Range Rovers are designed for rich people to take their kids to private school.
Discos are designed for poor people to take their kids to state school
Freelanders are designed for...well I couldn't possibly comment.
Series LRs are designed for chasing Russian infantry across the North German plains.
So stay on the roads and leave the green lanes to pedestrians and equestrians.

The P38 is surprisingly good at lanes - as long as you're sensible. The v8 makes it pretty effortless. The manual diesel takes a bit more engagement. Tyres are probably the most critical component but running General Grabber AT2 I have never had an issue. A ton of wood in the back helps but you could always chuck some bags of sand in the boot above the rear axle. The other thing I tend to chuck in if I am heading sonewhere tricky is a Tirfor winch in the back. The TU16 can yank most stuff out and isn't as heavy to lug about as the TU32.
 
Get that becm wet and your finished...
It cost me 1000€ in parts... Rear locks, stater motor, alternator, water pump and pulleys along with compressor clutch bearing.. Snatch ropes are one thing to keep in and the electric fan is a better idea as the viscous fan can explode if stopped suddenly in water while at full chat!! It's amazing what these tanks will do but water is not its strong point unfortunately....
 
It's a new one :(
I can't do it anymore.. slipped liner.. one of the (new) lifters doesn't spin.. having replaced because the old one was knackered from not spinning.. the engine is toast

I understand. I damn nearly scrapped mine a few times in the past weeks. Especially when that coolant bokt sheared off. Glad it is done now though.
 
The P38 is surprisingly good at lanes - as long as you're sensible. The v8 makes it pretty effortless. The manual diesel takes a bit more engagement. Tyres are probably the most critical component but running General Grabber AT2 I have never had an issue. A ton of wood in the back helps but you could always chuck some bags of sand in the boot above the rear axle. The other thing I tend to chuck in if I am heading sonewhere tricky is a Tirfor winch in the back. The TU16 can yank most stuff out and isn't as heavy to lug about as the TU32.
Crikey not used a Tirfor since I worked down pit. Many moons ago:D
 
Back
Top