Thanks Spud.

The conflicting opinions of the P38 capabilities is really confusing.

Most of the negatives seem to be about electrical concerns rather than raw capability.

Given the cost of fixing these things if owt goes wrong it is understandable why folks tend to stay clear of the wet muddy stuff. A shame as you point out as that's within their design brief ..

Cheers,
Steve

Forget the electrical issues, take the P38. Bloody great beasts. Only ever got stuck twice and that was through my own stupidity and using road tyres. I'm rather sure that who ever is doing the do will only take you through places they know you'll get through.

Most probably you've seen this, but if not maybe it'll be of some interest:


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_v_1hu-Fuo"]YouTube- Range Rover off-roading in Moab, UT ![/ame]

Hope that helps.

Phil

Thanks O Bife - thats pretty impressive stuff!

Steve

koky-guy,

Took the Series 2a and left the P38 at home.

It was at Parkwood 4x4 between Bradford and Leeds, its a good venue, certainly for a beginner like me. Due to weather it was wet and slippery.

First half was in instructors Disco going over technique. It was an Auto like the P38 which made things pretty simple. It was good fun. Incredibly capable motor, went up all acents and descents with much more ease than I expected.

Then over to my no frills Series 2a...

Wow, I was astonished how well it performed. I was ready to be embarrassed but it handled everything that the Disco did with ease, although a little more ground clearance and removing the tow bar to reduce overhang would have helped. Correct gear selection and sensitive throttle control makes the Series an amazing off roader - even at 40 years old it can stand up to the more youthful competitors.

Long live the Series!!!

PS - the instructor had never been round in a Series before - I think he wants one now!

Steve Ashworth said:

koky-guy,

Took the Series 2a and left the P38 at home.

It was at Parkwood 4x4 between Bradford and Leeds, its a good venue, certainly for a beginner like me. Due to weather it was wet and slippery.

First half was in instructors Disco going over technique. It was an Auto like the P38 which made things pretty simple. It was good fun. Incredibly capable motor, went up all acents and descents with much more ease than I expected.

Then over to my no frills Series 2a...

Wow, I was astonished how well it performed. I was ready to be embarrassed but it handled everything that the Disco did with ease, although a little more ground clearance and removing the tow bar to reduce overhang would have helped. Correct gear selection and sensitive throttle control makes the Series an amazing off roader - even at 40 years old it can stand up to the more youthful competitors.

Long live the Series!!!

PS - the instructor had never been round in a Series before - I think he wants one now!

Click to expand...

Great stuff. I'm jealous!

I did a bit of off roading in my SIII in between breakdowns, but the P38 is so much more comfortable!! Mind you, I was much less worried about scratching and bashing the Series which meant I would try more in it.

Guy

Steve Ashworth said:

koky-guy,

Took the Series 2a and left the P38 at home.

It was at Parkwood 4x4 between Bradford and Leeds, its a good venue, certainly for a beginner like me. Due to weather it was wet and slippery.

First half was in instructors Disco going over technique. It was an Auto like the P38 which made things pretty simple. It was good fun. Incredibly capable motor, went up all acents and descents with much more ease than I expected.

Then over to my no frills Series 2a...

Wow, I was astonished how well it performed. I was ready to be embarrassed but it handled everything that the Disco did with ease, although a little more ground clearance and removing the tow bar to reduce overhang would have helped. Correct gear selection and sensitive throttle control makes the Series an amazing off roader - even at 40 years old it can stand up to the more youthful competitors.

Long live the Series!!!

PS - the instructor had never been round in a Series before - I think he wants one now!

Click to expand...

Sounds like you had fun there Steve. Just a question (or 2).

1. Did you see any P38s there?
2. If so, how did they do?
3. Did you say anything to the instructor about almost taking your P38?

All the best,

Phil

Hi Phil,

Yeah, really enjoyed myself.

I had the place pretty much to myself so no - didn't see any P38's.

I discussed which vehicle to take when I booked. They basically advised me to take the one that I would be most likely to use off road again so I took the Series 2a. Spent the first half in the instructors 4.0 Disco Auto which was similar to drive to the P38; main difference being the diff lock lever.

I discussed relative performance with the instructor. He basically said that it is more about understanding basic technique, reading the terrain and knowing the correct gearbox/diff settings to use as all Land Rovers can perform. He said that provided that you understand the basics the main issues were overhang and ground clearance as they are the main reasons for getting stuck. Things like towbars dont help as they increase overhang! He has a point as I dragged mine a couple of times. Defenders perform well cos they have hardly any overhang and ground clearance is good.

The series was more fun as it is manual in every respect so there is more feeling and a sense of involvement.

Seems like main fear for P38 owners is electrics/water. I guess if you know you are going to be in water the main thing is preparing the vehicle.

Cheers,
Steve