Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
Anyone know of a source for sand mats?
Not the 'waffles', the flexible rubber ones, like these:-
21st Aug 2006 12:29 pm
Baldrick
Member Since: 14 Aug 2006
Location: Dublin
Posts: 76
My only experience of these rubber ones is watching them get wrapped around the front wheels of a defender while trying to get unstuck in sand. it just rolled them up. We had no way of securing them to the ground to prevent it and there were no volenteers to stand on the front of them, so we resorted to the traditional shovel.....................2007 MY Irish spec S+ TDV6
21st Aug 2006 3:59 pm
nwoods
Member Since: 03 Apr 2006
Location: Southern California
Posts: 563
I just spent a few days at a large sand dune in the USA called Pismo Beach, with our local Land Rover club. It was great fun. We entered the park at night, and had to drive th entire way through it to our camp site (farthest point from the gate I think!). I aired down my Nittos from 41 PSI to 20 PSI, and still struggled quite a bit. But part of that could have been the night factor. those steep sand hills look far more intimidating at night!
The next day i aired down to 15 PSI and all was well, even did a few hills that Defenders struggled with. My V-6 petrol engine had plenty of power too.
Hi,
I regularly drive on the beach around Noosa, Double Island Point and Rainbow beach on both soft and hard sand. I also tow a 1.5t Coromal Camper through this sand. I have had excellent performance with my SE TDV6 on 18" standard tyres when riding on 18psi. Select sand mode on the Terrain Response system, Off road suspension height when needed. Also select low range when towing through alot of soft sand above the high water mark. Plenty of Torque, Power, Traction. Go for It. Will post some photos in my Gallery.
Discomaniac
31st Aug 2006 9:33 am
Penguin
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: A fun place
Posts: 485
@nwoods: The problem with the US version is: NO DSC switch.
So it is always turned on, and that realy makes a big difference when off-roading (not only sand)
As for the tirepressure, my personel experience tells me that the 18" tires are not fit to reduce pressure below 1.5kg, or sand will enter the tire.
I'm currently looking for 17" wheels so I can fit a tire with a higher flank.In a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin. www.m-release.com
31st Aug 2006 12:19 pm
nwoods
Member Since: 03 Apr 2006
Location: Southern California
Posts: 563
Um...yes, there is a DSC switch on every US market LR3. And it works, sorta. It still does not disable ABS, but it does cutout the "feature" that reduces power to the wheels that are slipping. When I forget to disengage DSC that "feature" kicks my every time! I have no idea why the Terrain Control does not also disengage DSC, but it doesn't.
The Nitto's are a differnt sort of tire. Most guys NEED to air down on rocky trails, but with the Nitto's, I really don't. However, in the Sand, they air down fine, though they don't particularly LOOK aired down even all the way down to 15 PSI.
Regards,
NW
31st Aug 2006 2:32 pm
Penguin
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: A fun place
Posts: 485
there is? mmm weird as one of our Us forummers on an other forum was testing the LR3 when it first came out over there, and it did not had the DSC switch.
Could it be optional or added in later models then?In a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin. www.m-release.com
1st Sep 2006 6:58 am
nwoods
Member Since: 03 Apr 2006
Location: Southern California
Posts: 563
Penguin wrote:
there is? mmm weird as one of our Us forummers on an other forum was testing the LR3 when it first came out over there, and it did not had the DSC switch.
Could it be optional or added in later models then?
It must not be an option, because my car has no options, and is base level.
1st Sep 2006 1:51 pm
nikademus
Member Since: 08 Sep 2006
Location: Geelong
Posts: 61
I did a fair bit of beach driving last summer near Robe In South Australia. I don't really understand how people are having so much trouble. I just lowered the tyre pressure, selected sand (like a complete putz) and it took to the beach and dunes like it was made for it. I guess it was. Some of those dunes were big and the beach sand was pretty thick as you approached the dunes. Would be kinda nice if the autolower feature didn't kick in, but we coped. I had my wife and a couple of kids on board and they loved it. At least the kids did. I was in the Northern Teritory near Nhulunbuy a few weeks ago and got a lancruiser troopy stuck in something the disco would have waltzed through. Admittedly I was on the cruiser narrow tyres and they weren't at lowered pressure, and I had 6 people in the back and 180 litres of fuel on board, but it looked like it was easy after the South Australia trip. I was taking some locals up to hunt turtle eggs and they had promised me a good fishing spot. Luckily we found no turtle eggs as I felt kinda uncomfortable about that idea - but hey, its their culture and their lands.
If there was a plot to this text it was that the Disco 3 is fine on sand - if you have experience on sand and use the vehicle right. oh, I'll get stuck once in a while, but that's all part of the fun.Disco 2 TD5 "Good"
Disco 3 TDV6 "Better"
Disco 4 HSE SDV6 "Best"
The older I get, the better I was.
9th Sep 2006 1:04 pm
overload
Member Since: 30 Mar 2006
Location: Maine
Posts: 26
I drove around in really fine sand with some pretty steep topography fo a few days in Utah. One of the roads was labeled "IMPASSABLE IN SUMMER SOUTH TO NORTH" which was the way I was going. I did not turn off dsc and did not get stuck (athough I did get slowed down). The bottom line is in sand mode the lr3 goes really good be prepared for the worst if you are going to remote locations, I heard the dreaded bing bong in the desert.
DSC is only a problem on sand if it's really deep and you are likely to slip sideways a lot, such as above the high tide mark on a very sandy beach. If your following a sandy track, or don't have to worry about small losses of momentum, then DSC is not a problem.
On some of the beaches around here, there is a clear difference in capability between DSC on and DSC off!
In any case, I can't stand the GRRRR that it makes when activating, so I'll turn it off anyway.
Penguin, it may be that the tester didn't read the book and didn't see the switch. Early motoring magazine write ups here made mention of not being able to turn the DSC off and other things. One magazine complained that there were no recovery points (they didn't know the front and rear panels came off). I think sometimes they have limited time, so don't bother trying to find out about the car.Have a nice day!
2010 Cayenne Diesel with PASM & Off Road Pkg
2005 HSE D3 (Sold)
12th Sep 2006 12:59 pm
Penguin
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: A fun place
Posts: 485
Jamo wrote:
Penguin, it may be that the tester didn't read the book and didn't see the switch. Early motoring magazine write ups here made mention of not being able to turn the DSC off and other things. One magazine complained that there were no recovery points (they didn't know the front and rear panels came off). I think sometimes they have limited time, so don't bother trying to find out about the car.
I doubt that, as he is involved in test driving new LR's and organizing customer trips for LR NA.
I'll ask him again to make sure...In a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin. www.m-release.com
Then maybe you're right, they might have left the switch off propotype models.
Although, when I test drove a D3 prior to purchase, I knew more about the car than the salespeople
On the other hand, there's a few things that the manual says I've got that I don't! I think there were a few things that made it to full production models that weren't originally going to be; just like there a few things that didn't make it in that were planned.Have a nice day!
2010 Cayenne Diesel with PASM & Off Road Pkg
2005 HSE D3 (Sold)
12th Sep 2006 1:29 pm
Penguin
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: A fun place
Posts: 485
Just reread the post from then.
No DSC switch, but DSC "should" switched off it self when selecting a TR program.In a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin. www.m-release.com
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every time! I have no idea why the Terrain Control does not also disengage DSC, but it doesn't.
