What Sort Of Offroading Do You Do

Offroading covers a multitude of sins, so to speak, but what sort of offroading do people do? is it just greenlaning with a predomonantly road biased vehicle which is the family transport, is it heavier off roading requiring a much more heavily modified vehicle, or do people do events and trials in non road legal vehicles.

What do people like about their particular aspects of offroading? is it just having the ability to get places you cannot normally get to possible due to a family members age, infirmity, or disability; or is it just the challenge of one's ability against challenging terrain, or is it just the competition against others with similar vehicles. Could it be that you enjoy working and modifying your vehicle and would spend hours tinkering with the vehicle to improve it, or just applying your mechanical abilities in manufacturing your own components.

most of it apart from winch challenges
in this
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a 1987 Land Rover 90
fairly standard, currently running a set of Terrafirma Big Bore Shocks on a product test,
kuhmo KL71 tyres
snorkel
bull bars
Cross drilled and Grooved brake dics too
and thats about it,

i don't get chance to do much proper muddy stuff at the moment but i do alot of green laning in preparations for events, and alot of European travels

For me its about the Adventure

Mainly green laning at the mo, i spend alot of it on salisbury plain. Camping in remote spots, looking to go overland soon.


Hyundai terracan 2.9CRDI
TJM XGS suspension, shocks, springs, torsion bars
TJM Snorkel and breathers
Oddessy PC1230 battery
Piaa 520 Spot Lights + Daytime Running LED's
Maxxis Buck Shot Mudders 245/75/16
General Grabber AT2 255/70\16
K&N air+oil Filters
Evolution ECU remap
Midland CB
Brembo Discs and pads
All kinds of ropes, shackles, strops, snow chains

Thats about it.

I like the adventure. I often go off fishing, camping, hunting and hiking or walking.


TJ

Very little now, though it will be increasing a bit in the future.

Used to run a Forestry Contracting business up until around 4 years ago so every day was off road in one way or another ,usually in the 130 fully loaded but if not then in one of the tractors/forwarder. Used to do a bit of RTV trialling in the 130 (and showed up a few people in shorter wheelbased vehicles ) and very very occaisionally a bti of Greenlaning and the occaisonal pay and play (very occaisionally) and an odd daily driver challenge.

In general day to day stuff the need for 4wd is usually the last few hundred yards of any journey, but usually nothing else would come close to covering that ground.

About 2 months ago I left my role as Sales Manager at a Forestry Machinery company and am now back in the woods again so the amount of "Off Roading" will increase once again

Mainly greenlaning weekends at the mo, pick a destination normally a campsite and try to get to using as little tarmac as possible, camp over and return using a different set of lanes if poss!

Im lucky in that a live fairly close to the peak district.

Bit of 'laning, Alps, Pyrenees. Hope to get back into Africa in the near future - Libya being the destination.



Not to mention a little daftness every so often! Not bad for standard suspension.

In this county, I mainly do greenlaning, just locally. Normally I go in my 1963 SWB Series landy which in terms of off-roading, has no upgrades (well, if youcan count recovery points) - it is suprisign how far you can get on a set of road biased tyres! Occasionally, if I am at a landy show (i.e Manby) I will have a play in the off road "circuit" - seems rude not to whle you are there!

Myy main source off offrading is when I do overland travel - nothing quite beats being in the middle of nowhere, hacking across mountain tops or desert, using a 99p compass to head "that way" All my opinion of course.

At the moment mostly greenlaning as you Pom types call it.
Never been much into offroading "just because I can" type stuff...have done it, but not recently
What I like most is touring. Going out on a longer trip of 2-8 weeks length. Camping out in remote places...no facilities and the fewer people the better. Love it. Won't be able to do it again for a while tho (due to family committments), so have to be content with days out greenlaning for now.

You mention road tyres, what I find fun is where possible to tackle off-road courses in high box and road tyres. Really makes you think as you pick your way through the mire. Normally this is only possible where you can go a tad faster as that excellent word 'momentum' comes into play, but even in low 1st it's still a challenge on road tyres.

That rut ahead for instance - you have to look well in advance and avoid it or you'll be drawn into that bomb-hole, whereas with aggressive tyres often you can drive in that rut and simply climb out nearer the hole.

I realise road tyres aren't ideal for the job, but in a strange way, they can be more fun.

Tom Mc wrote:

You mention road tyres, what I find fun is where possible to tackle off-road courses in high box and road tyres. Really makes you think as you pick your way through the mire. Normally this is only possible where you can go a tad faster as that excellent word 'momentum' comes into play, but even in low 1st it's still a challenge on road tyres.

That rut ahead for instance - you have to look well in advance and avoid it or you'll be drawn into that bomb-hole, whereas with aggressive tyres often you can drive in that rut and simply climb out nearer the hole.

I realise road tyres aren't ideal for the job, but in a strange way, they can be more fun.

I didnt realise how much your tyre choice could effect your 4wd traction.

When i first got my truck i was running kumho high performance tyres + wet grass on a slight incline and i was questioning what i had bought or if something was broken! I could'nt understand why i was spinning my wheels. I checked that it was in low ratio, the centre diff light came on (spit torque) and as far as my buddy could see the limited slip in the rear was working sending power from one wheel to the other.
I tested some demo tyres from my local tyre centre - general grabber at2 and went back to the same stupid wet grass hill, got up it no problem in 2wd
Drove over some pritty serious stuff since then.

Wet grass is an ideal surface for testing tyres because it is the slipperiest surface, even more slippery than ice, as the tyre rotates it pushes the wet grass over in front of itself to give itself a slippery surface, effectively making its own slippery mat.

I tell you, much as I like my Rangie and think it's very capable, mix a RRC + road tyres + wet grass + a slight incline + a standing start = disaster. I dare say a Mitso, 'Cruiser, Patrol or any other 2.5 ton 4x4 would be just as bad (I only really know RR's), then you're going to struggle.

Let's face it, even with all the technology in the world, if you have no grip under those four tiny patches coming into contact with the earth, it ain't going anywhere. In fact at times controlled driving is the only way, something that for most people which comes with experience. Hence my previous post, I like to do the unorthodox in order to challenge myself. Anything to make you think, that has to be good.

Great minds eh? We posted at the same time and came up with the same conclusion - either that or we are both wrong!

I offroad mainly in France. Tend to go for the weekend with friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWVlCfFiYbI&feature=player_embedded

Wouldn't put my disco through that crap tho :D

Be careful with the great minds bit Tom, but both considerably experienced may be a better term.

Yeah tyres make a huge difference but that is fairly obvious. If I get our RR stuck on wet grass I would be pretty annoyed, lol!

Assassin wrote:

Be careful with the great minds bit Tom, but both considerably experienced may be a better term.

All "experienced" means to me is that I've got it wrong far more times than the young un's.

The trucks we drive are not challenging.. a well maintained vehicle on road tyres can do them. for us and our clients its all about enjoying the enviroment and the company of like minded others.
It is a misconseption that you need a "kitted up truck" to travel anywhere out side the uk.

Hillbilly Raider wrote:

The trucks we drive are not challenging.. a well maintained vehicle on road tyres can do them. for us and our clients its all about enjoying the enviroment and the company of like minded others.
It is a misconseption that you need a "kitted up truck" to travel anywhere out side the uk.

Couldn't agree more, but it still looks good to see the 'old fashioned' type of expedition vehicle with a line of jerricans on the roofrack, a bank of spots, a couple of tyres on the roof - even though the set-up may be totally impractical.

Did that on one expedition once purely because the press expected it that way ... and it worked.

i of course mean TRACKS