Troubled mind

[fonecrusher1]

OK i need to get this off my chest
I was offroading 2 weeks ago with a few guys who had defenders with big wheels & upgraded suspension. There was nowhere they could go & I could not follow except for one 40 degree ascent that had 1.5 foot deep holes & some serious rockage.
It took one of the defenders (with 35" tyres) 6/7 attempts to climb it but unfortunately i couldnt make it all the way.
Is this correct; when climbing a steep hill I should have her in 4L?
Would diff lock have helped? Does my 3rd gen surf have difflock?
It was my first time offroading but it still ####es me off that i couldnt make it up that hill. Cant stop thinking about this!!!
What did i do wrong?
Maybe it was lack of experience.

[Bibs]

OK i need to get this off my chest
I was offroading 2 weeks ago with a few guys who had defenders with big wheels & upgraded suspension. There was nowhere they could go & I could not follow except for one 40 degree ascent that had 1.5 foot deep holes & some serious rockage.
It took one of the defenders (with 35" tyres) 6/7 attempts to climb it but unfortunately i couldnt make it all the way.
Is this correct; when climbing a steep hill I should have her in 4L?
Would diff lock have helped? Does my 3rd gen surf have difflock?
It was my first time offroading but it still ####es me off that i couldnt make it up that hill. Cant stop thinking about this!!!
What did i do wrong?
Maybe it was lack of experience.

I am sure I have just read a post of someone with the same question?

[PDR]

You need to realise that raised / upgraded suspension and bigger tyres is a compromise. Yes those discos may be more capable off-road with those mods, but they will not be as good on road.

I was in a Land Rover club (2000 – 2005) and I recall one particular guy with a disco that had a big suspension lift...... but his rear coil springs where constantly popping out off road. In the end he went back to his old set up.

I’ve driven around Africa in Toyotas with standard suspension (as far as I could tell) and they coped really well... and I’m talking about places where if your stranded you are likely to be mugged and shot.

[The Lovely Boyo]

The best mod you can make is to fit a decent set of A/T tyres - iF you are off roading on road tyres forget it.

Your 3rd gen has a centre diff lock (CDL), that's why you can drive in AWD on the road (earlier gens can't). You can select 4WD HI - this locks the centre diff. Do not use this setting on road, you will damage something when the transmission binds up.

I think if you select 4 LO it will automatically lock your centre diff - but I'm sure someone will correct that if I'm wrong lol.

I have seen standard 3rd gens with A/T's get places that heavily modded 2nd gens have struggled big time because of this CDL.

I have fitted a button into my dash that allows me to select centre diff lock if I want to. That means I can lock my front and rear diffs in HI or LO.

[MudSurfer]

OK i need to get this off my chest
I was offroading 2 weeks ago with a few guys who had defenders with big wheels & upgraded suspension. There was nowhere they could go & I could not follow except for one 40 degree ascent that had 1.5 foot deep holes & some serious rockage.
It took one of the defenders (with 35" tyres) 6/7 attempts to climb it but unfortunately i couldnt make it all the way.
Is this correct; when climbing a steep hill I should have her in 4L?
Would diff lock have helped? Does my 3rd gen surf have difflock?
It was my first time offroading but it still ####es me off that i couldnt make it up that hill. Cant stop thinking about this!!!
What did i do wrong?
Maybe it was lack of experience.

It's very possible that it is just down to experience, if you're doing this kind of thing each day, then you get used to just how much gas to give it going up and over stuff, or how much to let off - but sometimes you'll see people just going for it, and hope it works.

The LR is a capable off roader, but as has been said here, in that heavily modded state, the on road capabilities are reduced. It depends what you want to do with your truck - one post shows you getting upset about getting it scratched, another stewing over not getting up some muddy, rutted hill - if you want it as an offroad warrior, then get something else for driving to the shops and such, and do what you feel you need to with the offroad truck - as Boyo has said, we've seen standard 3rd gens take on stuff that a well modded 2nd gen simply couldn't do - you have a VERY capable vehicle already, take your time and hone your offroad skills before spending money on the truck, and see if you need to change anything once you've got more experience and confidence in yours and your trucks capabilities.

[Long way 'round]

I have seen standard 3rd gens with A/T's get places that heavily modded 2nd gens have struggled big time because of this CDL.

I always thought that the lack of a centre diff with 4wd activated was equivalent to having a centre diff locked for off roading. I'm not questioning what you're saying, just interested.

[yoshie]

I always thought that the lack of a centre diff with 4wd activated was equivalent to having a centre diff locked for off roading. I'm not questioning what you're saying, just interested.

You are correct. A cdl gives a 3rd gen no off road advantage over a 2nd gen.

The chassis lay out, coils and steering set up does. Have a look how smooth and protected a 3rd gen is under the front compared to a 2nd gen.

[Apache]

I was thinking that too Brian.

Surely the transfer box on the Surf is effectively a permanently locked centre diff, hence problems driving on tarmac in 4WD.

Some 3rd gens (Matt 24/7 I think has one) have a rear locker, which can be an advantage!

[fonecrusher1]

Thanks for the advice lads.
mudsurfer your probably right about my lack of offroad experience being the problem.
If it seems like im moaning thats not my intention, none of my mates are into 4x4s so i just have you lot to banter with about this sort of thing.
So basically what your all saying is I'll learn as i go so shaddup and just get on with it!
Nuff said.