Desert Driving

[fbrems]

Good Morning NHESS81 (Rover Guru) I open a new Thread as your reply to Mr.SAHARAT98 is related to my Disco story and I appologize to raise your blood pressure. Your advice to purchase a Toyota will be considered but impossible so long I work with the same company. My Nickname is LR (Land Rover) and my Disco calls "Submarine" as it always digs himself in. I have a reputation to defend and not going to gave the joy to my coworkers if I show up one day with Landcruiser or a Hummer.

Back to the desert driving, I will be glad to discover that after all this years I am missing something. I agree with you shifting from High to Low is a straight line between A and B. Okay, well I am driving normally in H as desert driving is not only about lowering the pressure in your tires only. I need the speed to move. As tracks are changing with the wind, you go over the hill, not track, only a ditch. Your Rover can take it with his marginal 170Hp in H and go's to stand still in a second. What do you next...... shifting to L is not achievable as the car is not in motion. I tried on numerous occasions. The gear got engaged but when accelerating it get out again with a big "Bang" in your gearbox. Next step > sent a message over the shortwave band to get you out. Or join the Rover Club ask for advise.

With reference to my break downs, it is to be mentioned that probably my environment is different than most of the LR drivers. Driving 6 days a week off road in high temperatures could have an impact on your truck, but that is what Discoveries are made for is it nt' !

 

[fbrems]

Why my picture is so blurry, I could not sent it in his original version (297Kb) so I reduced the size, but look what I got!!!

 

[NHESS81]

oooh yeah, ok i understand on the shifting while stationary...it is kinda dumb, i didnt know it was in that context...

also, yeah my post was a lil more angry sounding that i meant, lol...its just after reading how horrible it seemed for you, its like, yikes why even stay with the LR? but i understand, didnt mean to sound like i wanted a battle...

ya it IS what discos are made for, but LR never claimed it would last long, their camel trophy trucks broke all the time and even then only did a couple thousand miles...and barely survived, so its my theory that YES the rovers WILL go through the harshest conditions, but afterward need total replacing and repair, its sad but true...

 

[DesertDude]

reply to fbrems post

Well first of all i would like to say that a discovery drives way better than a landcruiser or a hummer offroad .Trust me i am a professionally trained offroad desert tour guide who has been working the deserts of U.A.E for over five years , from ur pics i can say its probally the desert somewhere near liwa or alain . 90% of the times it not the car its the driver . I am not bragging when i say i have put a 88 nissan pathfinder thru its paces in the desert.Its a diffrent skill to drive off-road u should know ur vehicle and the how a car moves on sand .

A its not all about speed , its momentum and u should no when u ease of the gas to avoid overspin and digin .But some climbs u need to give it full throttle.Its like sking on water the idea is to say on top skiming the surface.

Never drive in low range unless u r bogged down .I have a 96 disco with 177k on it which i bought for 9000dhs and it performs better than my previous 2004 landcruiser which i was using for the desert tours

If u want more tips get in touch

 

[fbrems]

Are you still in the Emirates!!!!

 

[roverman]

desertdude, I have never been to the desert, but I would think that pretty much all that matters is tires, diff locks, weight of the vehicle and the driver. Is there something else that makes the discovery superior to the hummer or landcruiser? Just curious...
roverman

 

[DesertDude]

yes dude still in the emirates , And u really dont need any of those fancy things like lockers or special tyres , yes they do help but if u have no skill of driving on sand then ther are no good man . Like i said i was a proffesional off road driver . we can do crazy stuff most of the guys cant imagine like climb steep 100 ft 45deg slipfaces slide of a dune sideways creating a sandstorm on the way down

if u know ur stuff its all good . i have driven in liwa desert , where u find the biggest sand dunes in the worlds tallest one discovered is i think somewhere like 250 mtrs high but i am sure there are bigger its part of the Rub al Khali or the empty quarter

I have also worked with car manufactures like Porsche , Nissan and even land rover for their prototypes 4x4's before launch into the world market so i think i know my stuff but only on sand ,

hate to go wheeling in the mountains or rocks .

Yes disco are better than cruisers off road cos of their diff lock's but u cant run them with standard tyres , u can drive with stantard tyres but its much easier with big ones

one thing about the disco though if u leave the AC on its like ur runnig on only 4 cylinders robs all the power whereas the competion hardly feels its
i have a 6'' lift kit from arb runnig on 275x60 ( not sure and too lazy to go and check now ) shaheen sand tyres . ( made by sumitomo rubber industries ) sameppl who make dunlop had to cut out the rear fender a bit so that the dires dont get damaged when doing 50 kph hill climbs

As regards to longevity i think a toyota will outlast anything ,if toyata included a full time diff lock system and a bit more tourque i think they would be unstoppable , but the new cruiser's have big issue with suspension and bumper damage off road there are still some 70's toyotas still in active service in the desert , Dont think a discovery will last that long , although a defender would

 

[DesertDude]

Oh btw fbrems , what have u done 2 ur disco man , thats a horrid front bullbar makes ur machine look like a catfish , probally a shody local workshop job , I promise to post some pics of me disco next time , i had a landcruiser arb bumber , But with a little nip and tuck fits nicely on my disco now

And if ur in dubai and wanna go off roading get in touch , Woudnt mind taking u off road and teaching u the ropes ,But i think ur in abudhabi cos ur disco had AUH plates

Dont worry man wont charge u

 

[fbrems]

Hey Dude, Yes I live in Abu Dhabi and work in Buhasa, Habshan and Liwa desert, on the Oil Well Heads. Currently they are repalcing my Gear Box, but back on the road I'll take your invitation or if you could join me one day, I have one more to dig me out, ha! ha! The Bull Bar is not the most pretty but effective. It is made in my workshop from scaffolding pipes and used to pull and push if for a change somebody else got digged in. I also modified the back side to carry extra gas tanks. I'll try to post some "clear" photo's this time.