JJB Serenity Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Just out of curiosity, what angle can various defenders be at before they begin to topple over? I have standard suspension on my 90 and have been at approx 40 - 45 degrees to the right with my left wheels up a steep slope. Sitting inside I was convinced that I was about to tip the truck but on getting out to inspect my position I was surprised to see that it looked pretty solid. So what are the known limits and do suspension upgrades improve them? Cheers JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 There are no absolutes when it comes to side-slope angles, as the terrain, vehicle weight & centre of gravity all play a major part. Having purposefully driven over every type of terrain imaginable, side slopes are the only type that scare me. I really dont feel very comfortable driving them. Land Rover themselves, and anyone worth their salt when it come to giving sound off-road advice, will tell you to avoid driving a side-slope if you can. I reckon 45 degress is about as much as you want to go IMO. If you have a load on your roof rack (i have a roof tent & heavy Patriot rack) then I would drive a LOT less than 45 degrees. Also the terrain needs to be considered. If you are driving over a concrete side slope (search for the OCC Land Rover Experience video on You Tube) and are unladen, then I think 45 degrees would be fairly easy, but still hair-raising. If you were on sand or mud, then I would go a LOT less....and still have white knuckles. I might be wrong, but I dont think a suspension upgrade makes much difference for this particular terrain type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orgasmic Farmer Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Try it and let us know Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Serenity Posted March 3, 2010 Author Share Posted March 3, 2010 Try it and let us know Les. Ha ha Believe me, I am never going to go as far as I did again, I was cr@pping myself! I didn't do it on purpose either. I actually slid sideways down the slope due to the mud as I was driving forwards round an embanked corner. Thankfully, the slope increased in gradient towards the end of the ditch which is where I managed to stop. If I had slid down the bit I ended up at, I would most certainly have rolled it. It wasn't the best bit of driving to be honest, I've learnt my lesson. To be fair, about an hour later a white Disco came round the same bend, slid down the same slope and ended up about 2 inches from my rear bumper so I wasn't the only one that day to get stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petethepilot Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 For pre Puma- engine Defenders the factory gives the maximum bank angle of 45 deg for standard vehicle, with no roof carriage. Lifted suspension and roof carriage both will suffieciently worsen that angle. In Puma-engined Defenders the center of gravity lays a bit higher because of the engine, and factory will not allow it to run over 35 deg bank because of the lack of oil circulation over that angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Having rolled my 90 on a side slope, I'd agree with Mr Power above. They're scary 45 degrees is quite far enough for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Chua Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 according to the owners manual, a stock Td5 will do 45' on the side. this assumes no roof loading. 35' is starting to get scary for me already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 So what are the known limits and do suspension upgrades improve them? Most suspension "upgrades" are not really upgrades anyway, and very few will improve your rollover angle. Most of them are designed to make the truck taller for more ground clearance. 45 degrees was always the angle LR quoted although they did revise it down in later years to discourage people from testing the limits. In fact, have a very informative Land Rover training video that shows quite clearly how close to the limit you can get: (4:45 onwards shows some classic side-slope driving) Contains the classic line "Remember, a Land Rover immobilised is a moral defeat for the driver, and bad publicity for the vehicle" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 You will lose your bottle before the LR does, just avoid side slopes as much a possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zim Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 i got my steering caught in a rut coming down a hill, i turned left...then turned over G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 As Ralph says your backside will give out before the car goes over unless you are trying to get somewhere and you ignore all the signs and all of a sudden you are stood up inside your car looking out of the passenger window with the river running in the drivers window (well that's what happened with me) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T1G UP Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 had my old 90 at a few funny angles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LR90 Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Wouldn't do this on a side slope but with a soft bank as a guide ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heath robinson Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 T1G UP, I like the arm desperately grabbing at calmly reaching for the steering wheel, visible through the windscreen. That break-over point always widens my eyes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T1G UP Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 T1G UP, I like the arm desperately grabbing at calmly reaching for the steering wheel, visible through the windscreen. That break-over point always widens my eyes... been trialling for years so no big surprise but that hole was deep! not sure what my arms are doing, not allowed to hand your elbow out on a tria just incase you hve a roll. can't find my finest moment caght on camera, had the 90 balnced on 1 wheel for what felt like an age! decided to sell the after that and get one with a cage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajh Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 One of the mods I am working on is airbags in all four springs, the idea is to use the onboard air to allow forced articulation on things like sideslopes to make them a little less scary, not that I will really want to push the 110 to test it, they're mostly for towing and stiffening up the suspension on long highway rides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherslover Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 i can't actually believe that I've graduated to this level already. anyway i just had a look because I've got a track that goes around one of my hills that isn't flat i think at worse it's - 20 deg. but having never done it before, and if it does roll it will be a long way to fall and then increasing in angle. i agree with anyone here that days out scares the s... out of .anyway as I've just seen my newest mother with her calf, i don't need to take the risk but id like to have the use of that track. I'm near to fregenite in granada, Spain if any of you are passing by and want to camp. i can supply water and a place to pitch. t box still running nicely although I do drive like someone who doesn't want to break anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 The posts above will give you a good idea but I've always found that your backside will give way long before the Land Rover does 😉 Mo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 If the ground is firm / grippy you're OK, site we were at this weekend you could find yourself sliding sideways towards oblivion on the slightest slope at a moment's notice! It was a fun site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 My dad let me borrow his shiney new Range Rover once (and only once) when I was a kid - took it off road showing off to a girlfriend and tipped it so far over in a deep muddy ditch that water came in through the side window! When you get anywhere near the limit it starts to get pretty difficult to keep arms and legs on the controls anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 From experience the bum clench factor stops you long before the cars capability! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted April 10, 2018 Share Posted April 10, 2018 In the ambulance - it's terrifying at 5 degrees tilt In the freelander - feels fine even running on the door handles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherslover Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 Got my truck stuck in the mud ,,😂😂😂😂😂😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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