Bod Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hi I am new to this world, having just bought my first Land Rover (2004 110 XS SW) and am looking for some advice on vehicle preparation. I am planning to go to some pay and play sites around the Oxfordshire area (any suggestions?) and i wondered what basic things i would need to do to my completely standard Defender before hand. Any help gratefully received. Bod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben_J85JTY Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Hi Bod, There are a few P&P sites in Oxon and nearby, you have the Muddy Mates site near Wantage, Avon Dassett just outside Banbury, and a little further afield you have Whaddon nr Milton Keynes. As for Vehicle Prep, a good starting point would be tyres, the 110 XS is already very capable with its TC etc. That will give you enough grip to get round, then perhaps think about some armour such as a steering guard and diff guards. As well as the vehicle parts a tow rope and decent recovery points should be high on your list. After that........ The list goes on and on! If you want to, I am holding an event on Feb 22 at Childry Quarry in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support - PM me if you want the details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 If you already have a tow bar then i would get, Jate rings:Ebay jate rings. 2x RATED 4.75ton shackles:These look about the right price if you can get combined postage 1x decent tow rope/strap:Strap These do not cost much, and buying devent quality ones means you will not have to upgrade them no matter how serious you get into offroading. Ebay may not be the best place to buy these things but i am feeling lazy and its convenient If you use the search button i'm sure will find loads and loads of info on this subject but the main thing is that aslong as you can be recovered then your ok. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bod Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 thanks for all the advice - much appreciated - will get some recovery kit first i think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Goon Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Where in Oxfordshire are you? If you are in the South-West of the county, then there are couple of sites around Swindon. One is at Foxham, which is not far from Lyneham and I think there is one up in the Blunsdon/Purton area somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 A sturdy towrope (not the sort you can buy from a petrol station or halfords) and something to attach it to (recovery points front & rear) are #1 or you'll find yourself unpopular with the marshals first time you get stuck. What Muddy has posted is all good. Beyond that, it's all too easy to get caught up in buying loads of toys which you don't actually need. I would hold off, watch others, ask questions about kit they've got and if it works / why the bought it and decide for yourself if you need it. If you bought all the toys your car would weigh as much as a tank and never get out of the car park One thing fairly near the top of the list would be mud tyres if it hasn't already got them, this will make the single biggest difference. The argument about which mud tyres will never be answered so again, you just need to talk to people. BFG MT's are a very safe bet though, if not the absolute pinnacle of off-road performance. Some tyres will be better in the mud but terrifying / noisy on the road etc. so what works for one person will not work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Goon Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 BFG Mud Terrain tyres get my vote as well, although I had no end of problems with them on standard LR steel rims due to inner tubes puncturing. Running BFG All-Terrains on my 110 at the moment and I am very happy with the compromise of on and off road performance. I now have modular wheels rather than the standard rims, which means they can be fitted tubeless. If you have alloys on your XS, you should have no problems as they will accept tubeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 recovery points front and rear must be the priority then a rope and leave it at that and learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bod Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 A sturdy towrope (not the sort you can buy from a petrol station or halfords) and something to attach it to (recovery points front & rear) are #1 or you'll find yourself unpopular with the marshals first time you get stuck. What Muddy has posted is all good.Beyond that, it's all too easy to get caught up in buying loads of toys which you don't actually need. I would hold off, watch others, ask questions about kit they've got and if it works / why the bought it and decide for yourself if you need it. If you bought all the toys your car would weigh as much as a tank and never get out of the car park One thing fairly near the top of the list would be mud tyres if it hasn't already got them, this will make the single biggest difference. The argument about which mud tyres will never be answered so again, you just need to talk to people. BFG MT's are a very safe bet though, if not the absolute pinnacle of off-road performance. Some tyres will be better in the mud but terrifying / noisy on the road etc. so what works for one person will not work for you. thanks for all the advice. i have challenge on the tire front - i have signed up to go on a tour in sept to Tunisia and the Sahara desert so will need tires that are good in sand, but I also want to use it in mud in the uk...it currently has the original General Grabber tires that look very road biased - how do i achieve this without ending up with three separate sets of tires Also (sorry for sounding stupid) I assume that the strap and shackles mentioned by muddy are for the front - what do i attach the shackles too in the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smo Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 The LR fitted general grabbers are the worst tyres in the world, total carp on every surface including roads! The advice given has been great, certainly start with recovery points, some rated shackles and decent strop or rope. The tyres for all round use would have to be mud terrains, my personal fave are the BFG's which perform superbly on and off road in most conditions. However, mentioning sand its possible that an all-terrain tyre would be better suited, again the offering from BFG have good road manners, work well in most off road conditions and are highly regarded for sand - youll suffer a bit in uk mud on occasions but as you are fairly new to it i dont see it being a problem as you will progress as you learn. EDIT: On your shackle question, you use one on each end of the strop/rope attached to a secure and sturdy recovery point (such as jate rings). There are situations when you may need 3 if using the strop as a bridle, or possibly just 1 when using a tow ball as one end of the strop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 decent recovery points front and rear should be your first priority. After that, you should look for some rated shakles (4.75T seems a popular choice) and a decent recovery rope. If you are going to be overlanding (i've been down to Morocco as well) then i'd probably not go for a mud tyre, but a decent A/T i've got General AT2's which are a popular choice, and I'm well impressed with them. Make sure you carry all the 'common sense' stuff aswell, like basic first aid kit, small fire extinguisher, waterproofs, mobile phone and charger, water and spare fluids... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eightpot Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Make sure you carry all the 'common sense' stuff aswell, like basic first aid kit, small fire extinguisher, waterproofs, mobile phone and charger, water and spare fluids... ....and a chainsaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantd Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 As above: Recovery points, tow rope. I'd also add a diff guard and maybe a steering guard (as you've sensibly not lifted it). Tyres: Would definitely go with BFG AT (all terrain, not mud terrain). That way you get better performance off road than your GGs, you can deflate them for sand (the side wall of the MT is too stiff) and you'll have the best compromise on-road (fuel efficiency, braking distance...). If you want something slightly more aggressive than the AT but not as harsh as the MT, a Cooper Discoverer ST is a good bet. Basically equivalent to the AT but supposedly slightly better in the gloopy stuff. I'd then save the rest of your money for the overlanding tour - that's got plenty of potential for shiny kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 thanks for all the advice.i have challenge on the tire front - i have signed up to go on a tour in sept to Tunisia and the Sahara desert so will need tires that are good in sand, but I also want to use it in mud in the uk...it currently has the original General Grabber tires that look very road biased - how do i achieve this without ending up with three separate sets of tires Also (sorry for sounding stupid) I assume that the strap and shackles mentioned by muddy are for the front - what do i attach the shackles too in the car? As smo has said, a mud terrain tyre is unsuitable for sand use, especially soft dry sand. For sany conditions you need a tyre with the least aggressive tread pattern possible, anything that breaks the surface tension of the sand is bad news as you will quickly dig yourself into a hole. Unfortunatley a good sand tyre won't be any good in mud so you will have to compromise or buy two sets of tyres. I agree that the BFG All terrain would be a good compromise. Mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bean Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 I run BFG A/T and i find them a good compromise when i'm driving on grass as they don't chew it up and pay and play days when i'm in the mud. Also the on road manners are very good as i found out when i had to brake from 60 to 0 in a very short time.....BMW drivers grrrrrr!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headhunter Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Don't forget to carry a spade. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wytco0 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Useful thread this, I am looking for something similar for my 03MY Td5 Defender 90. This thread has given me all I need about tyres and shackles I think but I am still uncertain what to do about recovery points. I had to be towed out of a ditch yesterday (twice actually) and we used the tie downs which I understand are not really up to it. So what the most cost effective way of providing sturdy and safe recovery points on my truck? Is it best to have 2 at each end or is a single one enough? I currently have a tow bar fitted but I might consider removing it if the best options for the rear use the tow bar mounting points. All advice on the options available and recommendations gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smo Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Tow bar is fine for the rear. Get some jate rings for the front or a bumper with suitible recovery eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wytco0 Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Tow bar is fine for the rear. Get some jate rings for the front or a bumper with suitible recovery eyes. Thanks, how do you fix the jate rings on the front? A friend of mine didn't like the idea of using the tow bar for recovery, he said its dangerous, not sure why though?? However I think front recovery is probably most important for me so that's the priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Tow bar is fine for recovery, if its the usual drop-plate typre then it fixes to the vehicle in 4 places (2 on crossmemeber and two on chassis) so will be plenty strong enough for regular recovery activities. JATE rings replace the vehicle tie-down rings front and rear, you just unbolt the tie down ring and replace with the JATE ring, and a slightly longer bolt (of suitable grade - 8.8 or higher) If you do buy JATE rings, get them from a reputable off-road equipment supplier, some of the amateur efforts i've seen being punted out at shows are downright dangerous... Try someone like David Bowyer or Gigglepin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 wytco0, Don't use the tow ball for recovery as the rope can slip off of it, replace the ball with a recovery ring or NATO hitch. Alternatively, fit jate rings at the back as well and use a bridle to spread the load between the chassis legs when using the jate rings for recovery. HTH Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madcowz Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Is this a suitable Tow Rope? Nylon Tow Rope, 24mm diameter nylon x 5 mtr long. [WLL 2t 12t MBL] £ 33.90 (£ 29.48 ex VAT) Link to Devon 4x4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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