What gives a car the biggest off road advantage?

[armalites]

I would also say driver skill/experience.

I know a guy who took his brand new Navara around the extreme course at one of the Eastnor Landrover Shows, loads of people there with winches etc. He was an offroad instructor in the army. When they came out his son asked the marshall where the entrance the extreme bit was

A couple of years later there was a guy there in an 88" Series 3 with a Tdi who was one of only a handfull of people to make it up one hill. All the others were tricked out Defenders with air lockers,lift kits and big tyres. They featured him on LRO and he explained how he was braking with his left foot and so stopping any wheels spinning and creating the the same effect as locked diffs/traction control

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Tyres are a strange one, if you know there's hard ground somewhere under that gloop your tyres can cut to, run narrow tyres. However somewhere like a beach, you're going a long way down before you find "solid"!!! I run wide(Ish) tyres on my trucks, because out laning, the last thing I want to do is cut ruts in and give the antis any ammo! .

Incidentally, on the beach the only place knobblies get you is bogged, slap some bald old knackers on and away you go. I've seen our dad launch a 28 foot boat with a reliant on the sands, and he drove it back off past a few bogged landies

 

[PhillipM]

Yeah, you dont want to dig holes in sand, its solid if compacted a little. Even slicks work on dry sand

 

[Wildefalcon]

In my experience, not having a trailer with 6 tonne of nice building sandstone is the key. In fact, not having a trailer, is the single biggest thing that allows progress.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I'd say tyres from personal experience. I had a car (1964 Sunbeam Rapier MKIV) that I kept on getting stuck on the bad winter of 1980 despite newish Michelin tyres. They were changed to Uniroyals and the difference was amazing.
My first Land Rover was a 1970 SWB diesel SIIA that I bought off a chap who worked for Rolls Royce at Crewe and had managed to scrounge a set of Avon test tyres that he'd fitted. Plenty of tread but first time I went in snow, and even 4wd engaged, it just slid down hills whenever I backed off the throttle and wanted to use engine braking to slow myself down. The Avons might have been perfect for a Roller but waste of time on a Landy in snow At set of Bronco AT remoulds were promptly fitted and took me everywhere - even in deep snow crossing Pyrenees towing a car transporter with an Ebro Jeep on board.
BTW the Ben Nevis Model T has chains on rear tyres if you look carefully.

 

[sg66]

Lots of things rely on other things to work properly, its combination of things that your after but it depends what your aiming for, a rock crawler would have a different set up for a swamp car and different again for one of those crazy cliff climbers.

Axle articulation or wheel travel, tyres, weight preferably not too much of it, plenty of torque, lockable diffs and a short ish wheel base with little to no overhang front or rear.

My discovery is pants compared to the 90, and our old range rover was much better than the disco 2 , similar size but lighter.

 

[postie jon]

used to run 600x 16 crossplies on my 200tdi defender what a difference it made in the winter.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Tank tracks...

An Alvis Stalwart doesn't have tracks yet it's extremely versatile. Same with the BTR family of vehicles. The BTR 80 is one of my favourites.

I think this is one of those 1990's 'prospective buyers' films when they were selling off military equipment like it was going out of fashion

 

[waldershelf]

Tyres, the larger diameter and the knobblier the better.

 

[waldershelf]

Tyres, the larger diameter and the knobblier the better.

And knowing what you are doing behind the wheel.

 

[Migmac]

I used to think narrow tires were better for road. A few years back I got a new quad, it arrived with over size tires on. Wasn’t impressed., wanted my old skinnies put on. Anyway took the quad as was and wouldn’t go back to skinnies, the places it goes is unbelievable. Goes where my old quad wouldn’t. The only time I see skinnies being a benefit is in deep snow

 

[Tinbasherdan]

As most say, the best off road vehicle in the world can be let down by the gibbon in the driving seat. I've driven a Honda jazz past 90s and 110s stuck in snow, I've pulled range rovers with all manner of computer aids to driving out with a manky old Disco 1

 

[Rannsachair]

I have always found ground clearance important too. My first car was a mini, it was great in snow until the depth meant it grounded out.

On badly rutted muddy tracks if a Jimny could not straddle the ruts it would ground out where a Defender could drive through. I fitted 33" tyres to my Defender, which help. I have traction control too, which feels like cheating and am about to fit a lsd too.

 

[8ob]

Every now and then no matter what you are in whether tracks or wheels ................ https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/topic/91015-up-to-yer-nuts-in-it-thread/

Bob

 

[JoelC]

I'd say tyres, and ground clearance. A lot of off road challenge machines use portal axles from Unimogs, or Volvo 303 axles - a lot of issues with offroad vehicles, including defenders is that the diff casing hangs quite low, and can be damaged by rocks etc.

The driver not being a plank helps as well

 

[octo0072000]

Every now and then no matter what you are in whether tracks or wheels ................ https://arbtalk.co.uk/forums/topic/91015-up-to-yer-nuts-in-it-thread/

Bob

Hope you realize i had to read the whole thread Bob 20 pages

 

[8ob]

Hope you realize i had to read the whole thread Bob 20 pages

Poor lad

Bob

 

[mike os]

No single thing. .. tyres, gearbox and lockers, suspension, driver.... and of course the terrain

All things being equal it's between tyres and driver

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Some might say a dirty great cummins 6bt makes a motor....... @8ob

 

[dannyp]

driver commitment.

you'd be amazed where a transit t350 will get when driven with commitment