I found out a few weeks ago the local 4x4 club (the Snake River Offroaders) would be making a run to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes (some of the tallest sand dunes in North America, and only about 5 miles from my home). Having never been before, I decided to meet up with them and try my hand at sand driving. I learned it is a completely different animal from other wheeling I've done, but with some expert guidance from more experienced club members, plus a healthy dose of momentum, I was able to go the same places as rigs that were much more "built" than mine.

For those not familiar with my rig, it's a Disco 1 with a 2" OME lift and 32s. Other vehicles along for today's ride included a lifted ****** with Toyota axles and 37s, a completely custom Wrangler converted to all Toyota frame and running gear (also on 37s), a stock Rubicon on 31s, a Jeep Cherokee on 31s or 32s, a custom Toyota truggy with partial roll-cage and at least 35s, and a full-sized Chevy pickup on 37s or larger. Most of the guys in the club ran between 5 and 10 PSI in their tires, but I wasn't comfortable airing down that far. I started at 18 PSI but found later that 12 PSI worked a little better.

Here are some pictures as an appetizer, more details (and video) after the break:

 

So I had some minor mishaps, but made it home in one piece. First off, I am tired of my Pro Comp shocks. I got into a series of whoops which were just the wrong spacing for a 100" wheelbase and my particular speed, and got rocked pretty hard. It put me in a rhythm I couldn't really get out of, just imagine a bucking bronco. While there was certainly operator error, I felt that a better shock would have done a better job damping the spring action, and perhaps given me enough time between bounces to recover control.

That particular newby episode ended with me taking my foot off the gas and brake, and letting the rig "coast" (perhaps too gentle of a verb there) into a chokecherry bush to slow myself down. I certainly was compressing all the way to the bump stops, alternating between the front and rear.

After that, I slowed down for whoops and crawled across them diagonally as much as situations permitted. I'll write more tomorrow, but suffice it to say that besides overheating slightly after some extreme hill-climbs, burping the air out of my front left tire, and having to occasionally detour around high-horsepower type obstacles, it was a successful and pleasant day off-roading. The learning curve was steep for the first hour or so, but once I had the hang of sand driving I believe the Rover showed quite well.

I will field questions and/or post more info for tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's a video for your entertainment.

YouTube - Land Rover Discovery at St. Anthony Sand Dunes

 

Dude. That's an awesome video. And I appreciate the editing, makes it so much more watchable. Looks like from the speed you were in locked hi most of the time? Also, what kind of exhaust are you running? Sounds pretty throaty in the cabin. Great job!

 

I love the way that rig sits, mean looking

 

Your answers are in bold, LOL.

Thanks on all counts. I tried to edit out the boring and/or embarrassing parts, lol. To answer your questions, I had the center differential locked the whole time, except for the very first hill climb (not in the video) which was pretty difficult. Once I remembered to lock it, things were better. Just about every one else had locked front and rear axles, and much larger tires, so I'm happy to have made it through this terrain at all! I was in high-range second gear for about the first hour or two of driving, then went to low-range third gear after that for the rest of the trip, except the end we were on some flatter terrain so I went back into high-second. In total we were on the dunes about 6-7 hours.

If you want to see the difference between high range and low range, I believe my transition point was at 3:35 in the video - high range before, low range after. I just found that some of the bigger hills, I didn't have enough room to make a good running start in high, so I compensated by using low range. You'll notice my revs climb faster on the steep hills after that point.

As for the exhaust, it's a Magnaflow muffler, with the cats intact, and 2.25" pipe from the muffler back. I don't know the exact model of the muffler, but the case measures 14" x 9" x 4". It's not that loud for normal driving, just enough to let you know the truck has a V8. In fact I've seldom noticed any drone during road driving, though I've also never heard the stock system.

The updates I promised - I topped off my fluids this morning, and am pleased to report the following after 6+ hours of hard desert driving: coolant loss, 2 quarts of 50/50 mix due to a minor instance of overheating (still had a little left at the bottom of the reservoir, so I won't have to bleed the radiator). Oil loss, 1 quart of 15W40. I don't normally lose an appreciable amount of oil, but then again I don't typically have the engine at operating temperature for more than an hour or so. Trail damage was all from the airborne bucking bronco mishap - bent both rear fenders from tire contact, now planning a minor trim. Also dented my oil filter in 1/4" from contact with my relocated steering damper. I think that is only due to compressing both front tires to the bump stops at the same time, which really doesn't happen during normal off-road use.

Anyway, sorry for the long winded response, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. The dunes were unbelievable in person, and driving on them was a whole new animal compared to any other wheeling I've done.

 

One more clarification, I had some difficulties but I never got stuck badly enough that I couldn't back out. There were a few steep sections that I had to back down and make multiple attempts. I never made it up the hill at 0:56, which was simply my attempt at avoiding the off-camber section I had to go through at 1:22.

 

Thanks bro, I appreciate that. I've got the exterior cosmetics pretty close to where they need to be. I think it will look even meaner in a few months, I've got a winch bumper, hood blackout, BFG KM2s, custom rear rocker panels, and clear front corner markers planned for this summer or fall. Just planning ahead and budgeting time & money for all that will take some foresight. Then I'll move on to the interior, haha...

However, I must say most of the rigs on that run looked (and were) at least as mean as mine.

 

Another FYI:

All told, I got 6.8 MPG* on the 60 mile trip. Only 10 miles of that was paved, the rest was dunes. That includes an hour or more of idling, and a top speed of about 15-20 MPH on the dunes. Engine revs were high whenever I was moving. For reference, I get 10-12 in the city, and 14 when cruising between 50 and 70 MPH.* Conclusion: running 12 PSI in low range on sand dunes just sucks gasoline. No wonder most expedition rigs have to carry multiple Jerry cans just to get from point A to point B!

*YMMV, literally. I use a 10% correction factor to compensate for my oversize tires.

 

Another thing, I greatly appreciate your attention to grammar, it's so much better to read. Thanks for for your coverage as well, sounds like a great trip. I'm jealous of your ride; not too plain but not too flashy, just right.

 

Thank you again, on all counts. I tire easily of the rampant illiteracy that surrounds me (e.g. "truck for sell, I need to sale this truck", and "so-and-so would like to talk about their problems" are a just few cases I encounter daily), even among "educated" folk, so I try not to contribute to the problem. You could say I was raised that way, my father's first college degree was English education, and he was rather strict on grammar.

I really haven't done much to the rig, and do plan to keep my future upgrades low-key. Part of the appeal of a Land Rover to me is understated capability, so even as I upgrade for off-road use I want to retain that aesthetic.

As a side note, I'm a major fan of your rig as well. The brush bar and roof rack, though not a complete "Safari-do", definitely speak to the Safari roots these vehicles have. Also, yours does not look as tattered and torn as mine on most counts. My crinkled hood and snagged wheel wells just go to show I still have a while left on cosmetic work.

Since yours is stock, I'll volunteer my opinion: if I had a stock height Disco, my very first mod would be 215/85 tires to see if they rub. I believe they would fit without modification; the most they could require is a 1/2" or 1" spring seat spacer. If you plan to do a full lift (really only needed for extensive off-roading) then I would do the lift before choosing tire size. Of course I would get five tires and a fifth alloy rim, instead of covering the spare with the stock cover. And your full-sized spare, at least up to 235/85, should still fit on the stock carrier: