Hi all.. new to the club... i am in Dubai (United Arab Emirates)...bought a new lr3 V6. would like to know howz it on the dunes...i noticed that when i put it on sand mode, and i raise the car to offroad mode...if i acceleratemore, as momentum needed on the sand, the suspension goes to normal height, anything that can be done to overcome that. also i am new to the landrover, so plz help with any tips on driving on the dunes and sand... thanks...

 

While I do not claim to be an off road expert, I'll try to impart a bit of my little experience.

First thing I would do is get rid of the factory tires on your LR3 if it came with the same Wrangler HP's we get here in the US. Irecently spent a yearbetweenDubai and Kwuait and got a chance to do a lot of driving while overthere. The dunesin your areaare serious and sand driving conditionstends to be more of a matter of daily driving necessity than for fun as we do here in the US. Not sure if your LR3 came with 18" or 19" wheels but here in the states we like to go with 18' anytime any off roading is required with the vehicle which is certainly your case. The 18" wheels allow for more sidewall on the tire which is what you should look for in a good all- terrain tire. Low profile tires have no place in the desert!!
Now, with tires in mind, a lot of folks here in the US like Nitto Terra Grapplers. Others like me prefer Good Year Silent Armor tires which I would recomend in your case since I have seen first hand that the 120kph posted in your highways is only a "suggestion" at best . Both tires seem to be great off road but the Silent Armors have a great advantage on the highway over the Nittos. I would sugest 265/60/18, same size I use in my LR3.

Now about that sand driving, you are right in stating that momentum is needed. However, most people will confuse momentum with excesive speed. ThereIS such thing as going "too fast" in sand. I believe the off-roadhight on the LR3 will reset at 22 mph (not sure the KPH equivalent) which should be plenty speed to keep momentum as well as torque by keeping the engine in a high reving gear. Faster than that will inevitably cause your transmission to shift to a higher gear and the torque is all gone!
Sand mode is a must as it will cause the transmission to hold the gears longer before shifting, thus providing that beautiful torque you need in deep sand. Also I would recommend turning off the DSC (instructions in the owner's manual) because some tire spin is not only expected but quite favorable when in sand. Leaving the DSC on will prevent your tires from spining at different speeds from each other; bad news in sand. And finnaly, if you expect to be in serious sand for a while, I would consider deflating the tires. I carry tire deflators with me in my LR3 preset to 20 psi and a small cordless compressor to re inflate on the spot. Quite inexpensive and convenient.

Hope that helps out. Do write back if you still have questions!!!

 

I just noticed when re-reading your post that you have a V-6. So you should have 18" wheels but you don't have the torque of the V-8 so keeping that bad boy in the lower gears is even more important in your case. I don't remember if going into "sand mode" automaticaly shifts to "low Range" orjust suggests shifting manualy but I would say Low Range is mandatory in sugarsand.

By the way, Paul, if you worked for a company that specializes in hydraulics out of Dubai in 2003, I think I may know you .

 

Hi Paul,
Your in a similar position as myself, just bought a new LR3 V6 in Dubai, only had it off road once so far and got it stuck. My fault though, kept it in normal driving and didn't turn off the dsc . If you fancy going out for a dune bash some time, give me a shout. davidkaleta@yahoo.com.

Cheers Dave.