Last week I was sent on a 4x4 driving course on behalf of St John Ambulance.

I have never had any training of 4x4 driving and I was amazed at the ability of the old Land Rover Discovery we used.

Driving through axle deep liquid mud and climbing 45 degree inclines and slippery slopes.made me appreciate the engineering of Land Rovers.

It may have sounded like an old tractor, but chugging along in low ratio diff lock in 2nd gear, the torque was phenominal!

I`m not sure our Nissan Patrols would have the same abilities? I always knew that Land Rovers were wasted on the school and supermarket run!

Yes, capable offroaders hidden under ever increasing amount of bling and daft low profile tyres/big alloys.

My old Disco with "mud" tyres was very impressive offroad and it was funny being able to drive up inclines you couldn't walk up. Local Sainsbury weren't too pleased when we tried to stick the cars through the car wash after events though

Chris

My old Disco with "mud" tyres was very impressive offroad and it was funny being able to drive up inclines you couldn't walk up. Local Sainsbury weren't too pleased when we tried to stick the cars through the car wash after events though

Chris

You should have seen the drive way after i jet washed the underside of my defender after an RTV. It took longer to sweep it up than it took to clean the car. I often thought about going to a carwash and paying for the underbody clean option but the only factor stopping me was a lack of drysuit for me to wear for when gallons of water entered the vehicle through the less than snug door seals. Even if i did risk it, like you say, i doubt the carwash operator woul dhave been particularly happy.

I always prayed for rain on the way home after an RTV and would then drive flat out through all the puddles i could find. Flat out wasnt very fast either but you know what i mean.

When I did RTVs in my 90, I used to take it to a local Albanian car wash.

They were quite happy to do it for £10, which was far better once a month than spending hours shovelling muck up on the driveway.

Once I took it in there after sinking it in a big hole and you couldn't even see the floor mats, they were burried under a few inches of solid mud.

It came out looking new.

Last week I was sent on a 4x4 driving course on behalf of St John Ambulance.

I have never had any training of 4x4 driving and I was amazed at the ability of the old Land Rover Discovery we used.

Driving through axle deep liquid mud and climbing 45 degree inclines and slippery slopes.made me appreciate the engineering of Land Rovers.

It may have sounded like an old tractor, but chugging along in low ratio diff lock in 2nd gear, the torque was phenominal!

I`m not sure our Nissan Patrols would have the same abilities? I always knew that Land Rovers were wasted on the school and supermarket run!

I remember i did a 4x4 fun day thing at Crief hydro. At the time we all thought it was amazing. I then took up "offroading" and only then understood what they can really do. If you have never experienced offroad driving even the slightly more "tame" fun days then i cant emphasive it enough that you need to give it a go. You cant beat getting chucked about the back of a 110 defender and then all taking turns driving.

Even go along to an RTV and take a passenger ride and then be amazed at what is possible even in a relatively standard defender 90 with chunky tyres. I couldnt believe it when i started but whats also amazing is how quickly your perceptions of whats incredible and whats normal also changes. Then inevitably you think you are unstoppable but finding out your are stoppable does tend to be fun. Albeit costly sometimes but fun non the less.

As an ex-4x4 instructor it is good fun isn't it?

Be very careful though, it gets into your blood and can come become addictive!

When I taught we often found it was easier to teach women how to drive off-road.

Two reasons; they rarely had preconceived notions of their ability, and they didn't have "balls"! (In both meanings!!)

From experience, the SJA Nissan Patrols are not bad off-road, but you need to remember that there is a lot of weight up high so you have to be careful on side slopes. Some of the converted Land Rovers they use to use were worse! Ask Pershore SJA!! My old Division, Worcester City Combined had 2 LR V8 110's without the high bodies that were good fun.

4x4 Response Wales have done some training for the Red Cross in Wales, but I must find out what SJA do here.

As an ex-4x4 instructor it is good fun isn't it?

Be very careful though, it gets into your blood and can come become addictive!

When I taught we often found it was easier to teach women how to drive off-road.

Two reasons; they rarely had preconceived notions of their ability, and they didn't have "balls"! (In both meanings!!)

From experience, the SJA Nissan Patrols are not bad off-road, but you need to remember that there is a lot of weight up high so you have to be careful on side slopes. Some of the converted Land Rovers they use to use were worse! Ask Pershore SJA!! My old Division, Worcester City Combined had 2 LR V8 110's without the high bodies that were good fun.

4x4 Response Wales have done some training for the Red Cross in Wales, but I must find out what SJA do here.

Have to admit my "balls" have got me into a few compromising positions. Taken out of context this sounds horrendous but anyone whos does 4x4 driving will know what i mean.

I competed in the "standard class" and the cars were all road legal. I won that class 3 years on the trott so began kind of trying to compete with the big boys in the modified and trialer classes. I wasnt really competeing but seeing as we were on the same courses at least i could compare my score. This inevitably would egg me on to attempt inclines etc that i really should have known i wouldnt make. All good fun but my landy now has the scars to tell the real tale of events.

Wasnt a good day when one of the landcruiser amazon "tow" vehicles managed to get up an incline on his road tyres that i couldnt manage on my chunky tyres. I only have a central locking diff so it goes to show how good front and rear lockers are. I could fit them as well but then i wouldnt have been "standard".

Another devastating offroader is the jimny. Those little buggers used to wind me up on the twisty courses.

Also saw a shogun competeing on one occasion but it didnt seem to have much wheel articulation so wasnt terribly competitive.

As an ex-4x4 instructor it is good fun isn't it?

Be very careful though, it gets into your blood and can come become addictive!

When I taught we often found it was easier to teach women how to drive off-road.

Two reasons; they rarely had preconceived notions of their ability, and they didn't have "balls"! (In both meanings!!)

From experience, the SJA Nissan Patrols are not bad off-road, but you need to remember that there is a lot of weight up high so you have to be careful on side slopes. Some of the converted Land Rovers they use to use were worse! Ask Pershore SJA!! My old Division, Worcester City Combined had 2 LR V8 110's without the high bodies that were good fun.

4x4 Response Wales have done some training for the Red Cross in Wales, but I must find out what SJA do here.

Yes! Our instructor commented on the high roof of our Patrols and how it alters the centre of gravity. Even giving the Patrols some beans along a twisty road makes them roll quite alarmingly! And of course on a side incline the top may bash the odd tree!

Down in Kent we have a couple of LR Defenders TDi 130`s with bodies on them similar to what they use in the MOD and they can be quite hairy on an incline.

I have to say that mostly where we go is well within the capability of a Patrol! The 4X4 course requirement for SJA has only been introduced this year.

Edited 11 March, 201313 yr by threadbear

Yes, capable offroaders hidden under ever increasing amount of bling and daft low profile tyres/big alloys.

4X4s should be left to do the job they were originally designed to do!

The 4X4 course requirement for SJA has only been introduced this year.

Good to know. When I was in Worcester SJA we did our own "training", if that is what you could call it! Luckily I went to Land Rover with the Midland Rover Owners Club and got taught the "Land Rover Way" and took that back with me.

I must find the photos of my Series 3 LWB Station Wagon and one of the trials I did in that.

Good to know. When I was in Worcester SJA we did our own "training", if that is what you could call it! Luckily I went to Land Rover with the Midland Rover Owners Club and got taught the "Land Rover Way" and took that back with me.

I must find the photos of my Series 3 LWB Station Wagon and one of the trials I did in that.

Like to see your old series 3!

I must look them out. I keep meaning to scan some of my old photos. I suppose having just moved it is the ideal time to have a sort-out!