Defender 90 200 TDI Greenlaning.

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LRShaun

Member
Posts
11
Location
Wigan
Any advice welcome. I have a 200 tdi 90 which I go greenlaning with. I bought the vehicle with a 2" lift and 265/75/16 Maxxis Bighorn tyres.
Is it worth putting larger tyres on to get better ground clearance and if so what size could I go to with the 200 tdi engine? I understand I may need to trim the wheel arches etc. What lift kit would I need?

Air lockers, would you fit them front and rear?

Roll cage - internal or external

Suspension

I suppose the list is endless, but I don't want to buy twice, I would sooner have a plan to work with.

I would like to end up with my project being a road legal 90 but with the capability of a competition vehicle if that is achievable.

Any help / guidance appreciated.
 
I would like to end up with my project being a road legal 90 but with the capability of a competition vehicle if that is achievable.

So what you are really asking is, what do you need to change to make your 90 a competitive vehicle? what sort of competition are you thinking of?
As you should not need a competition vehicle to go greenlaning, if you do need it to cover greenlanes then IMHO opinion you should NOT be on those lanes.

Cheers
 
No competitions, just greenlining. I am looking at this from a safety point of view (Roll cage) Extra ground clearance to save on damaging the diffs etc, therefore larger tyres, and I have seen great advantages of having lockers in, but don't know if you need them front & back and basically IMO I like the look of the competition vehicles.
Cheers, thanks for your reply
 
No green lane will require a roll cage as such but if you are doing a mixture of pay and play days and like I do some greenlaning in-between then get what you like really.

Bit of advice as people get a bit funny about people ruining greenlanes as they often get closed for good since people go 'off the beaten track'. Mine is by no means a compeititon vehicle but it has all the best I can afford but is still seriously over done for greenlanes. All standard land rovers should in theory be able to do all the greenlanes in the UK I would imagine, down to the skill of the driver of course.

As for all the upgrades you have mentioned, they all have their benefits but if it's for greenlanes it's not worth the money imo. However, if you like the look then go for it! Just don't go off the tracks as you will be found out and you will, and i mean will get a hefty fine and a mob of angry land rover owners after you. Just a word of warning.

Best of luck!
 
No green lane will require a roll cage as such but if you are doing a mixture of pay and play days and like I do some greenlaning in-between then get what you like really.

Bit of advice as people get a bit funny about people ruining greenlanes as they often get closed for good since people go 'off the beaten track'. Mine is by no means a compeititon vehicle but it has all the best I can afford but is still seriously over done for greenlanes. All standard land rovers should in theory be able to do all the greenlanes in the UK I would imagine, down to the skill of the driver of course.

As for all the upgrades you have mentioned, they all have their benefits but if it's for greenlanes it's not worth the money imo. However, if you like the look then go for it! Just don't go off the tracks as you will be found out and you will, and i mean will get a hefty fine and a mob of angry land rover owners after you. Just a word of warning.

Best of luck!
Tomushh, that is exactly my idea, overdone for greenlanes but where do you start.
No intention of driving of piste and spoiling it for other people I just am enjoying modifying (slowly) my defender.
 
So youve put a 5" LIFT KIT ON YOUR DISCOVERY? WHAT TYRES HAVE YOU GOT ON

It's 4 inch, but I bought it as a 2 inch off ebay, the way I look at it is that I saved money lol. Wasn't intentional! But I like it

33x12.50r15's BFG KM muds
 
Has @Marmaduke mentioned all his wheel, tyre and suspension calculations involve the use of a standard pig ;)
No such thing as a standard pig in our house :D

Screenshot_20161224-101438_zpsngtv9a5v_edit_1482574918127_zpsc4trcqsn.jpeg


Oink is very special :p
 
200Tdi 90 on standard suspension and standard 235/70 16 all terrains should do all the lanes in the UK.

What you're talking about is creating a bespoke off road vehicle, one that would have potential far beyond a muddy dirt track.

Everything beyond standard is a compromise, from suspension to tyres, even the wheel rims need a bit of thought once you start to modify.

Modifications come with costs and effects which in turn lead to bigger costs and before you know it, MasterCard has you by the short and curlies for £20,000.(maybe more but i know I could easily blow £20,000 on my D1 without it changing greatly from it's current look)

Sure, things like ATB diff's or even electric/air locking diff's are nice, but far from essential.

Big knobbly tyres look fab and have the desired effect of throwing mud all over your truck to show folks you use it off road, but they tear up the lanes you drive much more than modest A/T tyres.

Roll cages can certainly save your life in the event of a roll over and will give your truck a mean an purposeful look whilst giving you somewhere to hang other non essential accessories, but you'll pay the price in fuel and vehicle weight when venturing off road.

Everything has a cost to benefit ratio, I'm not just talking about £££££ but the big picture.

Few examples.

Big suspension lift, effect is raising chassis above the axles, cost is to the detriment of your prop shaft UJs and output bearings in your transfer case, your center of gravity is raised and handling characteristics altered by the rotation of the axle, brake lines all need extended too, all of which now cost more money and time to put right, all doable of course but at extra expense.

What about those big knobbly tyres? Well they will lift the diff higher up off the ground and new aggressive tread will claw through sloppy mud, but they come at a cost too, the bigger the radius of the tyre, the further away from the swivel housing it will need to be in order to keep turning circles less than an 8X4 tipper truck as they will now be fouling the chassis & suspension on steering locks, you'll then have to radically alter all 4 wheel arches as being so far out means on articulation the tyre can no longer tuck up inside the arch and sticking outside the body means you'll need spats/arch extensions to keep them covered, but how are you getting them away from your swivel housings? Spacers? Or offset wheel rims? Costs? Then you have to think next about the longevity of your wheel bearings being put under so much more strain than designed to cope with, what about the altered gearing from the increased rolling radius, potentially want you to alter the ring and pinion ratios in both diff's to bring it back to usable gear ranges, if you do that then you'll want to upgrade your diff centers to either lockers or at the very least stronger 4 pin units.

Just a couple of things to think about, but ask yourself how far you're prepared to go before jumping in feet first.
 
Yeah, what they said really .. ;)

Enjoy the lanes, do things as you see fit when you can't drive the lanes an more, but IMHO it's not worth fitting kit till you've driven it a while and found out where you or the vehicle are lacking!

Having said that, I have lifted mine a bit, rear air locker, winch etc, but I also do other things than just Green Laning .. :)
 
I bought my first 90 a couple months ago with this intention to, i want to use it for a mix of green laning and pay n play days. I've used it off road a few times so far and its pretty surprising what they are capable of more or less standard, she got put through her paces as well!! mine has 31 inch mud terrains and +2 springs, I'm just gonna slowly upgrade things and try and tidy her up a little, gotta keep doing my homework as well on here!

just seen your from wigan as well, where do you go green laning?
 
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