Interesting section
With regards to sand driving, of which I have many years experience
SAND DRIVING
"Descend sand hills slowly, low range 2nd, straight down and do not use the brakes as this could cause a roll over. If the vehicle noses in, change to low 3rd, with your foot on the brake and accelerator at the same time."
Good advice but it depends on how steep the hill is, using low range can be a bit of an overkill, high first is fine in some situations. Sometimes on steep declines you can feel the rear end sliding a bit to one side, bit of throttle soon straightens the vehicle and always make sure the wheels are straight of course.
"Never use the brakes except in an extreme emergency."
As previously mentioned this is a bit of an overstatement. Using brakes is fine, just don’t do hard braking.
"If the tyre pressure is decreased by 25% (25 psi), speed should not exceed 48 km/h (30 m/h). If the tire pressure is decreased by 40% (20 psi), speed should not exceed 19 km/h (12 m/h). Exceeding these speeds at low pressure can cause the tires to leave the rim."
If I followed these rules I'd get nowhere fast
I generally run my Disco II and Defender 90 at around 12-13 psi and at speeds of up to 80 KPH. The only time I had a tyre off the rim was with the Defender when the wheel popped into a small hole on a turn and at relatively slow speed.
In really soft stuff momentum and lockers are really helpful and let's not forget to carry something like sand ladders.
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Gordon T. Smith
Middle East Land Rover Nutter
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