standard terrano!!!

[jims-terrano]

Personally my bit for what it is worth, a road going motor should be just that a full road spec motor, as soon as you put lift kits etc you are compromising safety, the insurance company's know this and your premium will go up, if you want off road spec then go off road only, but this is only my opinion, Rick

Perfect sense to me Rick:clap

 

[baker1988]

Actually modded 4x4 insurance is pretty much the same. Not everyone is gifted with being able to tow bigger trailers either or in a financial position to pay or own a place to store a non road legal 4x4.

More and more pay and play sites require vehicles to be insured, tax and tested.

Most pay and plays round here require tax and insurance aswell plus arb removal didnt effect my insurance

 

[solarman216]

Actually modded 4x4 insurance is pretty much the same. Not everyone is gifted with being able to tow bigger trailers either or in a financial position to pay or own a place to store a non road legal 4x4.

More and more pay and play sites require vehicles to be insured, tax and tested.

I note your point but, and it is a big but, a motor on public roads with anti roll bars removed etc that could become unstable on a bend at whatever speed is a definite negative to other road users, if a person cannot afford a trailer etc to go and play then they cannot afford to play, you must not increase the risk to other road users just cos you want to play, I looked at all of this when I decided to start off road driving, fortunately I already had a trailer for banger racing, now here is a comparison which I think is valid, would you want to see me driving a banger on public roads to get to a meeting, I do not think so, I rest my case, Rick

 

[makeitfit]

My "Modified" insurance is actually cheaper now than my crappy ford puma policy :thumb2
To a degree some mods can compromise the pure "road" driving/ability . Mainly I'd guess a suspension lift, if only due to raising the centrer of gravity.
Then again taking the arb off will actually keep the wheels on the ground longer and so safer, but, will just feel rather boaty.
When I first got into 4x4 offroading I did have my truck as my daily driver. I did that up till I went from 33s to 35s. Then I concluded that mine was then pretty much a legal pay n play truck.
Just make sure that any changes are on your insurance policy then there's no problem

 

[makeitfit]

Biggest down side thing on mine though is mud tyres. They are crap at stopping in a hurry in the wet. Then again I seldom go over 60 now

 

[Fez_uk]

would you want to see me driving a banger on public roads to get to a meeting, I do not think so, I rest my case, Rick

Wouldn't care if your banger was on the road aslong as it was legal to do so. I suite my driving to the vehicle, just like someone would do so towing a trailer.

 

[solarman216]

OK we all have our individual likes and dislikes I am not knocking anyone who wants to do what he wants, so I do things my way but we all need to consider others is all I am saying, Rick

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

Most pay and plays round here require tax and insurance aswell plus arb removal didnt effect my insurance

Most P& days require insurance, tax and MOT, but all the ones I have been to, many of the cars were being trailered in, and were obviously not road legal, but they never stopped them, so I guess it is an insurance thing, which they say but ignore.

OK we all have our individual likes and dislikes I am not knocking anyone who wants to do what he wants, so I do things my way but we all need to consider others is all I am saying, Rick

You are right, and it is something that is so nice about this forum, we have the "Nutters" who want to go to the extreme, and we can all learn from them, and then the ones who basically want a nice towcar, and the most it will do is cross a wet grassy field with out chewing it up.


I think as long as you drive to within the spec of your vehicle, it shouldn't be a problem what mods you make. The main thing is when you fit things that compromise the original road safety spec, and then continue to drive it, like it is a formula one racing car. If any Mod is actually dangerous, the MOT should pick up on that and fail it, otherwise, you still need to pass things like the stopping test, so you brakes and grip must be up to spec, just not significantly better, as it is with standard road tyres.

Lets face it, no off-road style of vehicle can ever be designed to go round bends at high sped, even with all the suspension enhancements in the world, there is still going to be a time when momentum and inertia over ride the available grip the tyres have on the surface they are travelling on. The only truly safe vehicles are low slung and very light weight things, that drive nowhere over 30MPH or travel on rails. We all know, you should drive sympathetically to the type of vehicle you are in, even when they are in the condition they drove out of the factory in, you can't corner a double decker bus, like you can a Ferrari. All cars are now built so they far exceed the basic safety specs, and instead of us being grateful for these extra benefits, we take them for granted and act like they are the "New" normal. For example, a good driver does not need anti-lock brakes, and can actually stop quicker than a car with anti-lock brakes, but there are now many people out there, who don't even know what cadence braking is, let alone how to do it, and NEED anti-lock brakes. Same goes for traction control, and syncromesh gears etc.

Modded off roaders need to be able to travel on the road, even for occasional things like the guys who volunteer to drive people in extreme weather etc. but also some services, like police, coast guard and Electricity board, use modded off roaders to carry out their day to day work on some of the more remote places.


Personally, I think the ethos of off roading is moving in the wrong direction, and has gone away from, the fun/skill of driving a car into a situation where you wonder if you will be able to get through it. It was not just about the cars abilities, there was a skill from the driver in picking the right route, and giving it just the right amount wellie, to get through with out loosing grip, pushing your own and the cars abilities, to see haw far you could get, but not pushing them so far that you could not stop before you were so badly stuck, you needed a Chinook helicopter to recover you. It's good practice that if the ruts are too deep, then go a different way, get out of the rut, or fill it in a bit.. Ultimately, just making the ruts deeper by making your car have better ground clearance, is a bad thing, as that is what has caused the Green lanes to all be shut. 12" deep ruts are bad for everyone.

If you want to modify a vehicle so that can really go anywhere, and want to modify it to that extreme, then you have to accept that it is no longer a road going vehicle, and is confined to only being used at events and Pay and Play days, but that kind of defeats the point, as you may as well just buy a tank, and know you will never get stuck.

The clever bit is knowing when you cross the line from Off-roadable car to Off the road only car.


I think that if you have the brains and brawn to be able to carry out the mods, then you should be sensible enough to realise the detrimental effects of your mod on the handling of the car, like you can't go round bends as fast, or stop as quick, so therefore know how to you have to adjust your driving with that in mind, e.g. going slower, and reading the road... after all, when you put in all the extra work to not only mod the car, but keep it road legal, I think generally you are more likely to drive it with more consideration, as you know that if you get into a shunt, the £500 winch on the front is toast, and/or the £200 bumper will need to be re-built, together with those nice and expensive shiny spot lamps. Most of which will be not actually be covered buy the insurance company, even though you have informed them. Also when it comes to getting home from having a play, it still needs to be drivable so even there, you drive with more consideration.

 

[Fez_uk]

Personally, I think the ethos of off roading is moving in the wrong direction, and has gone away from, the fun/skill of driving a car into a situation where you wonder if you will be able to get through it. It was not just about the cars abilities, there was a skill from the driver in picking the right route, and giving it just the right amount wellie, to get through with out loosing grip, pushing your own and the cars abilities, to see haw far you could get, but not pushing them so far that you could not stop before you were so badly stuck, you needed a Chinook helicopter to recover you. It's good practice that if the ruts are too deep, then go a different way, get out of the rut, or fill it in a bit.. Ultimately, just making the ruts deeper by making your car have better ground clearance, is a bad thing, as that is what has caused the Green lanes to all be shut. 12" deep ruts are bad for everyone.

Actually most deep ruts on greenlanes are caused by water erosion, I am not saying a 4x4 or motorbike helped start the erosion.
Most greenlanes can be done in standard 4x4, He's talking about pay and play sites.

It's still about skill, but to push your abilities and still have the thrill you need better equipment. Check the winch challenge stuff and king of the valley event etc. It's about skill and the machine. :thumb2

hi everybody, im looking to do some minor mods to my lwb 2.7td. she is our daily driver and does plenty of miles so nothing too daft but id like to try a pay & play day soon so could do with some tweaking i reckon. shes currently running 15" nissan alloys with chunky tyres making a 27" roling diameter. any ideas or tips would be great, thanks vince

Getting a bit back on topic. Vince, I'd go for 30-31" tyres max (You may need to strengthen your steering with one of makeitfit's kits).
Something like coooper stt's type tyre handle the road very well and are pretty good offroad.

You can run 30" tyres without any mods, Except removing the front mud flaps. 31" either body lift or suspension lift. But worth looking at your insurance, As many companies won't allow mods.

Trimming the bottom of the front bumper may help too, to reduce to chance of it catching when in ruts etc.

 

[vince]

thankyou, i feel like iv just had a good telling off for asking the question
i am just after a few sensible mods to enhance any offroading i may do. as i said it is a family daily driver BUT so far iv used her to tow a double decker bus up an icy hill, rescue my friends car from a ditch and pulled a horsebox full of pigs through two fields. all of these would have been impossible in a normal car and also with my old roadgoing tyres ( i towed the bus by driving on the virgin snow on the muddy 45 degree grass verge as the hill was solid sheet ice) i would though like to make her a little more able than she already is, without going to extremes or removing her from her original purpose.
i have grown up with sports cars and motorbikes, none of which has remained standard for long as the way i see it avehicle is designed and built to do an array of jobs for most people most of the time, there is nothing wrong and a lot to be gained by personalising any vehicle to the owners needs as long as your inkeeping with the original ethos. eg my bikes all have loud exhausts because i like them, they dont need to pass stringent government tests anymore so why keep the extra weight and lower performance of the standard original? of course this is JUST MY OPINION!!!!

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

:lol

No ones telling you off, it is nothing personal, just a lot of extreme users of the Nissans on this forum from people who just want to tow a caravan, to people that live down long dirt tracks, to some whose cars would drive un-aided up the Hoover dam, and then carry on back down the other side with out flooding the engine This means there are a lot of varying opinions on what mods need doing (horses for courses). The good thing is, not only are they a great friendly bunch, but also by having the variety, you get a great mix of opinions, which quite often throw new ideas to you, which were not things you ever thought about. The other thing is, if someone thinks you are wrong, they will say so, which gives you the chance to either justify why you think like that, or learn from others experience.

Anyway, as you may have seen, improvements are a very personal thing... For me, tyres are the most important thing, as I tend to find I run out of grip before anything else... If a track is too deeply rutted, I will go another way, or run to the side of the ruts, a front Diff lock would be nice one day as well, if funds ever allow.

The other thing, would be an improvement for me, is articulation, but as mine is more road going, and tows a caravan, that is not a practical mod as it would affect my day to day normal use. Maybe one day, I will get a second T2 for the wife, that will allow more scope...

 

[spinna]

As above good post by Lazy Ferret

 

[makeitfit]

As above good post by Lazy Ferret

Further more we're all adult enough to discuss and debate without the need to slag each other off :clap
I just can't be doing with tin tenters as others won't like my gung ho attitude. We get on no probs though :lol
Enjoy

 

[davenclaire]

reading this post reminds me of our off roading pay n play days in our old short wheel base patrol the only mod it needed was 31 1050 15 bfg mud tyres and electric cooling fan switched via a dash control and it was unstoppable.

i am of almost of the same opinion about the terrano but our off roading play days are behind us now so all iv dont to ours is fit all terrains at some stage an electric fan dvd screens in the headrests oh and the big bore exhaust is getting replaced with a standard one.

all and any other mods will be just to improve it day today for the svo and comfort oh forgot to mention tinting the rear windows just keep it simple and maybe try to improve on whats already a good motor

 

[vince]

so heres my thinking... next time i need tyres im going to go for 30/31s, i love the look of the lifted trucks so il look into which type will suit me best and probably go for that. i need to do some welding on the front bumper struts for the m.o.t so il probably make a new sheet metal front bumper with a flat top to mount a winch in the future and my spots, as an aside id not thought about the window tinting but iv often got a boot full of tools so may be a good idea.:clap wheres best to get tyres from as il need to check how big i can go on my standard alloys or if il need to buy some steelys, thanks for ALL of your input:clap:clap:clap

 

[arcascomp]

ryan the mud couldn't of been that deep neither cos u need to been chassis deep to get stuck, unless the towbar digs in after a bouncy rut :doh

Is that supposed to be some sort of euphemism? :naughty

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

so heres my thinking... next time i need tyres im going to go for 30/31s, i love the look of the lifted trucks so il look into which type will suit me best and probably go for that. i need to do some welding on the front bumper struts for the m.o.t so il probably make a new sheet metal front bumper with a flat top to mount a winch in the future and my spots, as an aside id not thought about the window tinting but iv often got a boot full of tools so may be a good idea.:clap wheres best to get tyres from as il need to check how big i can go on my standard alloys or if il need to buy some steelys, thanks for ALL of your input:clap:clap:clap

I think you need to give more info, as the T2 seem to have a lot of different "Standard" wheels. Mine has 16" as "Standard", but most of the time I read of only 15" being the normal.

My tyres are 235/70 16's which according to the tyre size calculators are 29", although when I was measuring them for the spare wheel cover, they are actually 30.5inches, so even tyre makes do not necessarily all come out the same size.

The other problem is, trying to stay in the band of cost effective tyre sizes, as often the ideal size, would be so rare, it would cost a bomb or not be available in a decent tread pattern, so often you have to go up in width as well as diameter, which then means you have to start playing with off-sets of the wheels or spacers as well.

 

[bry]

It's true, mines basically standard and I've never got it stuck, you get more satisfaction when you beat the modded landrovers with you're standard terrano

I agree check my truck on youtube at robin hoods bay off road.Terrano bry:clap

 

[bry]

Biggest down side thing on mine though is mud tyres. They are crap at stopping in a hurry in the wet. Then again I seldom go over 60 now

Hi what tires are you using?

 

[bry]

I wish i could afford a trailer and a second Terry.And all the mods for the second Terry.