frontera as an off roader ???

[diablo]

hello just wondered what people views are ???

my every day runners is a frontera b lwb 2.2 dti which is scratch free so wont be using that for any laning

but I do a lot of laning and play days in my disco. my thoughts are my disco is getting tired and after all its mods is horrible driving up the lakes or wales for laning days plus the old girl has been abused so I am just thinking of keeping her just to be trailered to the play sites.


so heres my thoughts I been thinking of getting another frontera just as a green laner ( of course it will have to be lifted and bigger tyres ect)
but just wondering how people really find them and how strong they actually are ( in that I mean diffs, gear boxes , probs ect, )

I have off roaded discos for the past 10 + years so know them inside out and parts are buttons compared to the fronteras

so hence my question any feed back appreciated

thanks

[Fatbaz]

I changed from the green oval (Range Rover Hybrid with Mazda 3.5 tdi) 7 years ago and haven't looked back, I do run an A series 2.8 shorty which is considered by many to be the best of the fronties but having said that the LWB and B series are also better than given credit for. I've laned mine all over the country with troopers, Mitzi's and all the green ovals and not once has it shown lack of ability or let me down. At last years annual in Wales we (me, 2 troopers and a heavily modded RR) did a lot of lanes including Pheasant Pen Steps (both ways), Wayfarer, Happy Valley and went up "~~~~~ Lane" which has a 3 foot deep was out (we all winched this bit). The year before a mate did all these in a 2.0 shorty with 2in suspension lift, 2 inch body lift and 31inch mud tyres.

Do yourself a favour and get one, plenty of help on here to advise on mods, personally I'd try and get an A series shorty with a Diesel or a Mark II trooper 3.1 duty as these are 2.8 Shorties in drag.

Cheers

Stuart

[stretch]

have a search of the forum for the woods and annual reviews to see lots of off road pics. I have a lwb dti with 2in suspension lift and all terrains and its been fine laning and also some pay and play stuff. There is for and against for all models and variants.

[gregster]

Try this with a disco, and drive it out forwards as this did!!!

[diablo]

thanks for the post lads

so would you say a old swb sport over a long wheel base frontea b or swb frontera b rs ???

I

Do yourself a favour and get one, plenty of help on here to advise on mods, personally I'd try and get an A series shorty with a Diesel or a Mark II trooper 3.1 duty as these are 2.8 Shorties in drag.

Cheers

Stuart

how different are the swb 2.8 frontera to the swb 3.1 troopers
is it same running gear ect

[RatCav]

Trooper is bigger. 3.1 has more power and torque. Trooper has stronger diffs. I am biased .

In fairness if your looking for a toy you cannot go wrong with a 2.0 petrol sport Frontera. Loads of revs and it will bomb about all day long.

Frontera Sports are cheaper to buy than Trooper SWB's

[AskDean]

Personally id go v6 on lpg all the comfort of a car with power to match.

I can float Along a Motorway at 70 a track more than 120
With a plus 3 rear lift and then turn of the road into a feild and when i need 4wd hit the button on dash and off we go takes a lot to stop it.

The v6 on petrol is thirsty but on lpg i get 350 miles on 40 being gentle and 250 round town with a lead foot and massive grin.

Everyone who drives a v6 loves the power.

Is you don't mind the diesel then 2.8 but if you have an ounce of petrol head on you at the lights the v6 will suprise most of the line.

[4x4 bobby]

I drive a 2.2dti. But off road i still prefer my old 2.0ltr sports petrol and i have had 2 now. Coil springs are better but mine were both leafers and allways performd impecabley Choice is yours at the end of the day.

[diablo]

Trooper is bigger. 3.1 has more power and torque. Trooper has stronger diffs. I am biased .

In fairness if your looking for a toy you cannot go wrong with a 2.0 petrol sport Frontera. Loads of revs and it will bomb about all day long.

Frontera Sports are cheaper to buy than Trooper SWB's

Thanks mate the swb frontera A have allways seemed a tad small but then again so was my old defender lol
I have allways been a landy nut but I do like a frontera lwb for every day as allways away family camping ect

I am just after a comfy laning toy that will give me 70mph on motorways and be comfortable unlike my discos rumbling and swaying at 50mph then after a weekend away needing a few days to recover lol

[AskDean]

I'm sure someone up that will have a v6 and what ever else you want to try of you ask nicely.

This thing floats along like a car on the motorway Engine is quite and wind noise not to bad i can hear my watch ticking at 60 used to be able to 80 but the stainless steel exhaust i fitted purrs at 80 beautifully so tend to either sit at 70 or go straight past lol

But you won't beat a b series for Comfort

[bobbinsjob]

Well I've had quite a few now and all used off road.

The B series RS which was brilliant


But the daddy has to be the 2.8 swb

[Retro Pedro]

A series against B series - the A series as got the more robust steering box as opposed to the B series rack and pinion
Frontera against Green Ovals and Jeeps - downer on the Frontera is the IFS but for laning, do you really need a live front axle

Another opinion is getting a really old LR Series II - no road tax, £100 a year insurance and cheap parts - flip side is the amount of welding required

[DarrenH_2.2]

i took my standard LWB B series on an organised off road day at a dedicated off road site.

the biggest weakness i found was brake over angle, it got beached several times on the middle cross member on relatively ordinary crests. coming from land rover ownership myself, as standard i would vote it a few steps lower than a standard disco 1 or 2. but i guess thats to be expected as its a truck based suv, rather than a defender with suv body plonked on top. i also found it less manoeuvrable because of the lack of centre diff, of course i understand this is just inherent design limitation with semi permanent 4x4, its effectively the same as a land rover with centre difflock engaged (all the time)

in other aspects i find the frontera better. its more comfortable (than disco1 or defender 110) quieter, more economical, more rear articulation, better front axle clearance because it does not have diff hanging down below the engine, didnt lack grip, tighter gearbox and drivetrain, it doesnt leak oil from everywhere, bigger cabin and load space, way cheaper, technically superior in like for like models

my limited advice would be suspension lift to reduced the brake over issue, bigger tyres for axle to ground clearance

[RatCav]

A SWB wouldn't get beached so much.

[DarrenH_2.2]

A SWB wouldn't get beached so much.

definitely, if at all. i was just trying to be pragmatic comparing like for like

[RatCav]

Agreed.

Thing is sometimes a bit of welly and momentum is your friend in a LWB

[snapper]

Following 22 years of driving green oval squaddy type taxies across terain ranging from the German Training Area's to Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) and taking in odd places like Norway, Bosnia, Kosovo, Africa and Brussels.... I would take my 2.8 any day of the week.

More comfy, a good expectation at actually reaching my destination and getting back home after without getting the spanners out or a tow rope.

Being able to just jump out after a days drive and still being able to feel my feet and walk about without getting 'land rover' wobbly legs for 15 mins and ending up doing the tactical lean on the front wing rather than end up in a heap on the floor.

Never experiencing the steering going into that 'land rover' front wheel 'wobble' that used to rip the steering wheel out your hands as you quickly realised that you were now just along for the ride while the ***** rover did it's own thing until it stopped (with the brakes or nearest tree)...

I tried a Disco about 10 years ago, did a quick test drive in it around Bicester town and the err more remote areas of the adjacent sites. Tbh, I have felt more secure in a 33ft Sigma, close hauled and going past Keil Light and into Keil Fjord in a Gale 8 (gusting 10) at 1am and with a bunch of canadians who had never sailed before as the crew! The Disco was somewhat wobbly going down the road... To be fair, the wind was only a steady 4 when we set out, it just got a bit more breezy on the way.

I will however admit to looking at Range Rovers over the last couple of weeks as a replacement for work, but only because the new lot require something under 10 years old to qualify for the car allowance unlike the last lot who looked to the practicability of the vehicle first. Oh and before the vultures ( ) start circuling around me 2.8's I'm keeping them as well, I'll need something for when the Range Rovers off the road in the garage!

[snapper]

Oh, and today... I dropped the back seats and filled up the whole boot area with a logged up tree in O-no (2.8 lwb) drove it across the outer edges of the airfield and down through the build site and 30 miles home with no problems at all. Theres enough wood in there to last a whole winter second load in two days We have been doing some tree weeding at work for the last few months.

The truck drove as if there was nothing in it.

[Fatbaz]

For a bit of technical detail to qualify the differences:

Wheel bases:

A series shorty is 91and a bit inches
A series LWB is 109 inches
B series is 96 inches (130mm according to the review in a mag I read years ago when deciding which to get)
B series LWB ??? but at least 109 inches

LR90 is 93 inches
RR or Disco D1 is 100 inches
110 speaks for itself

So a Fronty LWB is going to have breakover issues compared to a D1 or RR as it's longer by 9 inches, being close to the 110 but with out the clearance afforded to the 110 by the standard 32inch tyres, the front being 29 inch tyres at best.

Both the A series and B series shorties are around the LR90 wheelbase (A is shorter, B is longer) but have a better turning circle due to the IRS set up. Both are far more comfortable (B more so than the A). You haven't got to drive with your elbow out the window in all weathers either.

When lifted like for like the SWB Fronty has a better side slope angle then a 90 (see Gregsters photo as evidence). The A series coiler has better articulation than the B series due to the fuel tank fouling the rear suspension linkage, with the rear arb removed the A series will match the LR90 on articulation.

Engines:

A series 2.8 tdi = 113 bhp
B series 2.2 dti = 115 bhp
LR 90/110 300 tdi = 111 bhp
RR/ Disco 300tdi = 113 bhp (don't ask me why it has 2 more ponies than a 90)
Both the 2.8 and the 300 use the same Bosch VE type of pump so can be modded in the same way for better response/power.

The SWB Trooper is much the same as the 2.8 shorty, body is a bit longer and higher (wheel base is the same), has circa 115 bhp and you get an LSD in the rear on the Trooper Duty.
Fronty 2.0 sport axles (5.13:1) are softer than the 2.8 sport axles (4.56:1). Or you go the whole hog and fit Trooper axles to a 2.8 shorty then put Assie lockers in them (See YAKI the modding god).

So, worls your oyster my friend, you pays your money and takes a chance but the odds are stacked in your favour with a Fronty.

Regards

Stuart

[diablo]

Thanks for all the info stuart for all the info