# Off roading on your xtrail?



## vickenp (Mar 28, 2007)

Hi guys,

I drive a bonavista edition, which comes with 60 series 17" mags and an auto transmission.

Not the best combo, I'll admit for beating in the bush.

I live in montreal canada and would be taking it out off the road in the summer.

I was wondering if you have taken your xtrail out, and used the U out of SUV how was your experience?

What tires do you have?

Did you leave it in Lock or auto, for the 4wheel drive?

Could someone give pointers on how one should start, since there is no low gear on this puppy.

Again I do not expect to go rolling in bolders etc, its not a jeep and wouldn't want to ruin the allows!

In the winter, 16" steelies would be installed with like 65 series.

Cheers

Vic


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

hi ya Vicken
Yup I have been wot we call "green laning" here in the UK, with stock set-up. Here is a link to a video of me out with a couple of landrovers in Berkshire.
Mind yu - last time out (without me) they found a 1 foot deep pothole in the middle of a mud bath. I wud seriously consider a sump guard and rock sliders, just to protect the bottom (hopefully yu wont need them) and deffo AT tyres.
as fur 2/4wd - i left mine in 2wd except fur obvious tricky bits like the 8inch mud yu see me go thro in the video above.

I think the prob is deciding wot yu wanna do and bear in mind the underbody clearance on these things is 195mm (about 8 inches) thats not alot. Especially fur 1 foot deep holes (as above). Always go out in a minimum of 2 or 3 and we have unofficial rules of not more than 4 or 5 to keep the environmental impact down to a minimum. We have to share our resources.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

Hatty, did you order your sump guard, sliders and suspension lifts? 

Vic, I've only had mine on gentle stuff but became a bit wary of Auto. I find there's a very slight delay so that on slippery surfaces there's a fish-tail effect as it switches in and out. Much better in Lock. Mine's fitted with the original Dunlop ST20 tyres which aren't too capable on mud. They clog up instantly then I found they build up a thick coating of wet grass with zero grip. But as I drive on tarmac 99.9% of the time, which they handle pretty well, they'll stay. I've got the 2.2 diesel engine with 6 speeds including a fairly low first, lots of low-down torque and handles slopes fairly well.

You might find this interesting: Nissan Adventure
Click "Xtrail", top right, then "Off-road skills" on left-hand menu. Has short videos on the basics including starting an ascent.

More videos on the "Adventures" link.


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## vickenp (Mar 28, 2007)

thx for the feedback!


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

flynn said:


> Hatty, did you order your sump guard, sliders and suspension lifts?


Not as yet - still firming up parts and costs. I think I will go for the 6mm sump guard, rock sliders from south africa and ozzie spring kits! Lots of importing  so if anyone else is interested. I can get them shipped all at the same time and save carriage.

Mind you, I am still debating whether a cheap landy for about £1000 wudnt be the betta option - I dont want to damage the X-Trail - and the bodywork is very likely to get scratched, judging by recent experiences.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

If you want to do it seriously, I'd think a cheapo oldie that you aren't afraid to damage is the way to go. Otherwise it's like playing footie in your best suit.

If you buy all those bits plus suitable tyres will cost more than that £1K and you still won't have the best off-roader on the planet. Chances are you'll lose some of the on-road capability by raising the suspension and no way will you get your investment back when you sell it, will probably reduce the value to most buyers. Your cheapo landy will likely be worth the same as you paid. Only downside is having to tax, insure and maintain a second vehicle for occasional bit of play.

Other way might be to enjoy stretching what you can do with a stock XT, on the principle that there's more adventure crossing the channel in a bath than in some 40 footer that makes it easy.

I got some fields to play in yesterday including one that sloped like the side of a mountain. Going down and coming up was easy, the scary bit was making the U turn and I wasn't sure what angle the XT could lean at. Do you know any clever technique for that apart from wearing a hard hat?


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

yu cud try outriggers - like on a kids bike?


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

The neighbours might laugh.

Something else for your shopping list maybe?


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

I have to say that I am very disappointed with the off-roading equipment for the X-Trail in the UK. I mean - having to import from South Africa, Australia and Israel because no-one in the UK does anything is disgusting.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

rite - thats it - made a decision - went and got myself a cheap landrover - £500 - thats cheaper than buying the bits fur the X-T. Will save the paintwork (or bodywork) and it keeps the X-T in on-road spec, so it should keep its price better. It shd be a better off-roader too. I decided I wasnt going to risk a 10K car, but what made up my mind was the appalling lack of kit for the X-T in the UK, and I couldn't be arsed to import bits from all over the world.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Wow mate, that is cheaper than importing ONE bash plate from Israel. hehehehe 

Good choice mate, can you pack & send me one as well? LOL I think TNT can help you send it to Sydney LOL


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

mite be cheaper to drive it over to ya  - the ribbon and bows wud cost more

so the landy is noisier, more uncomfortable, wetter (inside) - heater is a luxury - but hell - i am only driving it occasionally.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

Sounds good to me Hatty.

You can take it to the extremes and if it falls into a big muddy hole, never to be seen again, you can catch the bus home without too many tears. If it's still going next year you can sell it for around the same price. 

What's the model and spec?


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

series 3 90.

eBay.co.uk: 1980 SERIES 3 LAND ROVER 88" - 4 CYL BLUE (item 140104701574 end time 14-Apr-07 20:00:00 BST)

not the best of examples - wont be going to any shows in it - but fur wot i want - shd be ok.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

Looks the biz Hatty. Have you given it a whirl yet?


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

only to pick it up - going over it with tooth-comb at the mo before i take it off-road.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

Here is another snippet of green-laning in the UK. Apologies for quality, but it was taken with a phone camera.


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

Is that your landy? Looks like you've had your £500 worth from it already.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

unfortunately not - but as you can see from the trees and bushes over half the width of the vehicle, I am glad I didnt take the X-Trail down those lanes It would have cost me more than £500 to fix the paint afterwards!!!!


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

That's what I found early in the year. Probably worse now as everything grows. Don't like those nasty screechy noises from branches.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

or from the passenger


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

Heehee, especially the passengers.  

You or anyone else going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year? Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th June 2007, advance booking required .

Last year Nissan, Landrover and Toyota were giving rides round their own assault courses. The Nissan one was the most impressive using Pathfinders and Xtrails and ending up with more than a bit of damage on the first day.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

flynn said:


> Heehee, especially the passengers.
> 
> You or anyone else going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year? Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th June 2007, advance booking required .
> 
> Last year Nissan, Landrover and Toyota were giving rides round their own assault courses. The Nissan one was the most impressive using Pathfinders and Xtrails and ending up with more than a bit of damage on the first day.


Mite be going in my GT40 - depends on what is happening that weekend.

next green-laning will be Guildford direction 6/7 July


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

The Mad Hat Man said:


> Mite be going in my GT40 - depends on what is happening that weekend.
> 
> next green-laning will be Guildford direction 6/7 July


To exibit/compete or as a customer? You'd enjoy that hill-climb. It's a pain you can't just turn up but needs advanced booking. Always had freebie tickets in the past. Might have to pay this year so will probably be the Friday.  

Could you let me know the lanes you're thinking of. Suitable for a newish Xt of a delicate disposition?


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

flynn said:


> To exibit/compete or as a customer? You'd enjoy that hill-climb. It's a pain you can't just turn up but needs advanced booking. Always had freebie tickets in the past. Might have to pay this year so will probably be the Friday.
> 
> Could you let me know the lanes you're thinking of. Suitable for a newish Xt of a delicate disposition?


1) just to show off as a customer.
2) will let you know, but have no idea of what the lanes are like until we get there. Judging by the last ones, I wudnt want to take a descent motor down them


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

next greenlaning trip the 8th July - Guildford area.

yu have been warned!


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

How not to do it:

YouTube - Flooded up Police  

Take your wellies.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

not sure that this is the correct way to do it either - but it IS a bit more successful. Wotcha think the water depth is?










anyone fancy trying that in their X-T?


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## Abraham_jr (Apr 2, 2007)

We just returned from Canada Day weekend in the Kootenays and we really put out new X-Trail through its paces. Old forest service roads, fire roads, and cliffside creeps were what we tackled. We used the U in SUV on several occasions and were thrilled with the performance! 

-We used 'Lock' mode on a couple of creek crossings and when we went through some road deactivations - flawless.

-We used 'Auto' mode on some steep ascents on gravel. Other than the odd very brief wheel slip, this mode also proved to be highly effective. 

We did notice that the 2.5L did gulp down quite a bit more fuel when on long ascents. This probably happens with any vehicle, but it made us worry about running out of fuel. The engine had gobs of power though, which was a bonus. The automatic transmission worked very well on descents in '1' or '2', making things easier for the brakes. OEM tires are crap, which should come as no suprise. We were pleasantly suprised that we didn't get a flat.....I guess they're not total crap. I would like to replace them with some Bridgestone AT REVOs. 

All in all, I personally don't think I'll ever need more out of a 4x4 vehicle. Everywhere we wanted to go, we were able to - whether or not it was a wise choice to go there was another matter


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

wats the max wading depth on an X-Trail without breather extensions?


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

The Mad Hat Man said:


> wats the max wading depth on an X-Trail without breather extensions?


Headlights level. It's not the breather extensions you need to worry about, rather the air intake which is exactly at bonnet level.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

ok - thanks Jalal


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