 | Home > Puma (Tdci) > Under-vehicle protection, what order of importance? |
 
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| double cab happy Member Since: 01 Jun 2009 Location: merseyside Posts: 573   
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for me diff guards are first as they are the lowest then steering guard because if you don't get it with your steering guard then "normally" your tank will be ok, plus if you have a tow bar this will do a greater part of guarding your tank "normally" and for me other stuff comes after all of the above, but i'm more interested in geting my ECU inside or sealed as to me this is a bigger issue once front back and diffs are cover'd, just remember theirs always somthink else to break, thats part of the fun
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18th Apr 2010 9:33am |
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| mse Member Since: 06 Apr 2008 Location: UK Posts: 5035  
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Diff Front
Steering Diff Rear Fuel Cooler And then its personal choice. Mike |
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18th Apr 2010 12:15pm |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8581
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First bit of protection on our 110 Yte was Rock and Tree sliders at cost of £230. They have paid for themselves already!
Black Ice Wednesday took out concrete bollard with front bumper, then a graceful pirouette took out second concrete bollard with rock and tree sliders. Two ex concrete bollards later have a bent front bumper (which is about to be replaced with a winch bumper anyway) and lost some powder coating on tree slider. Yes these R + T sliders are galvanised!.. without R + T sliders would have been looking at two new doors and a new B pillar at a cost of ££££ Best £230 I have spent on protecting a vehicle Brendan |
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18th Apr 2010 1:35pm |
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| AndrewS Member Since: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Hereford Posts: 3707 
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Front Diff and steering link guard.
 Click image to enlarge 130's have feeling's as well you know  |
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18th Apr 2010 7:51pm |
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| Laurie Member Since: 22 Feb 2008 Location: Sussex, England Posts: 2897 
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In forty years of serious offroading and trials, I've bent two trackrods!
Broken loads of transmissions but never from the outside. Protection just reduces your ground clearance and increases the risk of getting stuck. Learn to read the ground and you won't need any protection. .................more poser value than protection. |
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18th Apr 2010 10:31pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513 
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Laurie - you're probably right: protection adds weight and skillful driving technique is all you should need.
However, we all make mistakes and some of us don't have the benefit of 40 years offroading experience. Personally, I'd protect the front diff and the steering rods first. That'll protect your most vulnerable parts if you fail to read the ground or over-extend yourself a bit. Fuel cooler guard is very light and easy to fit - it'll probably never get touched but it only takes a stray piece of wood to knock it out. If you have the 'running boards' on the side (XS) then they will go some way to protecting your sills, but otherwise I'd put on some tree sliders (although this is more important for a 110 than your 90. Rear diff is probably safe (the front one will have ploughed a way through) but always nice to know it's safe if you're rock crawling. Transmission guard is quite heavy and a pain to fit. Mine's still sat in the garage waiting for me to get round to fitting it. Not sure about the 90 but on a 110 the tank already has some rudimentary protection (although more from small debris - if you dropped the weight of the vehicle on it and a sharp rock, you'd go right through). I'll probably get round to protecting it further at some stage but as mentioned, a tow hitch will give you some sliding protection. Best piece of protection I've bought so far is my internal window guards and cargo barrier. They stop all the crap that I carry breaking the glass or the back of my head  One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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19th Apr 2010 6:41am |
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| jammyk Member Since: 15 Feb 2010 Location: Brackley Posts: 13 
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Having done a fair amount of driving on and off road in various vehicles i have opted for the following - suits me and is quite a personal approach:
In order of fitment: 1) Front Diff Guard - the casing is very thin and no matter how careful you drive is the lowest most crippling oart of the vehicle should it get damaged (buy a good guard not a posing pouch affair) 2) Jackable sills - allows more recover options 3) Rear tow-bar / recovery point - i have a combined ball and seperate pin hitch on a NAS rear step - works fine for a backing out recovery I have toyed with the front steering guard but i never go fast enough to 'not-stop' if i have too. and havent found one for right price/features combination as yet. Also, learn where your diff is in respect to your driving position, in the PUMA its in line with your right knee (or thereabouts) by tuppence worth anyway. Jammy ignorance is bliss... |
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19th Apr 2010 10:13am |
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| roel Member Since: 08 Aug 2009 Location: Lelystad Posts: 2039  
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My Camel disco had already steering protection and tank protection. I added diffprotectors and home made side-bars.
I managed to dent the diffprotector, I am sure that when I didn't have a diff-protector that time I would have had a hole in the diff pan. You need some protection if you drive this: Click image to enlarge A spotter is usefull too. My Camel has the small diff mounted support bracked. I think that helps a lot. This 110 doesn't have one so it needed some work before we could have diner. Click image to enlarge So for my 90 TD5 the list will be: In order off priority: Diff protectors Rock sliders Stronger fuel filter protection Will have a look at the tank protector, not sure I will change something. Steering rod protection. I believe the trck rod support that is fitted will be enough, till I have been proven different. The good thing off a dfender is that the steering damper is mounted higher and not at the track rod. I lost some steering angle once due to a dent in the steering damper on my camel. A roll cage is a higher priority then underbody protection. I never roolled a car myselves yet, but was 3 times very, very close. If other Camel Trophy Enthousiast members in the car go silent, you know you are close. Roel 1984 90 2.5 na Diesel - RR V8 (1994-2001) 1997 Camel Trophy Discovery 300TDI (2001-2009) 2005 G4 Discovery III 4.4 V8 (2008-2018) It's gone but it still hurts. 2003 90 Td5 (2009-now) |
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19th Apr 2010 12:31pm |
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| Laurie Member Since: 22 Feb 2008 Location: Sussex, England Posts: 2897
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It's only this year I've had forty years experience. 
Thirty years ago underbody protection didn't exist.................... Last edited by Laurie on 19th Apr 2010 1:20pm. Edited 1 time in total |
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19th Apr 2010 1:16pm |
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| Glynparry25 Member Since: 16 Feb 2009 Location: Miserable Midlands Posts: 3015  
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I have gone down the protectin route with:
Diff guards. Fuel cooler guard. Steering guard. Transmission guard. Tank guard. Rock sliders. I am a firm beiver in 'better safe than sorry'. As for it lowers your ground clearence...5mm.....whoopty Fing doo. If I am getting within 5mm of my diff pan I would rather scrape a guard than risk a knock on the pan. A mentioned above it only takes one rock to break through the pan or bend a steering rod and your car is going nowhere fast- I spent 6 months in Central America recovering Land Rovers and the most common failure was the steering rods. Lets move onto weight...it is minimal. Steering guard and tank guard would come to about 5kg together. The transmission guard about 5kg, Fuel cooler guard you could make up for by going for a 
The diff guards are about 15Kg the pair.....so lets be generous and say 30Kg all together.....I am sure most people out there could save that much weight by going on a diet and removing all the rubbish in their car that doesn't need to be there. Last word will be on Rock sliders. Worth their weight in gold when there are ruts involved....you will save the £200 they cost you the first time a rut pushes you against a tree/ bank or rock.....I found ou the hard way with my Discovery Just my 2p worth, Glyn |
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19th Apr 2010 1:20pm |
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| mse Member Since: 06 Apr 2008 Location: UK Posts: 5035
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Speak for yourself - i would be dead if i lost that much weight  
Seriously - the weight, yes is a little bit more - but big deal. The piece of mind is priceless - accidents, mistakes or simple unseen hazards. My frist off roading experience i remember a range rover classic (then range rover) going off roading and the first comment about diff guards and the "you dont need that" arguement came out. a little later he had knocked up a rock and diff pan had gone. Its so reassuring to hear things hit the guards....not so when you dont have them  Mike |
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19th Apr 2010 10:23pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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I couldn't possibly lose all the rubbish
I agree, though - the weight isn't that bad and most of it is sitting directly on the axles so isn't sprung and doesn't affect the 'handling'. Still haven't fitted that transmission guard  One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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20th Apr 2010 12:12pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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Right knee? left knee, surely  My right knee is against the door One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS
+ New Defender 110 First Edition |
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20th Apr 2010 12:14pm |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8581
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Just fitted this steering guard to our 110 ute. Wished we had it on, on black ice Wednesday
Click image to enlarge Brendan Admin note: this post has had its images recovered from a money grabbing photo hosting site and reinstated  |
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20th Apr 2010 10:00pm |
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