2011 XC90 - Should I take it off road?
Discussion
Help! Currently have a 2011/2012 XC90 with the large RDesign wheels on it (the family bus).
Never taken it anymore than through a puddle before. Never needed to as it usually just does the school run with our three kids.
Thing is, we've recently moved to an area with nearby dirt roads, gravel roads and access to beaches and the opportunity to drive it onto the beach etc is really easy, but don't really want to have a go and have to dig the bugger out.
Anyone here had any experience of being off road in the XC90?
Appreciate the need to deflate the tyres and reflate afterwards, but be good to hear if people have driven offroad in one, and not needed a mate with a Landrover + a winch
(and sadly no I don't have the money to buy a new car that is designed for offroading! The kids have absorbed all the spare money and more!).
Never taken it anymore than through a puddle before. Never needed to as it usually just does the school run with our three kids.
Thing is, we've recently moved to an area with nearby dirt roads, gravel roads and access to beaches and the opportunity to drive it onto the beach etc is really easy, but don't really want to have a go and have to dig the bugger out.
Anyone here had any experience of being off road in the XC90?
Appreciate the need to deflate the tyres and reflate afterwards, but be good to hear if people have driven offroad in one, and not needed a mate with a Landrover + a winch
(and sadly no I don't have the money to buy a new car that is designed for offroading! The kids have absorbed all the spare money and more!).
Father in Laws 2009 XC90 was deffo front wheel drive only until something mechanical was fixed (no warning lights).
I discovered this when driving said FiL and trying to pull out of a busy T junction, which resulted in one of the biggest (unintended) burnouts in my life! He blamed me but then mentioned he got stuck in a damp field at Glyndebourne and had to be towed. This was all about 6/7 years ago.
It was a V8 so 310bhp through only the front wheels was very noticeable. Worth checking before you go too off-road as it could be a little inconvenient!
As other people said, even with FWD, with the right tyres you can go most places.
I discovered this when driving said FiL and trying to pull out of a busy T junction, which resulted in one of the biggest (unintended) burnouts in my life! He blamed me but then mentioned he got stuck in a damp field at Glyndebourne and had to be towed. This was all about 6/7 years ago.
It was a V8 so 310bhp through only the front wheels was very noticeable. Worth checking before you go too off-road as it could be a little inconvenient!
As other people said, even with FWD, with the right tyres you can go most places.
Thanks all. The 4wd issue was an issue that we had 18mths ago and is now fixed. Essentially the car sheered a cog or two and remained FWD only for a while.
Reason why we would drive on the beach. It’s Australia.. it’s huge and it’s a common thing to do here.
I’m not sure the xc90 Rdesign 19s will fit better tyres as the clearance under the wheel arch before the springs start to rub is rubbish. It’s got Conti M+S tyres on it but I may stick to backroads, gravel roads if nothing fits out there.
Thanks PHers.
Reason why we would drive on the beach. It’s Australia.. it’s huge and it’s a common thing to do here.
I’m not sure the xc90 Rdesign 19s will fit better tyres as the clearance under the wheel arch before the springs start to rub is rubbish. It’s got Conti M+S tyres on it but I may stick to backroads, gravel roads if nothing fits out there.
Thanks PHers.
My wife takes hers through some silly places much to my annoyance as the thing constantly looks like a 500 quid shed despite being 7 years old. Until recently we ran it on Toyo snowprox which are M+S rated and it's never been stuck. Wouldn't bother deflating the tyres. They are actually surprisingly capable. Weight isn't on their side for serious off roading however from what you have described it's pretty much what my wife does with ours daily. The AWD system seems to be pretty decent.
Pretty much echo what's been said and yes, the angle gears and / or sleeves can wear and I believe even later cars weren't fully exempt from this. Like most Haldex equipped cars, they're not as good off road as traditional / non SUV based 4x4 stuff and the technique is thus, slightly different (some YouTube browsing tells the full story) but they're still pretty good. I took one round Rockingham's 4x4 track back in the day and was quite surprised... granted, not quite as surprised as I was with the XC70 but still good. I think tyre choice is the biggest factor... one a snowy day, my old XC70 with somewhat worn summer tyres was worse than a previous V70 T5 wearing new all seasons but that's a given.
To be honest you are more likely to suffer from a knackered haldex unit making you FWD only, than a broke bevel gear.
Give it some beans in the wet from a junction, if it spins the fronts up, it's broke. If you get about half a wheel turn of spin, then it hunkers down and goes, it's working.
Give it some beans in the wet from a junction, if it spins the fronts up, it's broke. If you get about half a wheel turn of spin, then it hunkers down and goes, it's working.
Nicks90 said:
To be honest you are more likely to suffer from a knackered haldex unit making you FWD only, than a broke bevel gear.
Give it some beans in the wet from a junction, if it spins the fronts up, it's broke. If you get about half a wheel turn of spin, then it hunkers down and goes, it's working.
There are a few things that can make it two wheel drive only... Haldex pumps can seize / fail and sometimes due to a lack of oil changes, the DEM corrodes internally, the shunt valves fail as do the pressure valves, the angle gear sleeve splines strip and the angle gear itself can wear and strip. Then there's the ABS / DSTC / BCM side of things that can have issues and as a result, create a knock on effect / knock off the AWD. Even when it works they're not great, unweight a wheel and it starts to get a bit flustered whilst the car sorts itself out and redirects drive... by which stage you've lost all forward momentum and you're stopped. But that's a bit more extreme than navigating a wet field. Give it some beans in the wet from a junction, if it spins the fronts up, it's broke. If you get about half a wheel turn of spin, then it hunkers down and goes, it's working.
As for any off-road the skill is in choosing the path to take. On the beach, low tide on firmer sand great, no issues. If you are going to go on dry and loose sand or over dunes you are very likely to get stuck and have to be winched out. For that you need proper tires and some skill/practice. Mud is easier than sand so don’t underestimate it. Also don’t get stuck with the tide coming in. For safety off-roading should not be done alone so get a mate with a 4x4 to go too.
I am sure I am being over the top but depends on location/remoteness etc. if a busy place then no worries help should be at hand if needed.
I am sure I am being over the top but depends on location/remoteness etc. if a busy place then no worries help should be at hand if needed.
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