The recent torrential rain and flash floods in Glasgow and Edinburgh got me wondering what the limiting factor is on the 850mm wading depth of a RRS. Given the FFRR, Defender and Discovery all have 900mm, it seems odd they didn’t/couldn’t make the RRS the same. Presumably there’s some component or intake that’s not quite as high up or waterproofed on the RRS, so does anyone have any info?

in the great scheme of things 5cm isnt that much difference ..factor in the bow wave and you get my drift.

It's probably something like the height of the gearbox and transfer box breathers. They'll be slightly lower in the RRS simple because the vehicle isn't quite as tall at the back of the engine bay - the FFRR and D5 are a bit higher in the bonnet so giving more height for breathers to be placed higher up.

To be brutally frank, no one should be driving their vehicle through flood water over a couple of feet deep unless it's life and death so it's a bit moot. If you're getting near the wading depth of any of the big Landies these days then you're already out of your depth. Way too easy to drop the wheels in to an unseen dip/lifted manhole cover, hit some semi-submerged debris being taken along by the water, etc. Do that and you're going to be in need of rescue. Do it in water that's a foot or so deep and you'll probably get away with it. Do it in nearly 3 ft of water and you're risking a write off. I'm not suggesting that anyone here would be so blasé but watching news footage of people driving through flood water, you do see people being amazingly stupid. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Or fit a snornkel then you would really have to be in over your head to get a problem.

Interesting video on the Discovery's air intake system

https://jalopnik.com/the-2017-land-rover-d...1793607086 2023 P440e SE Dynamic on order -cancelled

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2017 Discovery 3.0 HSE Silicon Silver Nimbus interior and a few extra toys SOLD

2013 HSE Black, Orkney Grey, Ebony Seats and Ivory Interior SOLD

2006 HSE

Plus a few other cars inbetween!

That is genuinely interesting!

Hi,
I think it is simply the ride height, in highest setting the RRS sits a bit lower so the max height is lower.

dont forget to walk any flooded area first to check for hidden obstacles or open man hole covers

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jimbg wrote:

Interesting video on the Discovery's air intake system

https://jalopnik.com/the-2017-land-rover-d...1793607086

the issue is not waterproofing, you could probably wade in 1m and still be fine.

the problem with the L494 and wading, is that if you go in too deep, the car will start floating and you will lose control.

hence why they have water-absorbing stuff in the door sills, but that also has its limits.

here's an example:

 --
2010 Defender Puma 90 + BAS remap + Alive IC + Slickshift + Ashcroft ATB rear
2015 Range Rover Sport Supercharged V8 HSE Dynamic



Defender Puma Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zZ1en9
Discovery 4 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zXrtKO
Range Rover/Sport L320/L322/L494 Workshop Manual: https://bit.ly/2zc58JQ

Floating has always been a problem. I remember chatting to the guys at LRE Eastnor before the L405 FFRR was launched. The engineers had been trying to get as much wading depth as possible but it kept floating. I guess that's one reason there is a 900mm limit - much more and you turn in to a boat skipper, not a car driver!  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

riverblanche wrote:

dont forget to walk any flooded area first to check for hidden obstacles or open man hole covers

I would hate to "find" an open man hole cover while walking the flooded area  '08 RRS TDV8
I converted my diesel RRS to run on an environmentally friendly mixture of caribou fat and baby seals oil

I drove my D4 through a river crossing that was deeper than expected and can confirm floating is the main issue! It automatically engaged extended mode and we quickly hit a slightly shallower section just 60cm downstream but it was scary af and I would never go wading beyond the top of the alloy again.

More than just a manhole cover can be missing under floodwater. This low level crossing looked passable because the water seemed only a bit higher than the road level. Or so I heard. (not me in the picture)

 Pete
2008 L320 TDV8
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