I was at LR Dunkeld last year for the updated D5.
Discussing my Freelander with the instructor he gave me a few tips.
One was to engage “Grass,gravel and snow” when travelling over flooded roads and in heavy rain.
To help maintain grip and steadiness.
Was out yesterday in really heavy rain and tried it.
You do feel the difference anyway but just asking if others have tried this and would prolonged use in these conditions cause any future issues. Jim A
Fl2 HSE 2010 auto
Disco 2Td5 auto 2002 gone
Disci 1 300Tdi auto 1996 gone

The only issue I have had with extremely heavy rain, is that I had to drive very slowly as one can't see anything & or the water from the tyres is forced forward up over the bonnet & onto the windscreen.

Never had any issues with traction on the road. Also even hitting flooded gutters. Previous cars it would be like throwing out the anchor. The Freelander laughs at it & you get showered with a blinding waterfall. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I was given the same advice from a LR Experience Instructor several years ago. It seems that it 'softens' the responses to the drivers inputs.

I have tried it, but as the reply above says, my FL2 also copes extremely well with extreme wet weather in it's normal mode.

In fact one of my first impressions in my first XS Fl2 was how well it coped when, on a dark, windy and wet night, we had to make a long journey across country. We felt safe and secure, the high driving position kept us above most of the spray, and the FL2 just ploughed through the many puddles and minor floods. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 79k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

I use "mud & ruts" mode when driving the FL2 onto car ramps - makes the throttle response more gentle.

My old D2 had low range and would climb up car ramps just idling - easy peasy Jules

janderson41 wrote:

I was at LR Dunkeld last year for the updated D5.
Discussing my Freelander with the instructor he gave me a few tips.
One was to engage “Grass,gravel and snow” when travelling over flooded roads and in heavy rain.
To help maintain grip and steadiness.
Was out yesterday in really heavy rain and tried it.
You do feel the difference anyway but just asking if others have tried this and would prolonged use in these conditions cause any future issues.

I’ve only used hill descent once just to try it out it worked well on wet cobble stones on a really steep hill and that was years ago.

janderson41 wrote:

I was at LR Dunkeld last year for the updated D5.
Discussing my Freelander with the instructor he gave me a few tips.
One was to engage “Grass,gravel and snow” when travelling over flooded roads and in heavy rain.
To help maintain grip and steadiness.
Was out yesterday in really heavy rain and tried it.
You do feel the difference anyway but just asking if others have tried this and would prolonged use in these conditions cause any future issues.

SYFL2 wrote:

I’ve only used hill descent once just to try it out it worked well on wet cobble stones on a really steep hill and that was years ago.

It is a fab thing. Great in tight multi-storey car parks, ferries and green lanes I also think it is a good way to "exercise" the ABS pump. At least that is my excuse...

Talking Terrain Response - does it work for reverse. I have a fused ankle with limited movement so reversing of our drive onto a steep lane requires delicate throttle response. Perhaps I should use gravel/snow mode. MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings

We have an uphill hairpin turn close to home. Previous cars it was almost not possible to not spin an inside wheel on a wet surface.

Never been able to spin a wheel on the Freelander even when flooring the accelerator in the wet & in normal driving mode with the stability control on.


Have used the various driving modes, but more often than not have simply forgotten to use them. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

tenet wrote:

Talking Terrain Response - does it work for reverse. I have a fused ankle with limited movement so reversing of our drive onto a steep lane requires delicate throttle response. Perhaps I should use gravel/snow mode.

I think Lightwater is cheating, I ran full mud terrain tyres which ignored flooded outside lanes on the motorway - but it was scary to see the saloon car following pirouetting after trying the same thing.

My guess is that Lightwater is running at least All-terrain tyres which will have deeper / wider groves to allow mud and water to escape, these were markedly better than traditional (M&S) tyres with surface water when I used them.
Sadly my driving style has changed so the DS has boring M&S tyres as the wish to off-road has all but gone. Tangiers Orange - gone, missing her
Replaced by Ewok what a mistake - now a happy Disco Sport owner

If the road is that flooded you can't drive fast as so much water is thrown up onto the windscreen & you can't see anything. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

It always amused me driving in torrential rain in Cyprus, the locals hit the brakes put on hazards and dived into the inside lane, whereas in the Freelander we imperiously continued in the outside lane at the legal limit (100kph) and a bit with near perfect vision and no instability or any effect to the steering in normal drive, depth varied between very wet and about two cm. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.