INEOS go portals and 37s for Grenadier and Quartermaster

This is the X LETECH Grenadier and Quartermaster. The headline changes are 37″ tyres and portal axles, with modified suspension to suit.

Why portals? Greater ground clearance for the same tyre diameter is the short answer, and also allows use of taller tyre and in this case they’re 37s. Both changes also improve approach, ramp and departure angles, meaning the X LETECH vehicles will be much more capable offroad than the standard vehicles – far better clearance in every dimension, these cars will cruise where standard vehicles will be scraping and bottoming out. The taller tyres mean the car can climb over obstacles better, and create a larger contact patch for soft terrains. And there’s front and rear axle lockers as standard on Trialmaster variants. Happy to see upgraded brakes to deal with the extra rotating mass too. These LETECH machines will be beasts offroad….and all supported and warranted by INEOS!

So do portals and 37s have downsides? Oh yes. Weight is one. INEOS vehicles are already short on payload, so the extra weight of the 37s and portals will further erode payload. Fuel consumption will increase too, a bit due to weight, but a lot due to friction with the gears in the portals and rotating-mass of the bigger wheels. The centre of gravity is raised, so hill climbing ability is impaired, as is side slope ability, although a wider track may mitigate that and the extra weight is low. On road dynamics will be compromised even if the suspension is modified, and shocks/springs alone will not handle effects such as roll centre changes. The vehicle is taller, so it’s harder to load and nick under overhanging branches. There is now an extra maintenance item. And my FB followers who have relevant experience tell me that bogged portal cars are much harder to extract that non-portals due to the four posts dragging through the much.

What about gearing with the taller tyres? Aha, that’ll be taken care of by the reduction gears in the portal axles, so no need to change anything else in the drivetrain like differential ratios.

I also cannot spot the spare tyre for the Quartermaster, which normally sits in the tub, a position it should never have been in, should be underslung out of the way. I think it is laid flat in the tub, which destroys the loadspace. The LETECH Grenadier seems to have a revised spare wheel carrier for the 37 which is good news.

There’s no right answer, pros and cons, but generally these things are covered with gushing praise – and they do look cool, and will perform – but every modification has a con as well as a pro. Generally, working or overland/touring vehicles do not run portals for the reasons above, and the Grenadier is more than capable enough without. Portals are always going to get people excited and therefore the brand talked about, which may be the goal here. I don’t expect they’re going to sell many at that price.

Also, the standard vehicles do not have 264mm of ground clearance. As Ford did with the Super Duty, INEOS have confused running clearance and ground clearance, but having stated the number cannot now back down as Toyota did to their credit having made the same mistake. See my Super Duty video for more on this.
More on portals here and video below: