guineafowl21
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Why aren't Defenders 4x4?!
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Turboman
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Rubbish!
That is what is meant by 4wd, is that four wheels are capable of being driven. And if all four wheels actually drove all the time, you would hardly be able to steer at all, and almost unusable on road.
You don't say your road car is 1wd, do you?
Langers
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Land Rover probably found that with a locker fitted, the Rover axles weren't up to the job and kept breaking. It would have involved developing and producing uprated axle components and would probably have added considerably to the price of the vehicle at a time when they were already being undercut by Japanese competitors.
I'm pretty sure than Land Rover Special Vehicles put lockers into the specialist vehicles quite often though.
I'm pretty sure than Land Rover Special Vehicles put lockers into the specialist vehicles quite often though.
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I'd disagree with that. My thoughts are that a lot of people fit a locker and then think they're invincible, so go hammering at hills/obstacles without realising what happens when they suddenly get traction, say when bouncing off a rock and then landing both wheels again.
My 'need' for a locker is for more reliability when laning .. In my view a locker will allow me to ascend in a much more controlled fashion, without needing so much throttle or bravado and hope. Similarly it'll help with muddy lanes and greasy surfaces, it'll also help stop the occasional slippage when manoeuvring the caravan on grass.
Same as with many things, a little thought goes a long way.
Turboman
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Well said, that man! :clap2:
I have had lockers on 3 different landies, and never broken anything, in fact the internals of all the locking diffs are much stronger than standard diffs.
Lockers that do get broken, hard driving in trials, p&p etc. Or, as yu say, abuse, lack of maintenance, mismatched tyres. And if something does break it is often a half shaft anyway, not an expensive component.
I find exactly what you say, it gives me a lot more control, I can steer slowly up places I would have to charge at if no lockers.
A lot of the factory fitted lockers (lim slips) only work for a limited period , as they need maintenance and people dont really see the need, or ever use them .
driver engaged fully locking diffs can give awesome amounts of traction , and if not used sensibly can get you well and truly stuck , as they will drag you further in . I have had Maxi drives on my 110 for about 25years , and use the front one mostly in reverse to get me out of where the rear locker has managed to get me in !!!
If you want a cheaper and similar result get a set of chains
driver engaged fully locking diffs can give awesome amounts of traction , and if not used sensibly can get you well and truly stuck , as they will drag you further in . I have had Maxi drives on my 110 for about 25years , and use the front one mostly in reverse to get me out of where the rear locker has managed to get me in !!!
If you want a cheaper and similar result get a set of chains
SteNova
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I like tc, my Audi has it and in the snow on hills it's better than my defender
guineafowl21
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Rubbish!
That is what is meant by 4wd, is that four wheels are capable of being driven. And if all four wheels actually drove all the time, you would hardly be able to steer at all, and almost unusable on road.
You don't say your road car is 1wd, do you?
My point is that the road car IS 1wd when it's slippy. It's 2wd when the car is on the road and both wheels have traction. Similarly, the Defender is 4wd on the road, when you don't really need it, but loses drive to two wheels when you get stuck.
Of course I understand that fixed 4wd would chew axles on tarmac, and would drive as if on rails. My point is that it's hard to think of a LR as 4wd when stuck in a field with two wheels only spinning. I am arguing that it's odd to equip the best off-roader on the market with open axle diffs as standard. If you have the option of flicking a switch and locking at least one diff, as you do with many USDM and JDM vehicles, then you have the best of both worlds - a good on-road car with the ability to positively drive 3 or 4 wheels and get you out of trouble.
Turboman
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Land rover is a compromise vehicle, and diff locks are not universal on other makes, although some have them. Even tractors don't always have diff lock. The ones that do wont steer at all with diff lock engaged!
You are entitled to your own opinion, but sales of them since 1948 would indicate that some have found them satisfactory.
guineafowl21
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You are entitled to your own opinion, but sales of them since 1948 would indicate that some have found them satisfactory.
Agreed x 2. I wouldn't swap mine for the world; it was just a thought I've been carrying around for ages, and I wondered what other LR types thought. You must admit it has been an interesting discussion
Cheers
Turboman
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Agreed x 2. I wouldn't swap mine for the world; it was just a thought I've been carrying around for ages, and I wondered what other LR types thought. You must admit it has been an interesting discussion
Cheers
Yes, it has
One of the reasons I joined lz in the first place was to see what people thought about Detroits, although more for a laugh, really.
At the time nobody much posted up about them, but I have since found there are some users on the forum. I had had ARB before, but fancied a change.
I did get the Detroit and True trac, despite mixed opinion, and I have to say they work really well for me. My usage is more off road biased than most users, though. All farm work, bit of laning, local mileage. I am not sure if they would be good for the average user that is 70% plus road mileage.
Langers
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Yes, it has
One of the reasons I joined lz in the first place was to see what people thought about Detroits, although more for a laugh, really.
At the time nobody much posted up about them, but I have since found there are some users on the forum. I had had ARB before, but fancied a change.
I did get the Detroit and True trac, despite mixed opinion, and I have to say they work really well for me. My usage is more off road biased than most users, though. All farm work, bit of laning, local mileage. I am not sure if they would be good for the average user that is 70% plus road mileage.
Interesting r.e. the Detroit + truetrac, that's my planned set-up for my 130.
Currently there's a problem with the Detroit though, I can't get any drive out of it, just a clicking noise. Any ideas?
bankz5152
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X3. Would never trade my 90 for anything else. As ridiculous as they are they are fantastic.Agreed x 2. I wouldn't swap mine for the world; it was just a thought I've been carrying around for ages, and I wondered what other LR types thought. You must admit it has been an interesting discussion
Cheers
Would it be nice if LR offered it, yeah, tbh strange they never did, but thats covered.
Maybe because they knew they didnt need too. There is a reason why its known as 'the best 4x4 by far'
Turboman
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Sorry, but I don't! I bought mine new in 2010, fitted them, and never looked at them at all except to change the oil each year. They have been truly fit and forget!
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Dunno, but I'd download an exploded view, take it apart, see if anything's broken inside, clean and lube it all and put it back together as a start ...
We've just resurrected a broken ARB 10 spline by machining a plate to suit ... works nicely ..
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/3415755-post349.html
jai_landrover
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Detroit a are pretty good but newer rover ones destroy themselves when a std shaft snaps shock loading the internals. I have lost count the amount of broken rover detroit a I've seen. Salisbury is a completely different story. Truly fit and foeget. If you can get an older style rover detroit or sals.
I had a sals rear detroit it took serious abuse on 36 inch measured aggressive tyres typically banned at comps for being too aggressive but worked well. Transfered to several axles without fault. I also ran towards the end a lockright in the front awful on the road so removed. Now I'm Back on open Diffs and can truly say the detroit has its quirks/charm on road handling but truly took loads of abuse.
I had a sals rear detroit it took serious abuse on 36 inch measured aggressive tyres typically banned at comps for being too aggressive but worked well. Transfered to several axles without fault. I also ran towards the end a lockright in the front awful on the road so removed. Now I'm Back on open Diffs and can truly say the detroit has its quirks/charm on road handling but truly took loads of abuse.
jai_landrover
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Langers is it shimmed correctly?? If not its likely its screwed internally parts are available but not cheap
Langers
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No idea - I'll have to take it out and strip it probably.
I had the cover plate off the Salisbury and it seemed like the side gears weren't engaging in properly - as when I poked them with a long screwdriver they pushed in and locked the halfshaft to the diff centre.
Wonder if the preload springs might have become weak or something like that?
But some TD5 Defenders have TC and ABS.
My Discovery has TC and has the same engine. Works well on loose surfaces not quite bad enough for CDL.
Turboman
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