Comments on: Land Rover grows Defender model range

By: SPADEA

SPADEA — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 05:42:07 +0000

Yes I agree HENBOAKE, I reckon traction is an obvious improvment. You dont want your wheels spinning and digging holes – you want you wheel to slow down, even stop, and look for traction again. I see too many block with thier foot to the floor, driving like “a bull at a gate” digging holes. They would get further if they just slowed down and looked for traction, and then accelerate – in other words, emulate what traction control does automatically.

By: HENBOAKE

HENBOAKE — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 05:33:12 +0000

Funny – all the argument about dif locks verses traction control. I have the new defender with traction control. My last defender 95 models had diff locks. To me the traction control does work better in the really tough stuff. Sorry – but when compareing these two vehicles, the traction control works just nice and gets the new defender along just a little better. I’m finding it much easier to drive as well, as with the dif locks engaged the old Defender became difficult to steer if you driving for prolonged periods it tight places.

By: FrugalOne

FrugalOne — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:04:01 +0000

*****PRIMO!*****

As antique and poor quality as these L/Rovers are, they have always had a strong-following.

At least now you can have across the top of your windscreen in decal form:

“POWERED BY FORD”

As in a Transit powerplant under the bonnet!

Cheers,

F-0

Vote: 29 4

By: yeeha

yeeha — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:19:54 +0000

here is part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptiE501ZdwM
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMhOhT5nwZk

Seems to be a very unbiased review in my eyes.

By: yeeha

yeeha — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:18:27 +0000

That Iveco Massif video wasn’t too overwhelming, I could pull all of that off in my 70′s series III. Hell, a 1958 Series I could do it. Would be slower, but would still do it. I wouldn’t vomit every time i look at it, either.

I have never heard of difflockers voiding warranties – the rear salisbury diff on defenders in inherently tough and rarely breaks.

True, the engines aren’t as big and powerful as the competition, but aren’t necessarily worse. They provide a lot of torque at low revs where you need them for dirty work. Depends on how fast you want to go.

There is a video i will find of a south african review of new 70 series (i think) cruiser against a defender, straight out of the box

By: Tomas79

Tomas79 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:20:49 +0000

In lame man’s terms the diff-lock locks the axle on front and back differentials, to force both of the wheels on that particular axles to rotate at equal speeds, irrespective of the traction on a particular wheel. This along with “locking centre differential” in full-time 4wds, (not required on part-time 4wds) forces all the 4 wheels to rotate at the same speed. Which allows the vehicle to progress forward, as long as at least one wheel has traction.

Without diff locks, due to open differentials all the torque would be transfered to the wheel with no traction….

“locking centre differential” that all full time 4wd have is only for lock the power distribution between front and back axles.

Anyway here is a better worded explanation..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locking_differential

Traction Control that most 4wd have these days is an inferior but cheaper option to diff-locks.
It uses ABS system on each of the wheels to brake wheels that have lost traction and are spinning out… This system is not desirable for serious offroading as it overheat and wears out the brakes, plus is less effective due to constant pulsing caused by computer detecting wheel spin, locking the wheel, and then releasing it to detect the status again.
The Traction control mechanism also gets tricked fairly easily which causes a akward progress in fairly mundane terrain, as can be seen on this video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ShJZnH3flQ

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:22:59 +0000

Tomas, how exactly do you know that I don’t know the first thing about the cars that you’ve listed? I wrote that I didn’t know what diff locks were, not that I didn’t know anything. I may not have lived in the African bush, but I have lived in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds and reverse the weather conditions and it’s just as harsh.
However, I’m getting sick of this. So, instead of telling me that I don’t know what I’m talking about over and over, explain to me in English if you would, not 4WD Magazine English, what a diff lock is. Let’s turn this from an argument to something ever so slightly constructive. If you know what your talking about, you should have no trouble and then you can please explain to me what the difference is (if there is one) between what you’re talking about and the “Locking centre differential” the Defender is listed as having on the Land Rover website.

By: Tomas79

Tomas79 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:40:40 +0000

Alex you don’t know the first thing about the cars i listed, let alone the technology so how possibly could you say “Tomas79, the cars you have listed are not as good as the Defender”?

By: Tomas79

Tomas79 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:36:05 +0000

Alex,
On another article You told me you don’t even know what a diff lock is… So there goes you off-road know how credibility!!

In very muddy conditions you just turn on your diff-locks, and drive on!! Given the Defender doesn’t have any diff-locks it will fail, simple as that!!

Also the Rubicon has 4:1 transfer case, and e-sway bar disconects….

No BS personal anecdotes used here…. Just simple facts..

And who knows if the wranglers you seen get stuck were rubicons, or the landcruisers had diff locks?!!

Also 90% of whether or not you get stuck depends on driver skills, so dont give me this “I seen 4wd A, go past where 4wd B got stuck ”

As for what experience I have to come to this conclusion…
Well I’m a avid 4wd fan with subscriptions to 3 4wd magazines here in australia, and regularly travel out with Forums/club groups and mates on 4wd outings….

Not to mention i lived for months in bush up north and africa….

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:55:15 +0000

Tomas79, the cars you have listed are not as good as the Defender. Not in really wet an muddy conditions anyway. When people have been doing work for my family in the past, the only car that I have seen perform as well as the Defender whilst trying to get to the part of our property where the work was needed is the Mercedes G Wagen and even that struggled slightly. That was one of the newer models with a 3.0 diesel and really, I think they may have gone a bit soft. They seem to appeal and sell more to soccer mums in LA than to people going off road, hence the new high price. They’ve become a bit of a fashion statement and I guarantee that when they come, you’ll see more around town than you will on farms. I have seen Jeep Wranglers get stuck. I have also seen many a Land Cruiser get stuck regularly, not just on our property. In fact, they usually tow them out with Defenders!
May I ask what sort of experience you’ve actually had as to come to the conclusion that your listed cars are even better off road? And what conditions were they driving in, just for comparison?