After all that snow and ice driving of the last few weeks, I just was thinking about the RRS's 4x4 system in comparison to other systems. I find it strange that RR dont include front and rear diff locks as standard , ie like the new Grand Cherokee. My experience is that relying on TC systems ( transtion control) is problematic. My experience of extended heavey snow driving , ie two-three hours in 1 foot snow, was that the TC system oberheated and shut down, now this wont happen with loakcing diff systems.

Have RR compromised their 4x4 systems. Disco3 has a rear diff as standard, strange that FFRR and RRS dont have them, and what happened to teh front locking diff.

comments? RRS HSE TDV8 Java black/Ebony interior, mud flaps,20" stormers, towing, roofrack,sunroof,cooler V8 Tasmods Sills,black badges, carstyling java black vents
Previously FFRR TD6 Metallic Grey

I think you will find the e-diff is also optional on the D4. It has long been an argument that Defender should have locking front and rear diffs when they only have a locking centre diff. On RRS the ediff is optional and really the number of people who off-road their RRS or FFRR is so tiny that it would be an extra cost and complication. I would hazard that 95% or more of RRS's have never had their low ratio gear box engaged except at the dealers at service time so why bother with fancy locking diffs each end.
I drove up the M74 motorway for nearly 4 hours in up to 10" of snow over ice in December with GGS set on the TR and had no problems with the TC getting hot and bothered even though I was running on 20" summer tyres . 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Last edited by Tim in Scotland on Mon Jan 18 2010 2:54pm. Edited 1 time in total

I too was surprised it doesn't come as standard when many lesser 4x4 cars have a locking dif. I recently went on a Land Rover Experience day (full day) which really showed how effective the e-diff can be. The argument that 95% of owners won't take the RRS off road doesn't really stand. In that case why do they fit the low range gear box? WINNER - 2009 ‘Just Doing What It’s Designed To Do’ Award

2010 TDV8 HSE Galway Green - Adaptive Cruise - Sunroof - Privacy Glass - 5 Spoke Alloys
2009 TDV6 3.0 HSE Buckingham Blue - GONE

I regularly take my D3 off road and I find that it can do a great deal. It is a very able car. From what I've seen of the Jeep, it's also very impressive, particularly when crawling.

I think that the LR design is a very good compromise (all designs compromise) between the car's most common duty cycle (road) and the few occasions when it goes seriously off-road.

One of the benefits of a live axle seems to me to be greater articulation. Compare my D3 and a friend's D3 with an old Deafener:

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Love the first photo of the D3  MY10 3.0 TDV6 HSE, Zermatt Silver, 20" Diamond Turned Alloys, Factory Privacy Glass, Premium Leather, Contrast Stiching, Side Steps, Etc

Gone 2006 '56' 2.7 TDV6 HSE, Zermatt Silver, 20", Side Steps, Brembos, Dynamic Pack, Etc

VW Transporter, 19" Rims, T32 170 BHP, Lowered

Thanks. One of the problems being behind the camera is that the car is normally someone else's

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

During all this snow my rear diff only came into play once and that was in 1 1/2 foot of white stuff. TDV6 - gone
TDV8 - gone
Audi Q5 3.0 Tdi Sline wef 6/11/10

Had it engage a couple of times during the snow but it was mainly due to me provoking it when showing off the systems on the car to friends.
I had a Landcruiser with all three diffs being able to be locked, most of the time I hardly needed the rear diff and I used the front diff once maybe twice in over 100k miles Sons of dogs come hither and get flesh
Clan Cameron

I'm fully with Tim on this one.
like Tim I also drove for long periods in Scotland over untreated snow ladened roads.
Snow mode selected never stoped. Except to aid others.
Tyres - Good Year Wrangler.

Grand cherokees do not have diff locks, they have locking differentials.

"locking differentials" are limited slip differentials that are not to be confused with differential lock!

Seem to remember that the previous model did develop an appetite for eating rear diffs


They are step down from alocking diff which is what is fitted to RRS and D3 though in the centre as standard and a rear as optional

To be honest to get your system to overheat would suggest that you were going to fast for the terrain in question. Out myself in deep snow and ice and snow and very little intervention from TC except when trying to get things out of shape.

I can certainly saythe RRS system is way superior to the D2 system, which was easily fooled in mud and snow.

Many would say the D3, which has same system as sport will go where a Defender would and some places it won't

The things that let a Disco3-4 down as replacement for a Defender as an offroad toy (the first ones are getting cheap enough for that now) are their bloated weight and being over a foot wider than a Defender. Up here I could never go to half the offroad places that my Defender goes, in a Disco3 or 4, or a Freelander2. They are just too wide to get through between the trees and rocks we have to negotiate in Argyll 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

My D3 has the scratches down each side and on the wheels to show that it can get through if you try hard enough.  Every silver lining has a cloud

2007 D3 HSE with winch, RAI, sliders, roof rack, ladder, yellow top, Engel etc for the school run
2010 RRS TDV8 HSE for work

If you came up here and tried some of our runs in the forests NJF you would be looking at whole panels coming off the sides, not scratches! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Tim:

With a bottle of vodka sure a Scot could get through in a cheap disco 3 and widen it enough for others to follow

Not yourself of course.

Not a Vodka drinker mate, Buckfastleigh Tonic Wine is now the drink of choice up here! The Vodka measure was for descriptive purposes only I believe, it was to save any embarrassment for the Benedictine monks who brew and sell the Buckie - according to the news tonight Buckie was sited as the cause of more than 5000 crime incidents in Strathclyde alone last year! Not many drinks can claim to have that good a market penetration! With a bottle of Buckie in the car at least I would be sure I were being looked after by the good lord in thanks for keeping the monks in a home 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW