Thread: Disco vs. Defender?

This was just recently discussed at length in the disco section.

In short:

Defender advantages:
Approach, departure and rampover angles
Harder to damage body offroad
Fewer vulnerable drivetrain bits offroad (e.g. solid axles and no eas compressor)
Better tyres and wheel size for offroad

D3/D4/RRS Advantages:
Better traction control
Optional rear e-diff
Air suspension
Better engine (TDV6/V8)

Put a bad driver in both vehicles, then the Disco will probably go further. Put a good driver in both, then the defender will probably win (especially due to tyres).

By the time you buy a decent set of offroad tyres for the Disco you could have bought F+R lockers or LSDs (AND air suspension) for the defender, which will make it outperform the disco offroad in every aspect (except maybe in some instances when you need lots of power or low down torque).

Alan, if you're game, have a read of this thread http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/...-defender.html

Originally Posted by isuzurover

This was just recently done to discussed at length in the disco section.

In short:

Defender advantages:
Approach, departure and rampover angles
Harder to damage body offroad
Fewer vulnerable drivetrain bits offroad (e.g. solid axles and no eas compressor)
Better tyres and wheel size for offroad

D3/D4/RRS Advantages:
Better traction control
Optional rear e-diff
Air suspension
Better engine (TDV6/V8)

Put a bad driver in both vehicles, then the Disco will probably go further. Put a good driver in both, then the defender will probably win (especially due to tyres).

By the time you buy a decent set of offroad tyres for the Disco you could have bought F+R lockers or LSDs (AND air suspension) for the defender, which will make it outperform the disco offroad in every aspect (except maybe in some instances when you need lots of power or low down torque).

what he says x2. You can buy a lot of enhancements for the Defender for the price difference, including more comfortable seats and suspension.

Originally Posted by Marty110

what he says x2. You can buy a lot of enhancements for the Defender for the price difference, including more comfortable seats and suspension.

I was just talking about the price of buying a decent set of tyres and wheels for the Disco. (of course the ~$40k+++ difference in purchase price means a lot of mods are free on the defender).

It will cost you ~$3k to buy a decent set of offroad wheels and tyres for the disco/RRS.

For that price you can easily have 2 Ashcroft or ARB lockers fitted to a defender (or 2x geared LSDs and probably enough spare money for aftermarket air suspension).

I am sure that even twin LSDs + ETC would outperform a Disco with ETC + e-diff.

You will be powering along in your Disco with a broad smile on your face, amazed at how much power you have on tap, and how absorbent the suspension is.

Next you will scrape a little root poking into the edge of the rut, something that would not have been noticed in a Defender, but which rips open the sidewall of your 18" tyre.

Then you will have to empty your cargo onto the track, (hope it's not steep, wet or prickly) so that you can access the bolt to lower your spare tyre. Then to jack up the vehicle while the air suspension tries to counter your adjustments.

Now to reload the car, trying to keep as much dirt out. Then re-mount the punctured tyre underneath and make it to camp after dark (or miss out on that waterfall diversion...).

Then get home and pay for a tyre, you could have got two spares for the Defender for that price.

At what stage along this story, would you be wishing you were in your Defender?

(based on a true story)

something not mentioned and in my opinion more important than suspension ride or 18in tyres...
Vehicle mass and a relative of that GVM

I have plenty of places where lardy 4x4 are bogged while 2t utes etc just roll around in candy land. For some reason my 2t 130 with 500kg of junk copes okay in the sticky compared to a bare bones no one in it new wagon that weighs 2.8 plus. ? ? ? ?

I guess you cant have leather seats and forty two speakers for nothing though.

And besides, chicks dig fenders. Enough said.

S

Carrying capacity is a very important thing, for sure, something I've always appreciated about my 130. A Defender seems to carry a load offroad better than anything else I've ever owned. I guess maybe a Disco 1 might give a Defender a run for it's money if both were unladen. Never owned a Disco 1 but did have a 2 door Rangie for a time and apart from small tyres and body damage it went well offroad.

Originally Posted by roverrescue

[snip]

And besides, chicks dig fenders. Enough said.

S

And their drivers