Roamer drive

[DEF95]

Hi Everyone
I know a few people on here have the roamer drive overdrive and just wondering how they are going and how many kilometres you have done with them and any issues you have had . Thinking of fitted one to my 300tdi 110 .
Thanks

[manic]

Also interested

[djam1]

I too am interested in this subject. I asked the question a few years back and was yelled at quite loudly by a few very smart informed people whom I respect.
I know Michael2 had a 300 TDI Defender with one and he spoke well of it from memory.
The previous objections were about running an overdrive in 5th gear which might well be well founded criticisms.

[DEF95]

Thanks for the reply. I was just wondering how they were going reliability wise. We have the vgt turbo on so we thought it should be able to handle the higher gear and was trying to make it a bit easier when doing 110km+.

[djam1]

Thanks for the reply. I was just wondering how they were going reliability wise. We have the vgt turbo on so we thought it should be able to handle the higher gear and was trying to make it a bit easier when doing 110km+.

I asked Ray Wood the man who makes them a while back and this was his reply


- I have read on AULRO a thread where 110 owners haulng heavy trailers praise the overdrive as it allows them to tow in fourth gear and not damage the gearbox 5th
The limitation on the overdrive is not the strength of the components (It can push 400 HP) but the amount of heat that can be dissipated from the overdrive and transfer case when travelling at high speed.

Thre never seems to be a problem with standard factory setups but if you chip for more horsepower and drive like hell in an Australian summer you will need to install a temeperature guage and back off if the oil temp gets much over 100 deg c. A factory oil cooler on the R380 helps and I know of some owners who have rigged up oil pumps and coolers on the transfer case as well and reported good results touring in Spain and Morocco.

I'm in the process of kitting out a 101 with a ISUZU 4BDT2 motor and have elected to fit an American NV4500 gearbox rather than the R380. I'm installing an overdrive with a Q transfer case and have no doubts that this will be a pretty robust setup.

[ThorneGator]

I have a Roamer Drive on my 2005 110.
It has been on my vehicle for just over 10,000 kms (installed on mine at 243,000kms). My 110 does have a remapped ECU, but only a stage 1. That being said, I spoke with the owner of Roamer Drive, and he said, as Djam1 pointed out that heat is the issue. I made sure to install the larger capacity oil sump, and a mechanical temp sensor/gauge for monitoring.
The Good: incredible difference on the highway!!!! Wished I had done it sooner! There is (website quoted) a 28% gear reduction, which in practical terms is like traveling in my 110 at 100kph, but the engine thinks it is doing 80kph (I have a tach fitted); real world test for your ears.
Power: On the flat, no problems. Moderate hills, are fine but heat increase is noted. Larger or steeper hills requires me to shift back to standard drive and handle it as normal.
Heat: without the Roamer Drive engaged, the transfer temp sits around 55C on highway, engaged around 80-85C, and in hills around 90-95C. Once I start to flirt with 95C, I disengage the Roamer Drive until I am back on flat land.
The Bad: From new, the Roamer Drive has produced a "whine" when engaged. Now in my pedantic/ borderline obsessive nature, I worry about potential issues being caused within the gearbox. The installation instructions note that this is possible over the first 5000kms (from memory), and this is something that I am working through with Roamer Drive. I will make sure to run it up the flagpole if there is anything noteworthy to share.

[djam1]

What oil do you run one of my concerns is Rays pedantic insistence on gl4 oils
I would like to run Motul gear 300 but would void my warranty

[mick88]

I have been running one in my series 3 shorty for about 7-8 years and over that period of time it has probably covered about 50-70,000 kays.
The vehicle is powered by a Holden six (I know everybody hates them, but I love them) which was built up for torque, Crow towing cam, 5.5 kg heavier flywheel, etc. As well as the overdrive (Roamerdrive) the vehicle runs 3.54 diffs, so cruising rpm is low, cab noise is less (for a series Landy). I regularly tow trailers of all sorts and weights, and when towing our camper trailer which weighs 700 kg, on sealed roads I cruise between 90-100 kph. We get some very extreme temperatures here in summer and so far no issues with the Roamerdrive. I run a Mobil GL4 75/90 mineral oil and also have the Finned Alloy transfer case cover fitted. The Roamerdrive was an expensive piece of kit when I purchased it, but it has been well worth it.
At Cooma I spoke with the guy who designed and built them and asked him why the particular ratio (28%) was selected. Apparently the particular gears he gets for the planetary set up only allows for 8%, 18%, 28% and 38% ratio increases.
I suggested a variant with the 18% step-up might be a good option to have available for series vehicles still running the standard 2.25 engine, as it would only knock about 700 rpm off at 100kph instead of about 1100rpm, which unless the motor is in prime condition, can make them work hard.

Cheers, Mick.

[harro]

I have a Roamerdrive overdrive fitted to my td5 Defender, have done over 80k with it in and more than half of that in overdrive.
Down the CSR last year and knocked it in and out of overdrive between the dunes and on the claypans leaving the t/case in low range.

Also we tow a KK camper trailer, about 1.5t, 4th gear overdrive is about equal in revs to straight 5th so great for towing and easy on the R380.

As for reliability and strength well I forgot to take it out of overdrive a couple of times going over dunes with the camper in tow and the roamerdrive certainly handled the extra load.

Also forgot to take it out of overdrive when we went up the lookout at Elquestro and no problem.
So I would say they are very strong.

Support for the product is excellent, I have had numerous emails to and from Ray Wood and always very helpful.
I would recommend a Roamerdrive to anyone with a defender and if you have a remap and VNT they make driving the vehicle an absolute pleasure.

Paul.

[DEF95]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner but I was halfway along the Savannah Way and service wasn't the best. Looks like I will be ordering one when I get home next week. Just curious where did you guys get yours from?

[67hardtop]

Do they make em to suit lt95a perenties??? That'll test them

[Don 130]

The bloke who sells them here in Australia is behind where I work at Galston.

Global Roamer Corporation (http://roamerdrive.com/dist.html)

Don.

[Red90]

Do they make em to suit lt95a perenties??? That'll test them

No.

[ThorneGator]

What oil do you run one of my concerns is Rays pedantic insistence on gl4 oils
I would like to run Motul gear 300 but would void my warranty

As you mentioned, GL4, not even GL4-plus. The newer GL5, etc... are too harsh on the 'yellow' metals/ brass. I don't want to take a chance that anything goes wrong that could have been prevented.

[123rover50]

Do they make em to suit lt95a perenties??? That'll test them

Would a Fairy OD fit?
Whats the difference between the 95 and 95a?
I have had a Fairy behind the 95 for 25 years driven with a 4BD1 now 4BD1T with no problems at all. (Touch wood)

[67hardtop]

Everyone thinks the lt95 fairey overdrive is too weak for the 4bd1. I think they would be ok. Obviously they are ok if driven normally not thrashed. I would like to get one for my perentie but aparently they are hard to find nowadays.

[djam1]

The Fairy out of a Series is a pretty weak unit the one for the Range Rover Classic hence LT95 was a pretty durable unit to my knowledge.

[67hardtop]

Yes i have a series unit. Noisy as all hell. I would like one for the lt95. I have a rangie gbox in my perentie actually. Fitted by the PO.

[Michael2]

Sorry, just saw this post.

I have one in a 300Tdi with VNT.
It lasted about 100,000+ km before requiring an extensive rebuild. The cause was a failed rear bearing, but it's failure ended up causing damage to the planetary gears.

Most of the bearings I pulled out were hefty and good, but that small rear bearing had a "made in China" stamp on it, I suspect a better bearing would have lasted longer, and I don't think Ray uses Chinese bearings anymore, the replacements certainly weren't.

I did run GL5 in it for awhile, which I no longer do, but I don't think that caused the bearing failure.

I was still happy to pay for repairs, as I feel it adds a lot to the driveability of the vehicle for long distance touring, and didn't want to revert back to no O/D.

[123rover50]

Not all Chinese bearings are dodgy.
I bought some Timken bearings the other day with Made in PRC on the box.

[djam1]

They are when they fail!

[ThorneGator]

Just wanted to follow up since I have last posted on this. As mentioned, I had been working through a whine when my Roamer Drive was engaged, and had been talking a good bit with Ray, whom is the Roamer Drive 'father' (designer/ owner of the company). A testament to the design of the product and customer service from Ray, he walked me through visually inspecting the internals of the drive, to helping to identify any potential issues. I was impressed at how easy it was to remove, inspect, and service the unit. In the end, when Ray was not satisfied that the issue was identified and therefore solved, he sent me a new unit to swap out. I was very impressed with his commitment to post-purchase service and customer satisfaction. If his top-quality products weren't already enough, his service commitment surely put him up there with other top companies to work with.
Secondly, his distributor in Oz is Allen Hutton of Hutton winches (Sailing), whom was also great to work with. Both made the process, almost enjoyable[wink11]

[67hardtop]

So is ur whine gone now??

[djam1]

Any Chinese bearings present?

[ThorneGator]

I am happy to say the whine is gone, but I still have some 5th gear groans to work out.... but that probably has more to do with the 260,000 kms on the gearbox. I didn't see any Chinese bearings but in full disclosure, I wasn't looking specifically for manufacturer on it.