Thread: 4WD system comparison

The suby system is good but i wouldnt say best, maybe best for a road going SUV.
You are trying to compare vehicles that are poles apart and regardless of that test the LR is miles ahead in offroad performance to anything that Subaru have built.
There are always exceptions to every rule so it really comes down to what you want to use the vehicle for, as a shopping trolley and occasional dirt road vehicle i'd stick to the suby.

Originally Posted by setmefree

..........

I can't afford a defender and the disco 1 is getting too old now

you're just teasing us aren't you ?

?? too old now ?

(affordable, all parts still available and maintainable by yourself)

No doubt there are shortcomings with any system but I haven't met any people that take wheel rollers out with them to see if the diffs work when they take their car off-road.

I'm guessing that you haven't had to buy many part$ for your subie.

It all really depends on what you want to do. I'm thinking that if you don't know why you want a LR you're not ready to cope with it.

Stick with the little subie with "one of the best 4WD systems" as you put it, stay away from the rough stuff & take care - you'll be much happier (& safer)

Oh and 4wding in 2011 forrester......please , anything higher than a coke can and your stuck.

The P38 Range Rover did not have diff locks or traction control,
so pretty much what you'd expect. Open diffs just work like that.

A D2 will have traction control, so it would proceed forward.

Didn't watch the rest of the video, just the RR test...

Pretty obvious the vehicles without TC failed.

With open diffs(and no TC) you would sit there for ever,as you can see.

The RR may have had TC,but probably an early generation?
Any of the later crop of RR,RRS or a D2 would probably have passed.
The D3/4 would have walked it in.

Here's a real world example of a D2 climbing something:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB6eKhUbZp4]Disco 2 Rocky Climb - YouTube[/ame]

I started watching the video, but didn't see anything special in there, then realised it went for 50 minutes and stopped it.

Without going into the details, I agree if you can afford a D2 then it's a good choice. No reason you should only look at D1's if your budget allows a nice D2. Just keep in mind some of the D2's don't come with a centre diff lock - you definitely want this feature.

Deciding which brand or vehicle has the "best" 4WD system is COMPLETELY subjective. It completely depends on what features you are testing. You could easily argue a monster truck has better off-road performance than a Subaru, but there is some obvious negatives as well. Then there is the huge area in between a Subaru and a monster truck, which is where the Disco's and other 4WD's sit. They all have pros and cons. A Disco is an excellent choice in the mid range in my opinion. It is still OK for city driving but also excellent off-road capabilities without going crazy.

I can tell you now there is 1000 places a Disco will go that a Subaru won't and LOTS of off-road tests a Disco will pass that a Subaru won't.

If you picture a scale of

on-road |----------------------------------| off-road

it is impossible to have the "best" performance at both ends. The Subaru is more towards on-road with some off-road capability. The Disco is more towards off-road but also with on-road capabilities.

If you don't know much about 4WD'ing but want to get into it, I personally think a Disco is a great vehicle.

The test demonstrates the limitations of an open differential. These can be overcome with Electronic or Mechanical Traction Control systems - Limited slip and locking diffs.

Other considersations in real world 4WD performance include :

suspension travel - how far a wheel can drop into a hole and still make contact with the ground.

wheel size - larger wheels have a lower rolling resistance and can dissipate weight over a larger surface area, especially when partially deflated. Imagine if you will a skateboard and a wheel barrow wheel hitting the same stone (or hole), the larger wheel will roll over it with less resistance.

ground clearance - how far over the ground the vehicle can sit without sustaining damage.

approach angle - the angle that a vehicle can approach an obstacle at and make first contact with the tyre, not the body. ie: in a Subaru, will you hit the bumber before the tyre mounts a high gutter?

departure angle - the angle a which a vehicle can drop off an elevation (rock, creekbed, gutter, tree stump...) and have the wheels make contact before the body scrapes.

ramp over angle - the angle of the highest point between the front and back wheels. Imagine a high speed hump, how high can it be before the car will bottom out on it.

Other, considerations include the mounting of vulnerable parts such as air cleaners and radiators, and general underbody protection. For example in the Land Rover, all components are located above the chassis rails, so even if you get hung up, you won't be sitting on your gearbox or muffler for example.

The Land Rover also has advantages in it's driving position, the driver sits higher in the vehicle, the elbows are the the window sill, not half way down the door. This gives a more commanding view of the terrain around the vehicle and makes vehicle placement easier.

I could go on about cargo capacity, recovery points .... but you get the picture.