Thread: D3 rear diff lock

Originally Posted by gghaggis

you would soon be doing what all the other owners with manual difflocks do - start looking for stronger axles and CV joints. ...

Sorry Gordon, but I am not sure how true that is. I would bet that the majority of people who fit diff locks (in landies) still run the standard CVs, and many standard axles.

Those with 24 spline axles wouldn't need to upgrade if Land Rover hadn't decreased the material strength when it increased the diameter (i.e. OEM 10-spline axles are as strong as OEM 24-spline).

I am sure the rear end of the D3/4 should be strong enough to handle a locker.

Btw - I have had a reply from a contact at ARB, just waiting on permission to post his comments.

Originally Posted by DiscoSaffa

Begs the question then, why has no-one developed one?

Watch this space, and I can hopefully give an answer from ARB...

Response from your friendly local ARB R&D engineer:

G'day Ben,

No immediate plans for Disco 3/4 in the pipeline.
We have done the tear-down feasibility and LR made them very tough and and
an expensive development for us.
But ARB has always been a strong supporter of Land Rover, and no doubt at
all you will see them available in the future.
I think currently the cost of the Disco 3/4 is keeping the average guy away
from wanting to be too rough with them.
But when the sales numbers are there to begin thinking about paying off the
development costs then it will all happen.

He also said they would need a [significant] volume order for anything to happen right away... Not sure if there would be the numbers for a group buy at this stage???

I don't honestly think the D3 and it's cousins are a " knock about"
design TBH . The older they become , the closer to a vehicle-crusher
they will get . The electronics will be the death of them . They'll be
out lived by X5's . Keeping them on the road will be a lost battle
of unacceptable expense.
Before mine is 6 and out of warranty, it'll be ditched . I wouldn't
touch it with a barge pole after that , and it's not even diesel
( thank God ).

Originally Posted by isuzurover

I would bet that the majority of people who fit diff locks (in landies) still run the standard CVs, and many standard axles.

If most don't need uprated CV's etc, then perhaps they don't need the diff lock in the first place.

The D3 already has a centre diff lock and one of the best traction control systems available. Sure, the rear e-diff makes thing a bit easier, but I would suggest that if the cost is going to be high, for the number times the traction control won't be able to handle the situation, is an aftermarket diff lock needed?

Originally Posted by Neil P

I don't honestly think the D3 and it's cousins are a " knock about"
design TBH . The older they become , the closer to a vehicle-crusher
they will get . The electronics will be the death of them . They'll be
out lived by X5's . Keeping them on the road will be a lost battle
of unacceptable expense.
Before mine is 6 and out of warranty, it'll be ditched . I wouldn't
touch it with a barge pole after that , and it's not even diesel
( thank God ).

So you really like your D3 then? Before looking at the D3 I looked at the X5's and the forums are full of fault and problems, way more than the problems on here that the D3's seem to have. So what has gone wrong with your's?
From a potential D3 owner
Cheers Peter

Originally Posted by flyreels

So you really like your D3 then?

I've got little faith in its reliability Peter , or the Dealerships who
sell them either. Without a BBS I wouldn't venture inland and
even with , I've got the sat 'phone ; not that it summons anyone
with a clue or a trailer necessarily . The older I get , the more I fly
rather than drive . I don't want any hassel anymore , thankyou.

Originally Posted by Neil P

I've got little faith in its reliability Peter , or the Dealerships who
sell them either. Without a BBS I wouldn't venture inland and
even with , I've got the sat 'phone ; not that it summons anyone
with a clue or a trailer necessarily . The older I get , the more I fly
rather than drive . I don't want any hassel anymore , thankyou.

Thanks for your reply, is there anything in particular I should be looking for, my preference is a V8?
Thanks peter

There are always personal experiences that differ enough to make the potential buyer worried about all sorts of events.

Since March 2006, I've ventured inland, deserts, towing caravans 8500 kms or more,and never had a problem that stopped me - without a BBS or anything else. So have a lot of fellow D3 owners I know. I also acknowledge that there are a few out there with the opposite experience. But to put things into perspective, I don't think this minority is any bigger within the Land Rover fraternity than any other brand's owners.

With regards to the rear locker, I respectfully disagree with Ben's comments - the majority of people that have fitted lockers to Land Rovers are the type of people that push their cars a little harder, and they end up changing the axles at least, if not the CV's. Maybe not for stronger ones, but they (almost) all break them! The D3/D4/RRS is built stronger (in terms of LR axles and CV's) than the previous LR models, but that doesn't push it much beyond the average Toyo or Nissan, and they break axles with diff locks regularly.

As to whether you actually need a diff lock in a D3, for 95% of any terrain a good driver will encounter, you won't need it - the traction control is _that_ good. That remaining 5% is probably something you'd never drive without 35" tyres and a lift anyway. We've proven this again and again on our training days, and the only terrain where the difference is noticeable is steep rock climbs.

Cheers,

Gordon