Thread: Which is better Off Road a D3/4 or a late model Defender? ... Puma 110

Originally Posted by Meken

So you find yourself having to spend time with family insread of your "project"

No he has to spend time modifying his good ladys 90 to make it awesome
Andrew

If it's a all about having a non D3/4 off road driving experience without airbags and driving aid's other than lockers then one of these will fill the hole easily for a fraction of the price, you can buy or build a very high spec D1 that is extremely capable off road with all the bells and whistles for well less than $10k if you shop around and that allows you to still have a D3/4 without breaking the bank and a D1 by the way is still more comfortable than a Defender.

A well set up and modded D1 can and will do anything a Defender 110 with 35's, twin lockers and a big suspension lift can do. ...

This is my one, it's the only Disco I have with a actual name, it's called the Mountain Goat, for obvious reasons.

Added further comment below;

However even I digress this discussion is about newish Defenders (Puma's) v D3/4's. It's nice to get feedback from people who drive old pre Puma Defenders but unless they are talking about Puma strengths and weaknesses then sorry but anything they say really isn't relevant to this discussion.

If you guys want to start another comparo about how modified D1's and D2's compare to your modified 300 tdi's and td5's that's fine but let's keep this relevant please. I be happy to join into that little discussion as well and I bet there are far more D1/2 owners who would love to give opinions on what they think of your good old Defenders in a thread like that as well.

Originally Posted by jon3950

I'm getting a Defender because they are fun to drive.

Cool 😎

Out of the box... D4 has deeper wading & greater ground clearance - not taking account of the extended height that will lift it to 310mm clear. (Can you mod a defer to get 310mm under the axle )
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Originally Posted by TerryO

A well set up and modded D1 can and will do anything a Defender 110 with 35's and twin lockers can do. ...

Yeah they can be fun but they loose out to the defender, when they rot out we salvage their motors, GB, tc, axles and engine. The rest goes to scrap. Sad really, I quite like the d1 but they are being sacrificed for a greater good.

Originally Posted by Meken

Can you mod a defer to get 310mm under the axle

maybe with drop boxes on the axles (portals) but at around $12-15,000 if you can find them still. But then you still have the weak rover rear diff as we are looking at current Deefers vs D3/4. Dont get me wrong, I love Deefers and still miss my Puma and my 300Tdi even more...... but really enjoy the drive to 4x4 tracks in my RRS - remember, unless you live alongside where you 4x4 you have to drive to get there and the D3/4 or my RRS will do it more comfortably, more economically and safer (but not the OP's original brief). I will take my Sport anywhere I took my Deefers by the way although the Deefers were a lot more 'connected' to the drive.

Originally Posted by Meken

Out of the box... D4 has deeper wading & greater ground clearance - not taking account of the extended height that will lift it to 310mm clear. (Can you mod a defer to get 310mm under the axle )
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1452601028.213093.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1452601051.362929.jpg

A question asked in ignorance, does the height options vary the axle clearance or the body clearance.

Originally Posted by AndyG

A question asked in ignorance, does the height options vary the axle clearance or the body clearance.

unlike a spring lift in a Deefer, which does not increase clearance under the diff, the air suspension 'lift' increases clearance under the diffs in the D3/4/RRS as the diffs are 'fixed' to the chassis - this means however that angularity of the axles increases, so there's always a compromise. Straight out of the box there is more clearance under the diffs due to how they are mounted. The only way to increase clearance under the diffs in a Deefer is with bigger diameter tyres, which has legal limitations depending on what State you live in, or with portal axles, or if you have a rear Salisbury diff, by shaving the housing.