Terrain Response. What does it do?

**Bohica** · 4th May 2018, 07:53 PM

I have acquired a Freelander 2 TD4. I'm posting here because the Freelander 2 is quite deserted. It is almost like my private forum. I'm wondering what does the Terrain Response do to the drive train? On gravel or snow or grass I am guessing that it locks what I would call the centre diff, the Haldex unit. But what of the others?

tia

Julian

**Bytemrk** · 4th May 2018, 08:59 PM

Welcome Julian....

I have not played with Terrain Response in a Freelander 2, but I am pretty sure it will be similar to the D3 / D4.

What does it do?.... it changes all sorts of stuff. It changes how the transmission shifts, it changes how the Traction control system behaves, in some modes it turns on hill decent control and it can adjust the suspension.

Grass/Gravel/Snow Mode: The first thing this mode does is soften the throttle response to prevent the vehicle from losing traction. Gear changes are also smoother and quicker. The Traction Control system is quicker to intervene and prevent tire slip.

Mud and Ruts Mode: When set to the Mud and Ruts mode, the Terrain Response system will raise the air suspension and the Traction Control system will allow for controlled tire slip to help provide better traction in slippery conditions.

Sand Mode: Selecting Sand Mode will sharpen the accelerator response that helps increase the build-up of engine torque. The Land Rover will also hold gears longer to help the torque build up and lock the central differential to help maintain momentum.

Rock Crawl Mode: Like the name implies, Rock Crawl Mode is perfect for traversing rocky terrain. This mode works with the Low Range transmission. Accelerator response is softened, and the air suspension is raised to improve ground clearance.

Something really worth doing if you want to get to know the vehicle and how these modes behave - find a piece of off road track that has some small challenge to it..... not particularly hard , but not dead easy either..... and drive it multiple times.

play around with the different settings and feel how things behave differently.

It's tricky stuff and learning how to use it well is useful and a lot of fun..... that said, I find the D4 will actually go a hell of a lot of places without ever touching it..

oh and if things get ugly...... if in doubt.. rock crawl

Are you bringing the FL2 to Winter Wombat this year?....

**Bohica** · 4th May 2018, 09:15 PM

If I go to Winter Wombat I will be in the D2a. It will most probably be just a day trip on Saturday.

The daughter drives the FL2. (She did not want a D2a! God knows why, but there you have it)

**iannicki** · 5th May 2018, 05:09 PM

Julian, there is a very good description of the Terrain Response for the D3/D4 here: The AULRO Discovery 3/4 & RRS FAQ

I've actually copied just that part of the post, printed and laminated it and keep it in my car.

**letherm** · 5th May 2018, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by iannicki

Julian, there is a very good description of the Terrain Response for the D3/D4 here: The AULRO Discovery 3/4 & RRS FAQ

I've actually copied just that part of the post, printed and laminated it and keep it in my car.

Or you could buy Gordon's booklet. Full of good info.

Martin

TB · 7th May 2018, 07:33 AM

Hi Julian. The FL2 doesn’t get much attention on forums... but it’s very similar to the Discovery Sport and there’s a decent amount of chatter for that car.

It was the Freelander which first introduced Terrain Response to the world! Mostly it’s about using traction control as a substitute for locking front/rear diffs so that you can have forward progress even when one or two wheels are off the ground.

Like the other guys have described, the differences between the modes are throttle response, gear shift points and the aggressiveness of the traction control. For example, in grass/gravel/snow the car will react to the first hint of wheel spin to maximise overall stability; in mud/ruts it allows a bit of a spin since sometimes that helps your wheel dig through mud onto something it can grip.

If you do any sand driving, make sure to turn OFF the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) if you have a button for that. The law requires cars to automatically turn it on at every opportunity, but when you’re actually on soft sand it just causes you to swerve, lose power and get stuck.

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