Diff Lock vs ARB locker

[RickyRover]

CDL is a must but why not instead of the ARB, go with mcnamara or maxidrive? I know with those, you dont need an air pump.

[130CC]

Just my two cents but
as stated before why not go with the maxi drive? I only say this because if you are woried about axel damage and that kind of stuff, a maxi unit replaces the lot axels and an electric (type) of locking diff.
As I write this I am still yet to fit a unit. Just the purse strings are a bit tight. I have been off road with other trucks running both and as long as you THINK before you put the foot down or get agro or show off then you should be ok with either of those two brands. Not sure about the other as I am not familiar with them.
Adam

[AAXD]

I can't say either way on the axle locker debate, as I've never used them but in my experience simply touching the brakes is usually enough to stop a spinning wheel and transfer enough power to the wheel that has a solid footing. This is exactly what land rovers traction control systems are set up to do. If used mildly, a little bit of brake pressure while powering through a difficult spot will have a bit of a limited slip differential effect. Granted it's more difficult to do in a manual transmission truck than with an automatic, but can be done with either.
Another, more extreme traction aid would be a fiddle brake setup. Basically a control box in the cab with levers to control individual brakes and thus stop a spinning wheel that may have lost traction. Another benefit of this setup is it allows the driver to brake the wheels on one side of the truck and make a turn tighter than would otherwise be possible.
A stock land rover drivetrain should be able to handle mild use of brakes while applying power offroad. The weakest link being the rubber tortion damper on a Discovery 1's rear driveshaft and the relatively weak 2 pinion differential carrier's are prone to breaking when stressed. If you are looking for better traction off road, start by adding more agressive tires and a flexier suspension. this will allow better contact with the ground on all four wheels, thus limiting the need for axle lockers. The expense of axle lockers is, in most cases reason enough to look elsewhere for better traction before adding them. That way if you do decide to add them the mods you do before hand will only increase the capabilities of the lockers.

[FrankyRizzo]

Very very informative. I was in a rush to make my Rover the most capable one I could. I have also heard that when you have everything done it kind of takes the challenge out of trying new things. I will try to become a better driver and try some of the methods discussed.

When you guys talk about flexier suspensions you are talking about removing sway bars as well as other things? I don't use mine as a daily driver so streetability is not an issue. I have hesitated in removing my sways and I really don't know why. I do a lot of trailing and really don't plan on rockcrawling. So loose the sways??

[AAXD]

I removed the sway bars on my Range Rover with no problems. I am running OME heavy duty springs with stiff bilstein shocks so it really doesn't make much difference. The ride is still very comfortable and body roll is minimal. I hesitate to remove them on my discovery however because it is much more top heavy and tends to roll a lot more due to its narrower track and heavy steel roof rack. Probably your best bet would be a set of sway bar disconnects. You can get them as a ready made kit or make your own from tractor pins. Basically all you need to do is remove the bolt securing the sway bar to the ball joint and replace it with a locking pin of the same size. I plan on adding wider tires and stiffer springs to my Discovery and I'll try running with the sway bars disconnected to see how much the ride is affected. One thing is for sure though, sway bars kill axle articulation. They are there to limit it on the road. Flexy suspensions are worthless for on-road applications, sometimes downright unsafe.

[RageRover]

Now I know Funrover removed the sway bars on his RRC, is this safe to do this to stock suspension if I want better articulation?

[AAXD]

Range Rovers before 1991 (I think) didn't come with sway bars. It's safe to drive without them, but reccomended as they aid in stability in cornering and fast turning situations.

[AAXD]

Range Rovers before 1991 (I think) didn't come with sway bars. It's safe to drive without them, but reccomended as they aid in stability in cornering and fast turning situations.

[FrankyRizzo]

My setup is a 94 Disco with OME HD 2" springs with OME shocks as well. I have been told that with the HD's it shouldn't be that bad.

[p76rangie]

A selectable diff lock is better than something like a detroit. I prefer ARB air lockers than Maxidrive that use engine vacum. I have found that Maxidrive lockers often get stuck either in or out. In regard to stabilising bars, if you do not want to through corners at 100 mph, get rid of them. They are there to keep the body and wheels on the same plane, which is the opposite to what you want off road. The newer Discoveries have the ACE system that actually disconnects the bars when in low range.

Ian

[FrankyRizzo]

Then off they go.

[Geobloke]

Lol you have to either have deep pockets or a real need to buy lockers! Is the case that all but extreme offroaders need not apply! You can go some unlikely places in a LR with no diff lock at all, when I bought Eva I was offraoding for 2/3 years before realising that even though I thought I was selecting difflock I wasn't actually getting it and Eva and I went over and through some incredible stuff!

Diff lockers (both centre diff and final drive lockers) are wonderful bits of kit but nothing beats picking the right line over, though or round an obstacle.

There are so many other accesories that come before lockers, if your game is bouldering or extreme stuff then the first stop is tyres followed by suspension. I would suggest taking your truck out a load of times before modding it so you have a reference point to work with. A good set of rubber will do more for your trucks abillities per dollar (or pound) you spend than anything else. Then if you have some cash burning a hole in your pocket a +2" lift is the next step, however there is more to a lift than springs and shocks/dampers! Along with them you will have to install extended brake hoses, spring retaining bars, extended bump stops, dislocation cones and thats just for starters! after that you may want cranked rear trailing arms, polybushes and lowered front and rear shock mounts maybe even castor corrected and cranked radius arms too.

The next step is 3 link suspension systems (such as Gon2Far or safari guards 3 link) which is a whole new ball game, now thats worth every penny you spend on it if your serious about offroading!

Seems to me people are jumping ahead of themselves a little! The first rule of offroading is to keep all four wheels in contact with the ground! If you can justify lockers then IMHO you'd be better of spending the cash on better articulation!

Plus it has advantages over lockers too! you can fix it in the field, if a locker fails on you then your really in the deep stuff!!!

[p76rangie]

Geobloke, the only part I agree with is that Tyres should be your first purchase. If you are going into muddy or slippery conditions a diff lock is a must. Wheel spinning will kill a rover diff very quickly. Dislocation cones do not aide traction. If a spring is even coming close to dislocation it will have no weight on it and therefore no traction. If you already have tyres that fit why would you lift your vehicle. You can do a 4 inch lift without buying new brake lines. You only have to change the mounting position. Why would you lower your bump stops so that you restrict your wheel travel. There is no need to change rear trailing arms, all you do is insert a spacer at the top of the bush on the chasis to tilt the bush. Ploybushes are not much good on a Landrover product. They wear out very quickly from mud a dirt, also they give a harsh ride and restrict suspension movement. If you use them on shocks you will generally break the shock. You would normally raise the shock mounts to fit longer shocks on, rather than lower them. If you are into rock crawling a 3 point front suspension can have advantages, but such mods would be well down on the list of things to do.

Ian

[Disco]

I have Maxi-Drives on both my trucks and along with McNamara's you can't get better. ARB are a cheap alternative.

[SCSL]

I agree with the past several posters in that, while clearly an advantage in extreme off-road situations, there are many upgrades/mods that would naturally come before lockers. Tires are the obvious one. Suspension is critical (dragging yourself over rocks w/ limited suspension but full lock-up isn't much fun, or much good for your rig).

It should be noted, however (to elaborate on my previous post) that what many Rover owners refer to as "diff lock", ie: CDL, is not really a locker. A CDL on an Full-Time 4WD vehicle basically makes your rig function like a part-time 4WD vehicle w/ selectable 4WD. When you lock the hubs on a PT 4WD rig, you get the performance that CDL gives an FT 4WD rig, like a Rover. Power is split between the front & rear axle. The big difference you notice with CDL engaged is less a function of the effectiveness of CDL, and more a function of the inefficiency of FT 4WD. FT4WD is outstanding on slick roads and very convenient on dirt roads/fire roads. In a true off-road situation though, on rigs with FT4WD (like Rovers), power will tend to take the path of least resistance, even if that includes one tire on one axle. CDL will ensure that, at least, power goes to one tire on each axle. That's it. Nothing magic.

The magic really happens, as pointed out above, with a well-built suspension system. When you can keep your tires on the ground, you'll retain forward motion. If your off-roading leads to situations where you frequently have a tire (or tires) off the ground, well, that's when lockers (or good LSDs like TrueTracs) become more appealing. On a DII with ETC & CDL, you get a mimicing of the dual LSD effect, but not quite the same efficiency. Again, the main factor here is suspension/axle travel. In most cases, as pointed out above, it's both cheaper & more effective to address suspension deficiencies than to immediately go to lockers, keeping in mind that locker installation will involve upgrading of the axles and in most cases, since the diff is apart, upgrading gearing.