CDL-Traction control 2003

[saharatj98]

No straight answers yet..... Being a seasoned Jeep guy I fear a computer making all of my decisions while off road. I hear 2003 has no internal diff lock and then I hear it does but you have to get the linkage. Again I hear it can be locked, but you have to replace the front output case and then finally it will need a whole 2004 case all together. Land Rover tells me that the traction control is very aggresive and will be fine, I hear the traction control is worthless on a manual but ok on an automatic as the viscious coupling helps...... Traction control in theory sounds great, but nothing beats a locker and especially a center lock as most traditional 4wd's... I would rather have the savings in fuel economy and have a standard case and run 2wd 90% of the time. I thought about tru tracs and how the traction control may force them to lock, but I doubt that will do much without a positive lock in the case. I lift a wheel and I would imagine I will have to spin to lock and I would rather have the control of a slow creep versus a cowboy approach to obstacles. Lockers may not even work all that well without a center lock. Will I have to replace my case or atleast the front of it and add lockers or am I fine? I previously had a 98 TJ with an ARB set up front and rear and 4:10s...This is the other issue..... I will be lifting it on OME springs atleast 2" to fit 265 75R16 tires (32") I can't find anything on gear sets for these because I probably want to lower the gearing with the increase in tire diameter being nearly 4"....
Love the truck, just un familiar with the hardware and I want to learn it and make it work....

[Pedro_The_Swift]

VIN numbers will tell you WHEN they replaced/took out/put back in the CDL.

Constant 4WD is something newer LR's are built around, electronically and physically, after a few hours you wont be able to notice. I cant imagine driving without it now.

TC is just an aid,, you can turn it off, but why? (disregard sand) TC and CDL is near locker performance, not quite but impressive.

lots of aftermarket stuff here,,, cant begin to imagine what its like over there--

[SCSL]

To answer your questions:

-2003 model year does not have a CDL-equipped xfer case. You'll have to replace the xfer case to center-lock

-ETC works well in many circumstances. Whether it works well for you will depend on what types of trails you run. It seems Land Rover designed it for the types of situations most would find themselves in, and for that purpose it is well-designed. Suspension flex - keeping the tires on the ground - will obviously help the system work to it's full potential. Fortunately, your truck is capable of outstanding articulation with relatively minor mods (compared, say, to an XJ). I've always been a fan of putting suspension mods above lockers, but that is an issue of great controversy on the boards... (imagine that ) In my experience, this is definately true of rock crawling, somewhat less true in mud. One area where you notice the lack of CDL and/or locker is on steep hill climbes with loose rock.

-That being said, obviously ETC will be outperformed by ETC with CDL. And CDL will be outperformed by CDL with locker(s). I would not recommend adding an axle locker without CDL.

-Regarding TT and ETC, there are mixed opinions here. I've heard people say their ETC helps to engage the TT with some controlled spin & left-foot-braking. I've heard others say it didn't make much difference. And one friend of mine whose driving ability I greatly respect switched to DL.

-Regearing a Land Rover is very expensive. You definately shouldn't feel that you need to regear with 265's.

Note: all of these issues assume moderate wheeling and your Land Rover being a daily driver. For the most part, Discoveries are not designed to be hardcore trail rigs. They certainly can be, but only with large doses of investment and patience. For the vast majority of wheeling situations, you will be VERY pleasantly surprised as to your Discovery's capabilities in near-stock configuration.

[Muddy Oval]

Regearing for 32's works well if you live in a hilly area- mine hunts for gears all the time and it's quite annoying. It's a big trade-off for highway use though. 32's put you right at the border line where it's a trade-off either way, but if you see lots of hills or tow stuff, it might be a good idea.
The difference between a CDL DII and non CDL DII is huge... and by that I mean H-U-G-E. There have been times when I had my CDL disengaged and the ETC wasn't getting me over/through the obstacle- so I flip the lever, CDL locks in and it goes right up and over.

[rmuller]

I wheeled' my 01 without CDL for a few years.. finally swapped out my tcase for one with CDL a couple months ago and it makes a huge difference.. feels much more stable going up/down big inclines, and haven't really gotten stuck [at least not due to traction] since then.

[Jupiter Rover]

i got a 03 too. the TC works good. i see alot of mud living in south FL.. but eventually ill get a new Tcase with CDL.. it really is worth it.

[salty]

Just for reference a new transfer case is about 2 to 2.5k$ if you decide to persue that avenue. Plus labor to install.
Jim

[rmuller]

Originally Posted by salty

Just for reference a new transfer case is about 2 to 2.5k$ if you decide to persue that avenue. Plus labor to install.
Jim

I found a used one with 550 miles on it for $350.. took about 6-8 hours and 2 friends to help install

[Muddy Oval]

I saw an 04 t-case w/linkage and 24K miles for $750 w/warranty. All you gotta do is shop around. A good shop with a lift can swap it while you wait... it's cake (with a lift and a heated shop).

[SCSL]

Originally Posted by Muddy Oval

I saw an 04 t-case w/linkage and 24K miles for $750 w/warranty.

That's the deal of a century, especially considering the '04 linkage alone, new, is nearly that.

[Disco Mike]

Originally Posted by Muddy Oval

I saw an 04 t-case w/linkage and 24K miles for $750 w/warranty. All you gotta do is shop around. A good shop with a lift can swap it while you wait... it's cake (with a lift and a heated shop).

Steve,
Will an 04 t/case fit on a 01, 02 oe 03, I thought I heard there were a few changes made to it?
Mike

[Muddy Oval]

The changes made to them didn't make them not fit, but they had some improvements. The 03/04 uses a slightly longer driveshaft too.

[Jupiter Rover]

Originally Posted by Muddy Oval

I saw an 04 t-case w/linkage and 24K miles for $750 w/warranty. All you gotta do is shop around. A good shop with a lift can swap it while you wait... it's cake (with a lift and a heated shop).

next time you see a sweet deal like that PM me, i need a new TCASE .

[troverman]

Anyone know the difference between ETC on Discoverys MY1999-2003 vs 2004? Is there any? You might think ETC has been programmed to work less like a CDL (braking an axle rather than a wheel) in the 2004's since there is always the option of engaging the CDL. On our 2000 the ETC seems to work very well, but not without considerable wheelspin first. For example, driving up and over a large snowbank fully articulated, our DII did it but not without staying with it and considerable wheelspin (generally the more the wheel is spinning, the more torque is transferred to gripping wheels as the brakes hit harder) Driving over the same obstacle in our 1995 Range Rover 4.0SE, (rear ETC only) the Range crawled over effortlessly, and ETC never even came on.

By the way, no one mentions here 1999 and most all 2000's (DII) had the CDL built in the case, but could only be engaged from underneath the vehicle or by modifying the linkage.