How to be an idiot.

[yorkie_chris]

A lot of cars with selectable 4WD have no center diff.
series landies have no center diff, 90s have though.

Pretty much any permanent 4WD has a center diff for the reasons you describe, some selectable 4WD have a center diff but some don't. (I know shogun/pajeros have a center diff with lock, but I don't think isuzus have a diff, so you can only use 4WD on the slippy stuff)

I think RTFM is all the discussion needed lol.

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Are you sure? This surprises me somewhat, all the 4WD vehicles I have worked on have a centre diff, I imagine a road car would be unusable without a centre diff, the steering would be extremely heavy and the wear on transmission and tyres would be very high. Also on all 4WDs I know of there are warnings not to lock the cntre diff when on the road or even in the rough if the grip is good.
Certainly the Landys etc have only a centre diff that's lockable, but unless the circumstance is extreme this will still mean that two of the four will be driven whatever's happening at the other end of the vehicle.

Sorry yes, I was a little unclear as I always tend to think of off-road vehicles when thinking about 4WD systems. Basic 4WD systems in off-road vehicles do not have a centre diff, the transfer box is used to engage 4WD when required and should only be used on low traction surfaces where some wheel slip can occur to prevent transmission wind up and the the other problems you list. So these vehicles cannot run in 4WD on dry roads. Such vehicles would be most 4WD pick-ups, Nissan Pathfinder/Navarra, Isuzu's, series landrovers etc.

More advanced off-road vehicles such as Land Rover products, Toyota Landcruiser, modern Shoguns etc do have a centre diff to allow them to run on the road in 4WD and a lockable diff / clever electronics to prevent loss of traction in the rough. A road car with 4WD will need a centre diff or clutch system to allow for different road speeds of front/rear axles on bends as you say.

Must be more precise.... sorry

Thanks for all the clarification of diff's guys. RTFM indeed, but unless your clueless in most proper off road vehicles you can figure it out just by looking at what levers or buttons you have to play with around the gear selector. They are clearly marked. The Mitsubishi L200 has a big silver sticker on the inside of the door telling you what's what and in what conditions & speeds they should be used.

My point was though that the majority of modern '4WD' vehicles on the road today are 'soft roaders', and most people don't realise when they buy them that once you get them stuck in snow they can be just as difficult to get moving again as a normal car. "I won't get stuck because I've got a 4WD!"

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Stuff

OK, got you, that's what I was thinking - just wasn't clear about what you meant.

One thing I noticed when behind a Discovery 3 not so long ago, is that the ground clearance is crap, which surprised me, I always thought LR put off road ability before Chelsea Tractor ability. But then they do make a Range Rover Sport nowadays



Look at the gubbins around the rear axle, that would scrape it's belly on a mildly rutted tractor track.

Unless they have electronics to raise ride height maybe?

[yorkie_chris]

New range rovers are the same, more soft roader. My boss has a supercharged range rover sport, it sounds really nice but the engine would be far better in a bowler wildcat or something

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

the transfer box is used to engage 4WD when required and should only be used on low traction surfaces where some wheel slip can occur to prevent transmission wind up and the the other problems you list. So these vehicles cannot run in 4WD on dry roads.

Our Maverick is the same. It has Auto Locking front hubs, that lock in 4WD mode which winds up the half shafts on a dry road. Not really what you want...

[yorkie_chris]

I don't see how the autolocking hubs make any difference, It would still wind up if you had normal hubs surely?

Remember the old hubs you had to get out and splash around in the mud to lock them manually when you got stuck?

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

My point was though that the majority of modern '4WD' vehicles on the road today are 'soft roaders'

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

One thing I noticed when behind a Discovery 3 not so long ago, is that the ground clearance is crap, which surprised me, I always thought LR put off road ability before Chelsea Tractor ability

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

New range rovers are the same, more soft roader

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Our Maverick is the same... Not really what you want...

I didn't read your quote from LP Fizz, so on first pass this is what I read. Might wanna revisit how that reads if you want to maintain your Maverick's off road credentials