HD Pack - after sale installation?

[Quijote]

I'm so glad I got a very late 2013 ordered how I wanted. Sure, I've not really needed the rear locker except momentarily once or twice, but I like having it just in case and also to go off-roading years down the road when the car is worth less and is no longer not the primary family car.

 

[mpinco]

Can't imagine wheelin a 6000#+ vehicle without low range.

The two areas that I feel need low range and HD are slow / reduced-speed maneuvers over unfriendly terrain. Traction control requires a degree of throttle / forward speed that can be problematic in some circumstances. On some trails I find myself using low range (reduce speed / increase torque) and locked such where both enhance the control of the vehicle. Where i can creep along without spinning a wheel, TC depends on wheel spin to make decisions.

 

[Jerbo]

I agree, even in my LR3 I never needed low range. Do I wish I had it? You bet, is it the end of the world to me no. BUT!!! this is based on my use case.

Cheers,

 

[mpinco]

Yeah, I'm singing those blues, too. I bought a beautiful santorini black, black interior, 20" wheel 2016 LR4 without the HD. I hadn't realized it wasn't part of the package. Fell in love with that beautiful machine so now I am annoyed every time I use it. I want to take it on old logging roads for upland bird shooting so now will have to be more careful and worry about getting back.

Just bought it about a month ago and there aren't any other ones with HD on the market anymore.

Oh well.

Frank

Is suspect the percentage of vehicles equiped with HD have declined as the LR4 approached its EOL. There are previous years available.

 

[Frank8]

I have a MY16 no HD, I also had a LR3 with no HD. While i am not running supper aggressive trails, tend to avoid the mud pits, and use caution in deep snow i have never once needed it. I am not saying that there is not a time or a place, however for most logging roads, or things that you are going to see with out looking for trouble the LR4 is more than capable. Buy a full size spare, get decent tires, use your head.

As a side note, i found this video (

) which for the most part appeased my non-hd concerns. Should we all have it yes, do most of us need it no.

Thanks very much. I feel a bit better having seen that video! I go bird shooting in the North Woods in Maine and the biggest worry on those trails is mud. Or overgrown grass that's very mushy. No rocks to climb over

I have 20" wheels that should help and I'll just put my snows on before I try it.

Nonetheless my butt is sore for kicking myself.

A 2-hour lesson at a LR school came with the car which I will use in Manchester VT. I spoke with one of the instructors who said the LR without the HD can do at least 90 % of what the equipped ones can do and they'll teach me without HD.

 

[Jerbo]

Thanks very much. I feel a bit better having seen that video! I go bird shooting in the North Woods in Maine and the biggest worry on those trails is mud. Or overgrown grass that's very mushy. No rocks to climb over

I have 20" wheels that should help and I'll just put my snows on before I try it.

Nonetheless my butt is sore for kicking myself.

A 2-hour lesson at a LR school came with the car which I will use in Manchester VT. I spoke with one of the instructors who said the LR without the HD can do at least 90 % of what the equipped ones can do and they'll teach me without HD.

You can "fake" low range if you use the sport mode + paddle shifters, If you are really worried, look into some recovery gear like max trax.

I would let the community back this up, but even with the most capable rig, crap tires are going to lead to a bad time. Invest there, try it out in a safe area find your limits and rover on.

 

[Frank8]

There are Maxtrax and other brands that look the same. I've never used these things-what do you recommend?

Using S with the paddles is a great idea- I'll try that here in the snow.

It's been decades since I drove a LR. And that was in eastern Anatolia in horrid slick red mud. I'd get stuck often and have to hike to the nearest Kurdish village and get a guy with a donkey to pull me out. Shoulda had Maxtrax!

Frank

 

[Jerbo]

There are Maxtrax and other brands that look the same. I've never used these things-what do you recommend?

Using S with the paddles is a great idea- I'll try that here in the snow.

It's been decades since I drove a LR. And that was in eastern Anatolia in horrid slick red mud. I'd get stuck often and have to hike to the nearest Kurdish village and get a guy with a donkey to pull me out. Shoulda had Maxtrax!

Frank

Wish I could be of help, but I have zero experience with brands other than Maxtrax, they were a gift so I didn't have much of a say in what to spend my money on..

Recovery vehicle hierarchy

Needs help -----------------------------------------------No help required
Hummer -> Nissan -> Jeep -> Toyota -> Land Rover -> Donkey

 

[iSurfvilano]

You can "fake" low range if you use the sport mode + paddle shifters, If you are really worried, look into some recovery gear like max trax.

I would let the community back this up, but even with the most capable rig, crap tires are going to lead to a bad time. Invest there, try it out in a safe area find your limits and rover on.

There are Maxtrax and other brands that look the same. I've never used these things-what do you recommend?

Using S with the paddles is a great idea- I'll try that here in the snow.

It's been decades since I drove a LR. And that was in eastern Anatolia in horrid slick red mud. I'd get stuck often and have to hike to the nearest Kurdish village and get a guy with a donkey to pull me out. Shoulda had Maxtrax!

Frank

MAXTRAX (or TREDs, both very similar) are AMAZING!!! I mostly drive in different variations of sand throughout our coast and inland (some of it black, sticky and similar to mud) and these recovery treads are a HUGE time saver. You can get stuck pretty bad and all you need to do is dig out your wheels a bit and shove them in and slowly drive out. I purposely get stuck for fun so I can get better at getting unstuck... These things should get you unstuck in a couple minutes depending on how much digging you have to do. That low gear you're missing is absolutely useless once you're buried.

I totally agree with @Jerbo on the tires and it all depends on your use case...but regardless just practice with your single speed if you plan to stick with it. I went to an auto show in Orlando a few years back and Curt Leduc was there taking questions from the crowd while representing king shocks, when he was asked by someone what is the most capable off-road vehicle at the show he simply stated that the capability of a vehicle means nothing without a capable driver, he then pointed to a new RAV4 near the tent and told the guy that he'd make that look like the most capable vehicle to a novice driver, LOL.

 

[mpinco]

Realistically I think that someday the transmission and xfer case will be integrated into one sub-system. We are already headed to 9-speed gearboxes to eek out a few mpg's and somewhat address the loss of a 2-speed xfer case.

Are we there yet? No. Land Rovers move to eliminate the xfer case was to reduce cost, reduce weight and increase margins. Simple economics. For the aftermarket I would think a single speed xfer case LR4 would be deeply discounted as it moves into its second life for those looking for utility.