HD vs non-HD package LR4

[Oddboy]

Don't believe everything you hear, a fully inflated stock size tire fits fine.

I have a non-stock 32in. tire, and unfortunately I don't think it'll fit without deflating. Heard different?

 

[jlglr4]

BFG KO2 265/60r18 will fit fully inflated. I think when you go to 265/65 you need to start deflating if you want to keep the guard/heat shield that’s up under there. Some people remove the guard to get more space.

 

[ktm525]

Nope. Larger than stock you are SOL for an inflated spare. Stock full size fits though. Looks like a swing carrier is in our future. Even the much vaunted Land Cruiser and 4Runner went to underbody spare mounts vs their old tire carriers.

Why don't you go all in and mount a spare on your hood lol. That will give a true off road butch look.

 

[Oddboy]

Why don't you go all in and mount a spare on your hood lol. That will give a true off road butch look.

I'm not sure my hood or visibility would appreciate a massive 100lb spare tire mounted on the front. BUT, don't tempt me.

 

[f1racer328]

I'm not sure my hood or visibility would appreciate a massive 100lb spare tire mounted on the front. BUT, don't tempt me.

Hah, maybe if it wasn't an aluminum hood. Would be pretty good though.

 

[ktm525]

The swing carrier and fuel tank mod addresses the big motor/small tank issue.

 

[Michael Puig]

Let a old guy give some perspective on this HD/Locker thing... the first car I ever drove was a old (Lucas) defender - ranch car. it had a Lo gear - Ranch was in the coastal plains of Texas - so I only know mud, gumbo, sandy loam and sand. Oh, no mountains or stone or rocks.... I dont think I ever used low, it it could have helped - when I did I seemed to get stuck because I did not have momentum or the ability to spin the tires to clean the mud grips! Loose traction and no low will help. The next vehicle was a Willys wagon. Straight 6 and a low - It would go anywhere I asked it - without low. Again, momentum and traction and common sense - I was not TRYING to go over massive ruts or whatever - I was trying to go from A to B - avoiding it - Trail is bad? Have room on the side? Go that way - not worth the Instagram shot to get stuck on hi center....Did I forget to bring up a winch?? I guess you could call that the SUPER HD package.


I understand that it may be a different game if you live in NM or Arizona or Utah - hard traction and such - a creeper gear would be the way to go.

Ill just say this it that with common sense, good tires and tire pressure. Your Non HD (in first gear) will take you just about anywhere except that 1% the HD might.

My 2 cents

 

[zgpablo]

Ok, I am prepared to be seriously flamed here...

I bought a 2014 Lux without the HD 3 years ago and I live in Colorado. I regularly camp in the local mountains and my non HD has gotten me everywhere I needed to be, through ruts, sand, rocky mountain terrain. But I have never had any wheels off the ground (that I could tell) and to find a trail where I would do that isn't exactly hard, but you have to be really trying. I have a dirt bike and an adventure bike and they much prefer that terrain to any car I have ever driven. Plus I can't see any passengers enjoying bouncing around at 5 miles per hour just to prove what your vehicle can or can not do.

There might just be 3 types of LR owners, and the middle tier needs the traction control and the longer travel suspension but is not a full-on offroad rock crawling *****. And is not just a downtown soccer dad. I'm a ski/ice hockey/camping/dirt biking dad and my LR4 loves it's life.

Just my 2¢, we needed an opinion from somebody that lives quite happily without HD.

However I do agree, I got a little "bait and switched" by not doing enough research. I was more worried about all the winter packages and the towing package and just assumed they all had the same offroad prowess. Shame on me!

I do keep wondering when I will run into a real problem, my biggest annual challenge is generally 1 to 2 feet of snow, not boulder crawling. She seems to handle the deep snow with the Hakka studs like a dream!

There, I spoke up and I feel better now!

 

[DrMorison]

I bought a 2016 HSE without the HD package. I assumed that it had a locking center diff. I thought that the HD package added low range and a locking rear diff. I was wrong. It does have a Torsen center diff though, which is pretty good limited slip system. Anyways, two weeks ago I was out in Western Mass and there was a "dirt road" with about 9 inches of snow on it and a big sign that said "closed for the season". There were no tracks on it at all, only a pristine snow cover. I decided to see where it went I got about 300' up the road and my truck broke through the crust of ice at the bottom and got planted. I raised the suspension and spun the crap out of my tires (Nokian WRG4 SUV) and glazed the snow into ice. I spent thirty minutes spinning tires, stuffing branches and twigs under them and spinning them some more, trying all the different traction modes. Finally, after thirty minutes I said to myself, "this is ridiculous, this truck should be able to get out of this". I put the truck in reverse, then I ever so slowly pressed the accelerator in Grass/Gravel/Snow mode. I went suuuper slow. The truck just crawled right out of the ice glazed holes I had dug, and I was free (I went straight back to the paved road). The LR4 is definitely a LOT smarter than me at getting unstuck.

 

[Boaz]

I’ve done the wall at Poughkeepsie, and while possible without the rear locking diff, it would not be possible without low range and Rock Crawl TR. Those without the locker had a harder time than I did with it. Hope that helps.

Steep descents on loose, rocky slopes rely on brakes (which overheat) rather than gearing to control speed.
Reduced ability to crawl at zero or near zero throttle over obstacles.
Reduced torque available at wheels for any given engine rpm.

I think you would be very hard pressed to find someone who wheels any offroad vehicle who wouldn't agree 4Lo is advantageous/required for a serious use case vehicle.

You will never convince me that JLR didn't drop that standard feature because it wasn't beneficial. IMO, they dropped it because it cost less to produce without it, and likely contributed some miniscule amount toward meeting their CAFE requirement from the reduced weight. Same type of thinking that contributed to a "V6" with two plugged rear cylinders. In their defense, the majority of soccer moms who drove these trucks off dealer lots likely had no clue, and wouldn't have cared if the did.

It all boils down to what your use case will be. Do you want to mod the truck to look cool, and don't foresee anything more than snowy roads or forest service type roads? Don't sweat it. You will very likely never know the difference.

Do you want a truck you can try to take over the Rubicon, or up the wall at Poughkeepsie Gulch? I would dissuade you from dropping thousands into modding a truck without a transfer case.

As I said, I am likely the odd man out here. My truck is not a daily driver and kept in the stable solely for camping/hunting/wheeling. That said, I love the thing and literally would not trade it for any other SUV. Modded for my use it will do 95% of what a JKU will do, go 650 miles on a tank of fuel, swallow a queen size mattress so I can sleep in the back, and keep my buns and palms nice and toasty while doing it.

Good luck with your decision.