HD vs non-HD package LR4

[magus]

The difference between having the hi/lo gearing and not is the key difference to me.

My '12 non-HD, with 265/65/18 (fully inflated spare underneath btw) does everything I need short of the Rubicon, wheel-in-the-air scenario. I go off-road regularly with a reasonably heavy dirt bike on the back and feel most of the world is accessible.

I had a '16 non-HD V6 LR4 for a brief period of time as well... was surprised how quickly I wanted to be rid of that vehicle.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

New to me, 2011 LR4 HSE w/ full-sized spare. I've read that means it has the HD package. I suppose a person could have upgraded the spare on a non-HD. I remember reading a post about a wire going to the rear axle (locking). For my limited purposes (camping, upland bird hunting, snowy roads, etc.) it sounds like I would be fine either way. Still, now I'm curious. I'd be willing to take a pic of the axle and share it if someone could point me in the right direction as to where to look for the wire.

I sat in a level parking lot next to where I live and played around with the terrains selector a bit. There was a diagram of the undercarriage showing open locks on the center and rear when I set the selector to low and rock crawl. I thought that must have meant that I didn't have a locking rear diff. After doing further reading, it may be the case that neither the center or rear are going to show as "locked" unless driving conditions call for them to lock. If that's the case, I'm still unsure what I've got. At this point, the only thing I can tell for sure is it has a full-sized spare.

 

[f1racer328]

New to me, 2011 LR4 HSE w/ full-sized spare. I've read that means it has the HD package. I suppose a person could have upgraded the spare on a non-HD. I remember reading a post about a wire going to the rear axle (locking). For my limited purposes (camping, upland bird hunting, snowy roads, etc.) it sounds like I would be fine either way. Still, now I'm curious. I'd be willing to take a pic of the axle and share it if someone could point me in the right direction as to where to look for the wire.

I sat in a level parking lot next to where I live and played around with the terrains selector a bit. There was a diagram of the undercarriage showing open locks on the center and rear when I set the selector to low and rock crawl. I thought that must have meant that I didn't have a locking rear diff. After doing further reading, it may be the case that neither the center or rear are going to show as "locked" unless driving conditions call for them to lock. If that's the case, I'm still unsure what I've got. At this point, the only thing I can tell for sure is it has a full-sized spare.

If you go to the 4x4 info screen, and see two differentials you have the rear locker.

Put it into sport mode, steering wheel straight, and floor it and the rear locker will partially lock up.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

You mean like this then?

 

[ryanjl]

It appears you have the HD package. Consider yourself extremely fortunate. I'm guessing only around 1 in 15 LR4s have it, and a lot of people will scour the earth to find one when they are buying.

 

[Nechaken]

You mean like this then?

Exactly. Heads up though. No firsthand knowledge, but some people have suggested the early LR4s would show 2 differentials even if the rear was open. See this thread: https://www.landroverworld.org/thre...e-purchase-questions.29026/page-2#post-174268

Try nailing the gas from a standstill on a hill and see if the rear goes orange.

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

Thanks ryanjl and hickersb. Special thanks to RR who was able to look up the detailed info for me on my rig. Turns out I don't have the HD package, just the display. I'm a little disappointed, but it allows me to keep my truck (I would have been seriously tempted to sell it). Plus, I'm not going to upset folks that would hate me for being a novice that lucked into something they really want and could use.

By the way, hickersb, when you say "hill" I assume you mean downhill, correct?

 

[Nechaken]

Thanks ryanjl and hickersb. Special thanks to RR who was able to look up the detailed info for me on my rig. Turns out I don't have the HD package, just the display. I'm a little disappointed, but it allows me to keep my truck (I would have been seriously tempted to sell it). Plus, I'm not going to upset folks that would hate me for being a novice that lucked into something they really want and could use.

By the way, hickersb, when you say "hill" I assume you mean downhill, correct?

I was actually thinking uphill. Mine (HD) definitely locks when goosing it pointing uphill... but if you don't have the HD package, I don't think the rear icon is ever going to change from green (unlocked) to orange (locked).

 

[BigBriDogGuy]

I hear ya hickersb. Truthfully, I have been watching videos of guys driving through insane conditions (mudholes, rivers, ravines, sand dunes, etc.). It's impressive stuff. Looks like fun. But I'm not going to risk beating the heck out of my main rig by seeking out obstacles that test its full off-road capacities. It's tempting to go there, but 95% of the time I'll be driving on pavement. 4% will be the occasional snow storm (on pavement) and 1% will be camping with the family or upland bird hunting with the dog. That 1% when I'm actually off-road will probably be on maintained dirt or gravel roads with the occasional grassy field. Based upon my use patterns, I have to accept it's an on-road vehicle and structure my priorities around that reality (note to self).

Regarding the display, I may have figured out another way to tell if a diff is locking, or open. Notice the vehicle is in neutral. No way the locker is going to engage while the transmission isn't engaged. It isn't even moving. There is no slippage for the computer to interpret. My sense is this display diagram is showing the build capacity of the rig (center locking diff and rear unlocked "open" diff).

The image is taken with the vehicle in Rock Crawl, low-range, and raised.

 

[lyapunov]

ok, novice here... I've read this thread through, am i understanding correctly that a prospective buyer could be duped into thinking he's buying an HD LR4 if the previous owner simply put a full-sized spare under the truck? If so, then is it typical to use something like vindecoderz.com to verify factory HD package? Or is that method reliable? Or is the preferred method to floor the truck uphill? Thanks in advance...