Part I: Type of drive, off-road gear, differential lock, tyres, behaviour
Type of drive
The Land Rover Defender is equipped with a permanent all-wheel drive. To avoid tension, especially when cornering, it has a central differential between the front and rear axle which can be locked to prevent spinning on soft, stony ground.
The off-road gear
Also known as a reduction gear. In the off-road gear, the force is doubled to the wheels and the speed is halved. This is a rule of thumb and differs depending on the vehicle. By doubling the force on the wheels, the effect of the engine brake doubles when driving on steep slopes which means that even steep descents can be mastered without a foot brake and only in 1st gear with the aid of the engine brake.
- Change to off-road gear at the LR Defender:
- Standing or rolling very slowly at the most
- Gear out
- Do not brake
- Press clutch
- Change from H to L
- Now engage 1st gear and let the clutch come slowly
Differential Lock
At the latest when one of the wheels spins on soft ground, the time has come to engage the differential lock. Before that, however, would be desirable. The Defender has a central differential that rigidly connects the differential gears of the front and rear axle. Therefore, the barriers may only be used off-road and when driving slowly. As soon as the vehicle is back on solid ground, the differential lock must be removed, otherwise serious damage to the vehicle may occur. The differential lock should always be engaged in plane and straight section. Never when the tyre is spinning.
Traction Control
The Rolling Beast is equipped with ABS and TCS. But not every Defender has this supposed luxury. The TCS electronically controls the wheels on steep gradients and releases exactly the same amount of power to prevent the wheel from spinning. You can find out if your vehicle is equipped with it in the operating instructions.
Behaviour in the field
In principle, drive as slowly as possible, as fast as necessary!
- Fasten your seat belt
- Windows no more than a quarter open
- Switch on daytime running lights to be seen by others as early as possible
- Engage off-road gear and lock the centre differential
- Sitting position upright, both hands on the steering wheel, 9 and 3 o’clock position
- Thumbs up, as the steering wheel can hit hard off-road and there is a danger of breaking the thumbs.
- Do not drive too close to the vehicle in front, if the terrain is unclear and the gradient is steep, first walk on foot.
- Avoid stopping in water
Tyres
Normal tyres are not suitable for off-road driving because they lubricate in the mud and are not stable enough. The Rolling Beast is equipped with BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 with snowflake symbol. These are All Terrain tyres, which are suitable for occasional use on railings, but also on normal roads, in wet conditions and in winter (snowflake symbol).
Part II: On the Terrain | Technical Terms
Ground Clearance
This is the distance from the ground to the deepest component. The Land Rover Defender has quite a large ground clearance. The lowest points are the differentials.
