Am I understanding the electronic rear differential option correctly on the 2021 Defender? Is it achieve via the torque vectoring by braking and if so, does this wear out the brakes faster and therefore is it worth it?

 

Yes, it will wear the brakes faster!

 

Yes, I am sure it will wear out the brakes faster. Then again, I only get about 35K miles out of the brakes on my LR4, so what now...25K miles? But I did decide that the benefits of this feature were worth it to me. (Driving on slippery roads in winter and soft beach sand in the summer)

As noted in other threads, know that the build feature on the LR website may still be incorrect. On 2021 models, you need to order the off road pack to get the electronic differential with torque vectoring by braking. It's no longer a separate option.

 

I remember a post from last year someone with a Discovery Sport needing new brakes at 12k all city driving.

 

There are actually two complimentary capabilities in which Land Rover has developed expertise over the past 15 years in utilizing (sourcing systems from a couple of European companies -- along with many other automakers).

One is clutched differentials -- which instead of engaging a hard mechanical on-off lock within the differential, each of the output shafts has an electronic, variable slip clutch to link the four axles (left and right or front and rear). The other is applying partial braking electronically to each of the four wheels to reduce slipping in turning and nose diving when braking.

Yes, if one drives aggressively on asphalt with these systems, the rear brakes will wear out before the front (this was noted on a prior thread in this site). If you drive sedately, the wear should be traditional. If you drive off-road with these systems, and add terrain response 2, you will arguably experience the most effective 4WD power control capability ever offered by any automaker.

PaulLR raises a helpful point, which is that you must buy both systems, and the only way to do so is to purchase the off-road package. Neither capability can reasonably be fitted to the vehicle after it is purchased.

 

that last is why I ordered the off-road pack. I have never been too worried about taking even a front wheel drive down most ‘mild’ trails (though I destroyed the suspension doing it very quickly and switched). The ‘you cannot add this’ on something I’ll plan to use in Red River, Cloudcroft, and the NM mountains in general seemed to make it a no-brained to add.

 

For those that have more knowledge on this.
Is electronic-stability-control the mainstay system for handling hazardous conditions (snow, ice, rain) on road driving? torque-vectoring by braking is designed for improved driving experience (handling corners) and off-road capability.

EBS will kick in to help with snow, ice, rain on the road and if it has already engaged, the driving conditions have surpassed torque-vector-braking capability to help gain control. In short, does torque-vector-braking enhance safety or just handling? Or both?

 

I believe you are referring to the safety system which JLR calls Directional Stability Control (DSC). It is standard on all the Defenders (and probably on all JLR products, I suppose). It appears by experience to be a safety only system, and features rapid reduction of throttle and the application of braking when vehicle yaw, spin and acceleration sensors believe the vehicle is in an unsafe skidding situation. It certainly will bring to a halt progress quickly in some on and off-road conditions !

DSC is always active in the terrain response 2 AUTO mode (the driver cannot turn it off), is auto-turned off by the system in some other off-road modes, and can (and should) be manually turned off in off-road modes where the need to maintain momentum (like sand and deep snow and deep mud ruts) outweighs the safety risk from turning off DSC.

My understanding is the torque-vector-braking, as you note, is to enhance handling on-road and while off-road is focused on putting power through each wheel in a manner which maintains a suitable amount of traction for the condition in which the vehicle is operating and in a manner which minimizes trail damage.

As a comment, off-road with TR2, the vehicle will request in an insistent manner that it be put into AUTO mode if its sensors find that the driver is mis-appreciating what mode should be best used for the actual conditions at the current moment. Driving off-road in the wet, creek filled, rocky, muddy, up and down mountains, the conditions at the wheels can change across the modes so rapidly that letting the TR2 work in Auto works best. This is why (I think) that AUTO is the only mode (on or off - road) where there is not an ICON which is lit on the dashboard.

So, the preferred desire of JLR it seems is to leave all systems active and allow the vehicle to use all the logic available. This certainly can make sense off road, too, where in hill descent or ascent one is trying not to get sideways to the route of travel and thereby roll the vehicle over.

 

DSC and torque vectoring are two different animals, though. The former is standard on all models, the latter should be tied to the active rear locking differential, at least in the Defender application.

Glossary (scroll down to Performance): https://www.landrover.com/glossary.html

 

Are you changing your own brakes and if so, what tools will I need?