I just bought my first Land Rover 3 weeks ago, and I have been enjoying it tremendously. I have a quick question, and I am looking for advice.

[Please do not attack me, this is an honest question and asinine remarks will be ignored]

When should I lock the differential? I am not a off-road gear head, so I have never had a vehicle with a locking diff. I find that low gear gets me through anything I need to climb over or when driving in snow. I assume that when I move the gearbox to locking position (slide it left) it will make all the wheels spin at the same speed ALL the time. Is this wise? I probably will never go rock climbing for fear of rolling this baby, but heavy snow will likely occur frequently. What scenarios do you guys have for when I should lock the diff?

Thanks in advance.
-Von

 

 

thanks. I will start doing that monthly...

side note, since you have the same Disco as me, what ski/roof racks did you find (if any) that fit those large round bars we have?

 

Check out atlantic british, I've attached the link. Not cheap, the cheapest cross-bars to attach are still over $300, all depends what you need it for. I don't have any, never really needed it. I've towed a boat and motorcycle previously but never had a need for roof storage...specifically why I wanted an SE and not SE7. More storage.
http://www.roverparts.com/ProductLis...y=Roof%20Racks

 

I use Thule 450 mounts with 50" crossbars. I can transfer it between my '03 and my wife's '06 outback. Rack goes on and off in less than 5 minutes, so I only put on when skiing so i don't lose anymore mpg's when driving around town. It was a no brainer for me since I've been using Thule for over20 years.

With this mount system I can load my skis stacked together and the bindings have enough clearance not to hit the roof.

I were to purchase again, I'd get longer crossbars (if they were only going on Discovery, but they wouldn't have worked with the Subie).

 

Von,
What year is your truck?

 

2004 with 35k miles on it.

 

As an aside, don't lock your case when you're driving over ice.

 

Why, I do all the time, here in Colorado, help alot.

Other wise, locking the CDL is designed to give you alot more traction in snow, mud,sand, and off the road.
Go for it.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the CDL transfer equal power (50/50) to the front and rear axles? You would need something like ARB lockers to get all the wheels moving at the same speed all the time. You also have the option to engage the CDL before starting the engine which will turn off the T/C and ABS. Engage it while running and you will have T/C and ABS as usual.

What happens if T/C off (CDL engaged) and a tire is off the ground, what happens to the power? Does more power go to the tire with traction on the ground for the same axle?