Mechanically possible to make Freelander a 'real' 4X4?

As was jovially quipped to me the other day, a Freelander is a 4x2 not a 4X4.

This is indeed true, until the wheels spin, and in comes the 4X4 'all wheel drive' if the previous seller hasn't taken the prop shaft out.

So, if during wheelspin a Freelander is a 'real' 50/50 split 4x4, is it possible mechanically to force a Freelander into 4x4 mode permanently, using a mechanical modification?

Has anyone ever tried to do this? Is it theoretically possible using the parts already on the car, or would need a donor vehicle, or some other fancy gubbins?

The only modification I've seen referred to what fitting an LSD to the vehicle but I don't know if this would make permanent 4x4 more easier to create from this.

Thanks for the ideas, if there are any!

whats wrong with how it is , youll find rear wheels are driven even if fronts arent spinning, remove prop and see if it feels different

There is no mechanical method for removing gayness from a vehicle.

200tdi ayre said:

There is no mechanical method for removing gayness from a vehicle.

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but surely youve been helped out of a vehicle before

jamesmartin said:

but surely youve been helped out of a vehicle before

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Nahhh I haven't got a butler

You would need to ditch the VCU and fit a mechanically locking coupling, allowing 2wd on the road and closer to "proper" 4wd when engaged.
Benefits - I dont see any.
Drawbacks - impossible to use 4x4 on paved roads as it would wind up the transmission like driving a disco/defender with the centre diff locked. Problem is the IRD is too weak to cope with this.

The main advantage of the freelander system as it is is that you can drive along a country road that has patches of ice and snow and just let the car sort itself out without having to faff about with engaging 4wd manually when you come to snow and disengage it for clear sections of road.

from reading about the VCU, unless your doing crazy **** (your in the wrong landy) then there is no reason why you'd want to have a manual lock?!

TD4_4x4 said:

As was jovially quipped to me the other day, a Freelander is a 4x2 not a 4X4.

This is indeed true, until the wheels spin, and in comes the 4X4 'all wheel drive' if the previous seller hasn't taken the prop shaft out.

So, if during wheelspin a Freelander is a 'real' 50/50 split 4x4, is it possible mechanically to force a Freelander into 4x4 mode permanently, using a mechanical modification?

Has anyone ever tried to do this? Is it theoretically possible using the parts already on the car, or would need a donor vehicle, or some other fancy gubbins?

The only modification I've seen referred to what fitting an LSD to the vehicle but I don't know if this would make permanent 4x4 more easier to create from this.

Thanks for the ideas, if there are any!

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No need see posts 2, 6, and 7
A working VCU is has all the benefits of a locked centre diff without any of the transmission wind up worries!!

what a silly question



it was designed not to be like a tratter














they did a good job....................it isn't

I am currently trying to make a mechanical replacement for the VCU, I see the benefits as better fuel economy as it will be in true 2wd most of the time, no need to buy a full set of tyres every time and no worries about transmission faults etc as if used properly there should be no wind up on the transmission as the front and rear will be completely seperate

I am currently trying to make a mechanical replacement for the VCU, I see the benefits as better fuel economy as it will be in true 2wd most of the time ..

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you'll have to be very careful as to 'when' you engage 4wd ..
i.e. only on slippery surfaces ..
if not .. say goodbye to the ird / rear diff. .. and much moolah ..

maybe it would be an idea to change things so that the rear wheels .. and fronts
use the same rotational ratio .. unlike the standard setup ..

Like I said.....

dave21478 said:

You would need to ditch the VCU and fit a mechanically locking coupling, allowing 2wd on the road and closer to "proper" 4wd when engaged.
Benefits - I dont see any.
Drawbacks - impossible to use 4x4 on paved roads as it would wind up the transmission like driving a disco/defender with the centre diff locked. Problem is the IRD is too weak to cope with this.

The main advantage of the freelander system as it is is that you can drive along a country road that has patches of ice and snow and just let the car sort itself out without having to faff about with engaging 4wd manually when you come to snow and disengage it for clear sections of road.

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...I really - and I mean REALLY - dont see a benefit in doing this. Selectable locked 4wd is frankly a pain in the fanny. Also in my fleet is a Mazda double cab pickup, which is rwd on road and selectable locked 4wd for off road. Whilst I prefer it to the freelander in some situations off road, this is purely and solely down to it having a low ratio where the freelander doesnt. For use in winter here, the freelander will always be first choice. Its hilly here, and the roads are patchy with stretches of packed snow and melted sections. In the freelander, I get in and drive it. It sorts out which wheels need to be driven for itself and all I need to concentrate on is finding a tune I like on the radio. However in the mazda....I start out in 2wd where the roads are clear. I come to a snowy uphill section...it has an LSD so I try it, but no chance, rwd and no weight in the rear means I have to shove it in 4wd. I clear the snow and come to open tarmac, I then have to select 2wd to prevent it winding up.....oh look a snowy bit ahead, I need to slow down and hit 4wd again for the duration of the snow....rinse and repeat for the full length of any journey. Yes, it is possible to leave the front hubs locked so I can shift to 4wd on the fly, but it still needs to be below 15mph or so which is just a hassle.

Fuel savings? Nope. Last year I fell foul of Freelanderspares and their bull**** freewheeling vcu. Whilst I read the riot act and got my money back from them, I had unknowingly been driving around in FWD only for the summer, and no fuel saving was apparent.

If you want to try it purely as an act of engineering tinkering, then fair enough, but I fail to see the advantage.
If you want to peak my interest - modify an IRD/gearbox to have a low ratio.....now THAT would be something genuinely worth doing to a freelander.

I would of thought you need a centre diff to stop transmission wind up as this is what the vcu does as well as allowing automatic 2w 4w drive when required

It's been done before. Several years ago. Try a :search:. Guy in Oz ( or was it Taz?) was doing it with a Ford dog clutch system.

To be honest, it is very complicated with little benefit.
If you want an auto 2wd/4wd, sell the Fatlander and get an X-trail.

kev1nlm said:

I am currently trying to make a mechanical replacement for the VCU, I see the benefits as better fuel economy as it will be in true 2wd most of the time, no need to buy a full set of tyres every time and no worries about transmission faults etc as if used properly there should be no wind up on the transmission as the front and rear will be completely seperate

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If improved fuel economy is your primary goal, don't bother as a 2 WD Freelander is a few tenths of a mile per gallon better on fuel and that is probably because 25 Kgs have been removed from the car

to be honest fuel savings isn't my primary goal, I live in Holmfirth which gets very bad winters, I work over the hill in Ashton, I do a motorway run quite regularly, we generally go abroad in the car at least once a year. I love the freelander in the winter it's brilliant so I have no issue with its off road credentials my issue is with the motorway driving I do and the trips abroad, before I used to have 2 cars and the freelander was only used in winter but now were down to 1 car I want to make sure it's going to be happy doing everything and I just think I would prefer (if I can manage to make it!!) to do a few thousand motorway miles every year in 2wd rather than with a VCU, as well as not needing to buy a full set of boots everytime 1 wears out and there be some savings on fuel and a lot less general strain on the IRD!

Nice to see another local LRZ member. I'm in Holmbridge.

Yakko said:

Nice to see another local LRZ member. I'm in Holmbridge.

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Cool I will have chugged / zoomed (depending on vehicle! lol) past you a good few times. I love it in winter. The snow is fantastic!!

Is that your car in your profile, with the big round fogs? I'll keep an eye out for you.

I thought freelanders were normally a 70/30 bias to the front end until the silly-putty in the VCU stiffened up as the b
back end lost traction?
:confused2: