Is HDC necessary on any of the LR's with low Range. I am sure that some D2's have it and I think the D3 may also have it. Unless they have changed it, HDC operated at 8km/h and I know that low
1st would not let you anywhere near that sort of speed. So what's the point or am I missing something? Can any flash model LR owners elighten me as to the usefulness of HDC?
I must say that my auto 300Tdi disco auto does go a little faster than my old ser111 in low first but not alarmingly so.
IIRC HDC was a freelander technology item, that the boys in suits thought might be funky to showoff across the rest of the range. A hippo not having low range needed the trickery for descents
On a properly steep slope, ticking along in 1st gear low can cause the wheels to skid as the engine braking effect forces the wheels to break grip. You then have to dip the clutch to speed up and stop the truck swinging round. I believe that HDC would cater for that, although I'm not convinced I'd prefer it to doing it myself.
I suppose that you chaps are more used to mud and slime than we are, although we do sometimes get some good rainfall. I must say that I have never had the back wheels overtake me but then I am usually at home if the weather is bleak enough to provoke wheel sliding etc.
Does make me think what to do in an auto if the situation you describe occurs, as you would usually not be driving with one hand on the shifter deady to engage drive. On the rare occasion when the wheels have started sliding on my old serIII I used to just accelerate a touch.
As for HDC, I am not convinced it would handle this sitation too well. My firends D2 TD5 ES went galloping up a very snowy and icy sani pass with the taction control working a treat, but coming down he nearly soiled his rods and immediately went off to purchase some chains. Not sure if his wagon has HDC though.
All D2s have HDC. I have never felt the need to use it (I've had two, and auto and a manual), so can't comment, but even an autobox in 1st low will trickle pretty well. If it starts to toboggan, just give it a bit of gas to bring it in line and get the wheels gripping again.
On or around Wed, 12 Jul 2006 12:54:39 +0200, fanie enlightened us thusly:
HDC is basically special low-speed ABS on all 4 wheels. This, as with ABS on the road, will give you almost-maximum braking and maximum control for the surface you're on. If it's too steep or too slippery it'll take off at a rate of knots.
On loose dry stuff, maximum braking is achieved by locking the wheels and pushing a wedge of material in front of them (dry gravel, fresh dry snow for example) but this only applies to stopping, not to steering as well.
I imagine that HDC will get you more safely down marginal slopes where the traditional low-1-and-feet-off starts to go wrong. I doubt it'd have stopped me going half-off the edge of the road I went off in the snow, had I had it - simple case of not enough grip, although depending on what it does when all 4 wheels lose grip it might have left me with enough steering to point down the road. whether I'd have got around the bend at the bottom, I don't know :-)
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