Which one?
- Thread starter Jaredlloydphoto
- Start date
Blaise
Well-known member
You're welcome to add Seattle to the list. If you need you can PM me with links to trucks to check out. Fly out, sleep and drive back. Plenty of rich folk who used these to haul their kids and never left pavement.
I agree with the others that the HD package isn't necessary but it's nice. My truck had one and was significantly less expensive than both examples you listed.
I personally would go with the one with less miles given that both appear to have been properly maintained. The 17K miles difference is a year or two of driving and like time, you can never get miles back. I would try to work the lower miles one down on price. if you're dealing with a dealer of some sort you are at an advantage right now as you have both the end of the month and the end of the first half of the year on your side....sales folks are motivated to hit their quota numbers.
My 2008 HSE Lux with HD has been fantastic....not a single problem, thought mine only has 53K on the odometer
I'm one of the ones on the other side of the HD argument as I viewed it as an absolute requirement when I was searching for my LR3...the one time you'll absolutely need it, you'll wish you had it. I was very patient and persistent in my search (nearly 5 months and a lot of calls to my dealer for VIN look ups to determine HD or not) which ultimately led to my gem find.
My 2008 HSE Lux with HD has been fantastic....not a single problem, thought mine only has 53K on the odometer
I'm one of the ones on the other side of the HD argument as I viewed it as an absolute requirement when I was searching for my LR3...the one time you'll absolutely need it, you'll wish you had it. I was very patient and persistent in my search (nearly 5 months and a lot of calls to my dealer for VIN look ups to determine HD or not) which ultimately led to my gem find.
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Jaredlloydphoto
New member
thanks! I have been eyeing the Seattle market, but pretty few and far between save for the 2005 and 2006 models - at least on CarGurus. Most everything there seems to be LR4 - guess they don't want to be seen slumming
Jaredlloydphoto
New member
Even with VIN in hand, how are you able to dig up the HD info?I personally would go with the one with less miles given that both appear to have been properly maintained. The 17K miles difference is a year or two of driving and like time, you can never get miles back. I would try to work the lower miles one down on price. if you're dealing with a dealer of some sort you are at an advantage right now as you have both the end of the month and the end of the first half of the year on your side....sales folks are motivated to hit their quota numbers.
My 2008 HSE Lux with HD has been fantastic....not a single problem, thought mine only has 53K on the odometer
Blaise
Well-known member
Jump in, toggle the 4x4 menu. Lock on rear axle? You've got a locker.
Or you can look underneath for the actuator mechanism. Either way it's not essential, just added bonus jaw-dropping points to my FJ Cruiser buddy who was watching me crawl right up everything with front wheels alternating on being in the air...
Or you can look underneath for the actuator mechanism. Either way it's not essential, just added bonus jaw-dropping points to my FJ Cruiser buddy who was watching me crawl right up everything with front wheels alternating on being in the air...
With the VIN you can call any LR Service department and ask them to pull up the build sheet which will state whether or not it has a rear locker. My local LR dealer probably ran over 100 VINs for me over my 5 month search.
Ray_G
Explorer
My 2008 HSE Lux with HD has been fantastic....not a single problem, thought mine only has 53K on the odometer
What I have noticed is the HD need/want/whatever often depends very much on where you wheel (not saying that is true in Perkj's case, just a general observation). Folks out west or in places that tend to deal with dry conditions really can get the full benefit from it.
I did a side by side comparison with an HD HSE testing EAS vs coils (mine was the coil, non-HD truck) and we found that there was some benefit to the locker but not nearly as significant as good tires (both trucks were the exact same in that regard) and even then you can't overcome the weight of the truck in a wet, muddy situation. Locker or not. That's a non-scientific test valid only for pig snot slick WV mud, but was very interesting given the experiment allowed each of us to drive each truck and then reflect on it-hitting the same obstacles in the same way since we were at his offroad park.
Anyway you slice it the benefit of a locker will be more mechanical sympathy if one drives a truck with the 'fast as necessary, slow as possible' mindset that doesn't thrash the truck but instead pushes it without unnecessary breakage. The locker will give just a little more traction aid to that effort.
I tend to build trucks to the point where if I need a locker for what I'm doing, I'm glad I have a winch...cause I'll pull cable before I beat the piss out of it trying to get through an obstacle.
Sorry to tangent onto a philosophical discussion.
r-
R
Victory_Overland
Explorer
This picture does not do it justice, however, the flag should be an indicator since it's required in the Imperial Sand Dunes! I run 18 psi on the fronts and 22psi in the rear (Keynote, I'm on 17" KM2's) for 90% of my offroad driving. I do air down to about 15psi for sand specific driving since sideloading is not much of a factor, that (15psi) is probably too low for anything outside of straight sand on my configuration. No chance I would run that low on 18" wheels unless you are running a larger diameter than stock.
This picture was taken at the entrance into the dunes, I tend not to stop in the dunes for photo ops, but if I do, I stop over the crest on the downhill. I ran through them all weekend with zero problems and in Hawaii, I drove on the beach almost every weekend with zero problems on factory 18". A little air pressure goes a long way in the sand as I've been buried up to the doors before which was not fun....hahaha The traction control is fabulous so on the beach, be cognizant of where you stop but for the most part, you are free to start and stop anywhere you want within reasonable off-road common sense.
Low-Range, manual shift, 2nd gear to start, 3rd for cruising and you're in it to win it! Shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear are optimal with RPM management at or about 2800rpm is optimal (IMO only!). At or about 2800 seems to give me the best power on demand for momentum over and around the bowls; sometimes lower, sometimes higher it's just about getting what you are comfy with and how heavy your configuration.
My opinion, save your time and money on the locker search and do a V6 brake mod for 17" wheels!
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Jaredlloydphoto
New member
Thanks for all the information folks. I picked up a 2008 LR3 SE this weekend. Drove down to Denver to buy it. Made it to Casper Wyoming on the drive back to Montana only to find a wonderful whirring / grinding sound that is similar to the sound that worn rotors make - only, this has nothing to do with breaking (happens when driving forward but not reverse, and can only hear it when going slow). Yay! Turned around, and now back in Denver waiting for dealership to open in the morning to have them investigate and fix. Fun with expensive toys.
If I can ever make it out of Denver, I plan on running Crazy Woman Canyon in the Bighorns as a treat to myself for all the hassle - super simple forest road, but mind blowing scenery along the way. My wife and I drove down in the 100 series LC to get this. When things went south, I sent her on back to Bozeman with our pups and, accidentally, my camera equipment I had toted along with me (I play with cameras for a living). So, unfortunately Ill have nothing to show for the trip through Crazy Woman other than a few lousy iPhone shots lol.
So far, I'm already in love with this truck. Despite the setback, what driving I have done with it has already shown me that the LR3 was everything I was hoping it to be on the highway. I put down around 30k+ miles a year on a truck. Ill be driving up to the Icefields Parkway in Canada in a couple weeks, and then to Alaska in August. So, as much I bought this vehicle for its off road chops, storage capacity, and backcountry sleeping space, throwing down some serious highway miles in comfort was the other part of that equation for me.
If I can ever make it out of Denver, I plan on running Crazy Woman Canyon in the Bighorns as a treat to myself for all the hassle - super simple forest road, but mind blowing scenery along the way. My wife and I drove down in the 100 series LC to get this. When things went south, I sent her on back to Bozeman with our pups and, accidentally, my camera equipment I had toted along with me (I play with cameras for a living). So, unfortunately Ill have nothing to show for the trip through Crazy Woman other than a few lousy iPhone shots lol.
So far, I'm already in love with this truck. Despite the setback, what driving I have done with it has already shown me that the LR3 was everything I was hoping it to be on the highway. I put down around 30k+ miles a year on a truck. Ill be driving up to the Icefields Parkway in Canada in a couple weeks, and then to Alaska in August. So, as much I bought this vehicle for its off road chops, storage capacity, and backcountry sleeping space, throwing down some serious highway miles in comfort was the other part of that equation for me.
Jaredlloydphoto
New member
17 inch rims or doing some cutting on the wheel wells is definitely in my future. All of our other vehicles have 16 inch rims with 285 Cooper AT3s mounted on them (i love these things!), and all that meat just does wonders for really dumping the air when needed. Like you, I'm old school in the sand - 15psi is my go to deflation with the occasional 8 - 10 psi if its really really really bad sand (shell fragments and pea gravel that holds water and causes you to sink a foot just from weight). The dealership (not a LR dealer) stuck new 265 Nexen Roadian AT tires on there (18" rims of course) - which look like they wont be worth much in mud / snow / sand, and I'm not sure how well the would squat with 20 psi - let alone 15.
Ray_G
Explorer
Congrats on the purchase!
Internet level diagnosis: wheel bearing.
Of course returning it to the dealer makes sense-and FWIW, I had to do the same thing with my truck but it was due to water ingress and the electrical issues that can cause. Not the best way to start ownership.
If it was/is the wheel bearing the good news down the road is that's a simple job to DIY when needed.
Take a look around here (and join the D3.uk forum); as you look at 17's several options out there-I'm keenest at the moment on trying out BMW X5 wheels with MT's. My 18's are doing well with BFG KO2s but like any AT they fill up with mud, and mud is what I end up in more than anything else.
BTW, pics or this thread is worthless.
r-
Ray
Internet level diagnosis: wheel bearing.
Of course returning it to the dealer makes sense-and FWIW, I had to do the same thing with my truck but it was due to water ingress and the electrical issues that can cause. Not the best way to start ownership.
If it was/is the wheel bearing the good news down the road is that's a simple job to DIY when needed.
Take a look around here (and join the D3.uk forum); as you look at 17's several options out there-I'm keenest at the moment on trying out BMW X5 wheels with MT's. My 18's are doing well with BFG KO2s but like any AT they fill up with mud, and mud is what I end up in more than anything else.
BTW, pics or this thread is worthless.
r-
Ray
Victory_Overland
Explorer
Concur on the wheel bearing! Buy Timken units and a super easy replacement, do both sides at the same time and may as well do the CV boots while you are in there. On that note, axle seals too. All of that is relatively cheap and you’ll get a lot of life out of it right away.
The list is in my build thread if you want links to the parts as I just did most of that stuff a few months back.
The list is in my build thread if you want links to the parts as I just did most of that stuff a few months back.
Jaredlloydphoto
New member
Spent all day in the shop today and back in a hotel for another night. The dealership and associated mechanics were 100% convinced that the problem was with the brakes - for some reason. All things considered, the problem seemed more differential than anything else. Chatting first thing this morning, I started to protest, but then thought better of it. Worse case scenario? I get a new set of brakes out of the dealership. So, by around noon, a guy came out smiling with my keys in hand and told me all was ready to go. I thanked him profusely, and then asked him to go for a ride with me. I told him that I had a 10 hour drive ahead of me, and I needed to be sure. I kidnapped the guy from the dealership for about 30 mins, explaining that my experience was that the problem got worse with heat. After driving for a while, I swung the LR3 behind a large building hoping that it would help amplify the sound given that they told me they drove it and all was fixed. Sure enough, there it was as loud as ever.
So back to the shop.
I pleaded with them to at least humor me and check the rear diff. Lifting the truck a foot off the ground, they engaged the cruise control to get the tires spinning. The sound was loud enough that everyone in the shop turned to look this time. The mechanic lifted the truck all the way into the air, stuck his stethoscope to the rear diff, and blurted an expletive. Low and behold, it was the rear differential.
They found a differential on a similar age RRS for me. The part was pulled this evening, and will be installed tomorrow morning. Given that it needs to happen anyways, and the fact that I'm on hotel room #3 now because of this, I requested that they go ahead and change fluids in front diff and transfercase once they have the new-used rear diff installed. Fingers crossed!
So back to the shop.
I pleaded with them to at least humor me and check the rear diff. Lifting the truck a foot off the ground, they engaged the cruise control to get the tires spinning. The sound was loud enough that everyone in the shop turned to look this time. The mechanic lifted the truck all the way into the air, stuck his stethoscope to the rear diff, and blurted an expletive. Low and behold, it was the rear differential.
They found a differential on a similar age RRS for me. The part was pulled this evening, and will be installed tomorrow morning. Given that it needs to happen anyways, and the fact that I'm on hotel room #3 now because of this, I requested that they go ahead and change fluids in front diff and transfercase once they have the new-used rear diff installed. Fingers crossed!