4H or 4Hlc?

[Paolo Pellegrini]

 According with this video for serious offroad on sand dunes 4HLc is preferable from 4H as it is mechanic and not based on fluid and it distributes better power between front and rear.

Today I was driving in 4H my 3.5 LWB and I felt lack of power. Should I use 4HLc in the future?

[Frederic]

12 minutes ago, Paolo Pellegrini said:

 According with this video for serious offroad on sand dunes 4HLc is preferable from 4H as it is mechanic and not based on fluid and it distributes better power between front and rear.

Today I was driving in 4H my 3.5 LWB and I felt lack of power. Should I use 4HLc in the future?

There is no difference in power, but the distribution between the front and rear. Try both 4H and 4Hlc and see if you can find any difference. I’ve never felt any difference for 99% of what we do in the desert. Only on long hill climbs it might give some benefit. 

[Warren Flay]

Think in terms of “what am I trying to achieve?” 4Hlc gives 50/50 power distribution and 4H gives 30/70 front rear so if you are climbing, your weight distribution shifts rearward and 4H is better. If you are on extra soft flat sand or (lol) snow, and the going is tough, 4Hlc will do better. As for power? Need more? Shift down a gear. Know where your engines torque peak is and try to work at or near those revs. 

Edited May 28, 2021 by Warren Flay
Typed 4Llc in error

[Paolo Pellegrini]

Thank you @Warren Flay this is useful. However my initial question was between 4H and 4HLc.  Any thoughts? 😁

[Warren Flay]

7 minutes ago, Paolo Pellegrini said:

Thank you @Warren Flay this is useful. However my initial question was between 4H and 4HLc.  Any thoughts? 😁

Oops! my mistake sorry, 4H is 30/70 4HLC is 50/50

[Cha]

I don't drive Pajero but here is my observation

my car is partime 4x4, so when put on 4wd it's direct connection at center, 50 50 front back 

I have noticed that my steering angle is greater than Tim's LC and Vanessa's Pajero (not sure if she uses 4H or 4HLC but I guess 4H). To follow their tracks I have to over steer sometimes and thus lose some traction in the front. 

[Vanessa8580]

I always drive in 4H, never 4HLc and I don't have any problem with power. I think you just have to learn to drive in manuel gear and get used to the car. Once you are more in sinc with your car, you will feel how much throttle you have to use and when .... 

[Warren Flay]

I'm going to stick my neck out and state with some sureity that I have found my SWB steers better in hard driving conditions in 4HLc.

Reasoning:

The big difference between the LWB and SWB is 400kg weight advantage, all of this is obviously over the rear axle resulting in better weight balance front to rear for the LWB. This is possibly even moreso in the 3.8 engined models.

These missing kilos shift the weight balance heavily toward the nose of the SWB and in any vehicle in any conditions, this results in understeer. In my Carnity experience, this results in my having to take different lines around turns from long wheelbase vehicles and those with better weight balance. I find my car washing out in tight turns and wanting to take a much wider line, especially in tight uphill turns (such as when circumventing pockets), my front axle wants to fall in and I have to aim high. When ridge running, I have to be very careful to take a higher line than other vehicles or my front axle will pull the car down slope resulting in a refusal because I missed the line or crossover point.

For the last two weeks, I have taken to 4HLc and find that the extra power directed to the front tyres results in better turn in and more assured traction in the turns resulting in tighter lines and less 'understeer induced driver error'.

Discuss.

[Frederic]

30 minutes ago, Warren Flay said:

I'm going to stick my neck out and state with some sureity that I have found my SWB steers better in hard driving conditions in 4HLc.

Reasoning:

The big difference between the LWB and SWB is 400kg weight advantage, all of this is obviously over the rear axle resulting in better weight balance front to rear for the LWB. This is possibly even moreso in the 3.8 engined models.

These missing kilos shift the weight balance heavily toward the nose of the SWB and in any vehicle in any conditions, this results in understeer. In my Carnity experience, this results in my having to take different lines around turns from long wheelbase vehicles and those with better weight balance. I find my car washing out in tight turns and wanting to take a much wider line, especially in tight uphill turns (such as when circumventing pockets), my front axle wants to fall in and I have to aim high. When ridge running, I have to be very careful to take a higher line than other vehicles or my front axle will pull the car down slope resulting in a refusal because I missed the line or crossover point.

For the last two weeks, I have taken to 4HLc and find that the extra power directed to the front tyres results in better turn in and more assured traction in the turns resulting in tighter lines and less 'understeer induced driver error'.

Discuss.

Very well documented point @Warren Flay. Honestly as i am leading most of the times i never noticed any difference because i am driving on virgin sand. It's definitely worth and a nice experiment. For the LWB Pajeros it might be less noticable.

[Warren Flay]

2 minutes ago, Frederic said:

Very well documented point @Warren Flay. Honestly as i am leading most of the times i never noticed any difference because i am driving on virgin sand. It's definitely worth and a nice experiment. For the LWB Pajeros it might be less noticable.

Thanks Fred, yes I agree. The weight out behind the rear axle provides a pendulum effect which assists the LWB in a sharp turn. Traveling mid pack and toward the rear I often use the berms to assist in turning the little gold sand plow😂