Do you need all 4 tyres to be matching brand and type for the 4wd system? I believe on BMW for example you do? thanks

I'm sure I've seen in the handbook, that LR suggest you use replace the tyres with the same type. I'm sure plenty of owners don't, but what is potentially unknown, is if this causes issues down the road. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
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It's always best practice to have 4 matching tyres on ANY vehicle.

My FL2 had different (newish) tyres front and rear when I bought it 3 years ago, as they had plenty of tread depth I didn't change them and this has not caused any problems... I do aspire one day to have the same tyres all round but I'm not changing them till they need it.

As I understand it the haldex coupling system on the FL2 means that having identical tyres is not essential.

The Haldex does allow for some slip, if the wheels aren't rotating at the same speed. However as it's a wet clutch system, constantly having to slip on every pull away cycle will cause accelerated clutch pack wear, not to mention the extra strain on an already marginal rear diff, and short lived PTU link tube splines. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
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I'm not sure about this. Even with new identical tyres there are going to be slight differences. Also if you are not going in a dead straight line the haldex has to slip anyway. So I am not convinced that different tyres will have much impact on the life of the haldex unit or the diff etc. I could be wrong though!

It's a tricky one to answer, but anything that forces the front and rear to rotate at different speed must effect component life.

I do know that Haldex based Fords do suffer bad wear of the clutch pack and PTU failure if they are fitted with different tyres front and back. The handbook doesn't mention it, or didn't on ours, but it suffered PTU failure at 40k miles, which the Ford dealer who repaired it said was down to having new tyres put on the front, but the rears were only half worn. Ford picked up the tab because it wasn't in the handbook, and the new front tyres were fitted by another Ford dealer as part of a service. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ionic 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

congoblue wrote:

I'm not sure about this. Even with new identical tyres there are going to be slight differences. Also if you are not going in a dead straight line the haldex has to slip anyway. So I am not convinced that different tyres will have much impact on the life of the haldex unit or the diff etc. I could be wrong though!

I would tend to agree with Jules, the system should not be affected by slight differences in tyres sizes, although I always try to have 4 identical tyres and swap them to even tyre wear. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

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I have slightly different size tyres on the car, more used vs less used. I swapped in my 2 unused spares. If you have 1% difference in rolling distance. Don't panic, don't panic!

The car is basically front wheel drive most of the time until the car itself says, for instance an inside wheel will spin on a tight uphill turn on wet road. I have never got the car to spin a wheel except when I took the fuse out of the boot fuse box.

Put your 2 new tyres on the front as they do most of the work. Front left tyre is the one most likely to get a puncture. I actually have my 2 best tyres on the rear as I'm doing some acoustic testing, front to rear. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

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A full description of the working of the haldex is around page 319 (of 3329) of the repair manual.
Please read this as I can only copy small bits for here, and also the Terrain Control / Active On-Demand sections make for an interesting read and explanation of our very complicated FL2 transmission system.

As far as I can see, the Haldex never fully decouples.
It is controlled by a 'pulse width modulated' signal.
(and nothing mentions tyres)

I believe that all the talk about tyres and axle speeds is to do with the older FL1 model.


(Extracts from repair manual)

Generation 4 Active On-Demand Coupling - Vehicles from 2009MY

The generation 4 coupling does not have the differential speed driven pump used on the previous generation 3 coupling, but is fitted with a bigger capacity electrically operated axial pump and a high pressure accumulator.

The proportional throttle valve and pressure sensor on the generation 3 coupling is replaced with a proportional pressure reducing valve.

The torque limiter pressure reducing valve on the generation 3 coupling is replaced by an electronic control valve and controlling software.

The generation 4 active on-demand coupling gives the following improvements over the previous generation 3 coupling:

Reduced base torque at high differential speeds

Torque activation is now independent of differential speed

Accurate torque limiter control

Energy stored in high pressure accumulator giving a low maximum current consumption of the electric pump and
faster response.


Active On-Demand Coupling Control

The active on-demand coupling control module has 2 operating strategies; pre-emptive and reactive.

The pre-emptive strategy anticipates and predicts the locking torque value required to minimize slip and maximize stability. Each Terrain Response program has a different threshold and input criteria for the pre-emptive strategy. For example, a higher locking torque would be applied on slippery surfaces.

The reactive strategy varies the amount of locking torque in response to the actual slip level and the dynamic behavior of the vehicle. Each Terrain Response program has a different threshold and input for the reactive strategy. The reactive strategy improves vehicle traction and composure by eliminating any wheel spin which has occurred after the pre-emptive strategy was applied. The locking response applied is applicable to the terrain program selected. For example, very sensitive on slippery surfaces to provide maximum traction and minimize surface damage.

The locking torque calculations use various signals from other sub-systems, for example, engine torque, accelerator pedal position, selected gear, steering angle, vehicle speed, lateral acceleration, yaw behavior.

The DSC function of the ABS system can override the active on-demand coupling control and reduce any applied locking
torque during DSC action.

Incorrect Program Usage

Selection of an inappropriate program is discouraged in the following ways:

The active program icon is continually displayed in the instrument cluster message center

The Terrain Response control module 'locks' out certain functions in some programs, for example:
- cruise control is only available with the special programs off or grass/gravel/snow program
- transmission 'Sport' mode is deactivated in all special programs.

When the ignition has been in the off mode, continually for more than 6 hours, the Terrain Response system defaults to the special programs off.

Selection of an inappropriate program for the terrain conditions will not endanger the driver or cause damage to the vehicle. Continued use of an inappropriate program may reduce the life of some components. The driver may notice reduced vehicle response, with the engine and transmission being less responsive than in special programs off. Also, in some programs, HDC will remain on, signified by illumination of the HDC indicator in the instrument cluster. The driver may also notice torque 'wind-up' in the active on-demand coupling causing a braking effect when the vehicle is manoeuvred in some special programs.


User Error

The following incorrect usage of the system may be misinterpreted as a system fault:

Engine not running - Program changes and driver advisory messages are only available with the engine running

Special program change attempted with DSC or ABS active (this includes ABS cycling which is operational when HDC is being used on slippery or loose surfaces)

Special program change attempted with overheat condition present on the active on-demand coupling FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
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Last edited by IanMetro on 29th Jun 2023 9:52 am. Edited 2 times in total

An interesting topic this as I have mismatched tyres at the moment.
While I think it is correct that the system favours front wheel drive I think it is pretty quick to react and use 4wd when it thinks it needs to.
I have read somewhere that it uses 4wd on moving off, plus in corners. A couple of things back this up.
1) A few people have said that removing the haldex fuse ruins the handing. It would make no difference if it normally drove in 2wd.
2) I did a test when got my car. Went to gravel track, stopped and booted it. I had assumed it would first spin the front wheels then, when it realised that was happening, run up the back and take off. Not a bit of it. Both ends gripped and it took of like a scalded cat. I tried it again on sand with the similar results although there you could immediately hear the tc kicking in.
So the haldex was either very quick to react or was already (at least partially) engaged.

My theory is that, if you want to be sure, it is best to have the newer/larger tyres on the front. That way, in normal use, the front is spinning slower than the rear. So it looks like, if anything, the rears have lost grip and spinning and the front is fine. That way the system will take power away from the rear and all is good.
If it was the other way round (ie front is faster than the rear) then the system might think the front wheels are spinning and hence put power to the back and cause transmission wind up.
But that is just a theory and I haven't a clue how much speed differential is needed to cause the system to engage the haldex so don't know how critical any of this is. FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

The Freelander 2 is in AWD more than many realise. The Haldex is definitely locked when pulling away from rest, but also locks up when more than about 50% throttle is applied in lower gears too. When my Haldex was misbehaving, I put my diagnostic reader on live data, as I was getting thumping from the rear in 3rd while accelerating. The diag on live data showed the Haldex was being commanded to engage at up to 40 MPH, when I used more than about 50% throttle.

As for it locking or slipping, I can say with absolute certainty that it will slip, if the torque through the clutch pack exceeds it's torque limit. The maximum torque limit for the Gen3 is 500Nm, which isn't that much compared to the torque through a vehicle drive train, so easily overcome by the tyres.
The Gen4 is more capable, having a torque limit of up to 1500Nm, but even that can be overcome by the tyres on dry tarmac. So when the wheels are tuning at different rotational speeds and the Haldex is locked, either the tyres must slip, or the clutch in the Haldex slips, there's no other choice, as the difference in rotation of the tyres must be relieved somewhere, which can only be through the Haldex.

Hse Lux wrote:

Do you need all 4 tyres to be matching brand and type for the 4wd system? I believe on BMW for example you do? thanks

Nodge68 wrote:

The Freelander 2 is in AWD more than many realise. The Haldex is definitely locked when pulling away from rest, but also locks up when more than about 50% throttle is applied in lower gears too. When my Haldex was misbehaving, I put my diagnostic reader on live data, as I was getting thumping from the rear in 3rd while accelerating. The diag on live data showed the Haldex was being commanded to engage at up to 40 MPH, when I used more than about 50% throttle.

As for it locking or slipping, I can say with absolute certainty that it will slip, if the torque through the clutch pack exceeds it's torque limit. The maximum torque limit for the Gen3 is 500Nm, which isn't that much compared to the torque through a vehicle drive train, so easily overcome by the tyres.
The Gen4 is more capable, having a torque limit of up to 1500Nm, but even that can be overcome by the tyres on dry tarmac. So when the wheels are tuning at different rotational speeds and the Haldex is locked, either the tyres must slip, or the clutch in the Haldex slips, there's no other choice, as the difference in rotation of the tyres must be relieved somewhere, which can only be through the Haldex.