Airdam made of lawn edging

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

It's not designed for that. If you read your manual, you'll see that it's meant for loose surfaces only.

That's just lawyer talk to maintain the warranty.

[66sprint6]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

It's not designed for that. If you read your manual, you'll see that it's meant for loose surfaces only.

Loose surfaces...meaning...wet roads, icy roads, gravel roads, dirt roads, Dusty Rhodes etc? Glad we could all finally agree on that point I will continue to use my 4wd on icy slick roads, its proven itself safer and if it stresses the drivetrain...so be it, better than endin up in a ditch or worse. Hell, even off road your not ALWAYS on loose surfaces and to tell the truth, I, as will be the case with most people, am alot harder on my truck off the road in 4wd that I am on an icy, slick, "loose" surface street.

Sorry to be a part of the major HiJack in progress, if this thread is ever meant to get back on track I will try to start by sayin, I happened to be at the hardware store and thought about this thread and a couple others so I grabbed up some edging for myself, hope to have some good weather this weekend to mess with it some!

Matt

[66sprint6]

Originally Posted by kach22i

That's just lawyer talk to maintain the warranty.

And my 88's warranty ran out a looooooooooong time ago. The new warranty rides in my back pocket and looks an aweful lot like a wallet. I consulted it last winter and it said, "Put that ******* in 4wd you idiot before I have to shell out big bucks for body work and medical bills" LOL
Matt

[Sven7]

Tech question: When it hops around on the pavement, that means the differential's being pushed too hard right? And wouldn't that mean it might have an LSD, limiting the difference? I don't recall pickups having limited slips stock.

[Frank Lee]

My '94 has two open diffs; lock the transfer case and it'll hop on dry surfaces during turns. This is a bad thing. The diffs are open so they are not the ones complaining.

[Sven7]

Ok, so earlier we were referring to locked diffs. Why would you lock your diffs on pavement?

[66sprint6]

Lockin your hubs and lockin your diff = two different things. Locking the hubs will allow the power to go to the front wheels, lockin the diffs keep both front or both rear tires goin together. Locked diffs are NOT good on pavement, but runnin around town with your hubs locked when you think you will need it will NOT hurt a thing. Limited slips and even electric lockers come on quite a few trucks from the factory. Fords run a trac-loc in every GT mustang and alot of F-series trucks. The Dodge Ram Powerwagon and some new Jeeps have elec. locking diffs. My cousin's 2wd Tacoma has an elec. locking rear diff. They are great for gettin out of a snow drift or lockin up off road for even more traction. My 88 F150 has open front and rear but will soon have a trac loc rear.
Matt

[winkosmosis]

The reason it hops has nothing to do with the diffs. When you steer a vehicle, the front and rear tires spin at different speeds (in addition to the left/right speed difference). With the transfer case locking the axles together, they can't spin at different speeds. Instead, tension builds up in the driveline and when it releases you get hopping.

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by 66sprint6

Loose surfaces...meaning...wet roads, icy roads, gravel roads, dirt roads, Dusty Rhodes etc? Glad we could all finally agree on that point I will continue to use my 4wd on icy slick roads, its proven itself safer and if it stresses the drivetrain...so be it, better than endin up in a ditch or worse. Hell, even off road your not ALWAYS on loose surfaces and to tell the truth, I, as will be the case with most people, am alot harder on my truck off the road in 4wd that I am on an icy, slick, "loose" surface street.

Sorry to be a part of the major HiJack in progress, if this thread is ever meant to get back on track I will try to start by sayin, I happened to be at the hardware store and thought about this thread and a couple others so I grabbed up some edging for myself, hope to have some good weather this weekend to mess with it some!

Matt

Wet roads aren't a loose surface. Ice would be less hard on the drivetrain because it's slippery.... but the reason that helps is because it allows the tires to slip to relieve the speed difference. You're forcing your tires to break loose from the ice and claiming it makes you safer.

[66sprint6]

What? Forcing my tires to break loose how? You do know that it only hops when doin a sharp turn, on mine it only happens right before full lock turn. You just have to watch out for sharp turns (dont try to u turn in the same lane lol). In Ice and any other condition your gonna be goin SLOW around those turns...at least you should be. Therefore if there is any slip, its not that big of a deal and still safe. You also know that unless you have a LOCKER in the front or rear diff, the tires will go at different speeds around turns regardless of whether you have 4wd engaged or your front hubs locked. They are the same as an open rear differential. "Locking" the hubs doesnt mean locking the diff itself, it just allows you to get the power from the transfer case to the wheels. You can argue all you want, but 4wd on an icy road is better than 2wd in same vehicle. FACT. Another fact is that is doesnt matter how many wheels you have spinnin, if they are spinnin they arent gripping and your in for trouble so you still gotta drive smart lol
Matt