Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 11:53:28 +0000
From: TREMAIN LYNNE <bmbl-b1@home.com>
Subject: Re: DML: Re: 4x4 crazies
I did a test with our truck last winter I went down a icey street at
50kph (30mph) first in 2wd and tried to stop as quickly as safely
possible, I then did the same thing at the same place in 4wd. I have
rear wheel ABS only, but with it locked in with rear ABS the rear tires
keep turning thus the transfer case keeps the front wheels turning as
well.
--> drive-line lockup with RWABS occurs when you lock you front brakes,
since it is slippery and most of your braking is at the front...the tranfer
case carries this lock-up to the rear wheels which also lock (not the
reverse as you've described) and now you've got the problem of 4 locked
brake, no RWABS and no control.
As long as you don't allow your front brakes to lock, your RWABS works.
There is information on this in your owners manual.
My stopping distance was much shorter,
--> not my experience, stopping distance is the same unless lock-up, then I
guess it might be shorter if you slid sideways into a tree.
this is quite different
from any of the other 4x4's I've ever owned, I've had Ford,Dodge and
Chevy's. I don't condone driving like an idiot in the winter, you drive
a 4x4 with the same care as a two wheel drive, but this Dak is the best
winter braking vehicle I,ve ever owned. I,ve noticed nobody has anything
good to say about the factory Goodyears, but they work better in the
snow than the BFG allterrains,superswampers, or monster mudders, and
I've run everything from 44" swampers to 32" BFG'S (allthough it's
probably the Dak that makes the difference),with 7 months of use I
satisfied with them so far (haven't played in the mud yet)
--> these other tires that you have described are NOT snow tires... you're
right, they will be worse than the Goodyears, by their very design. I
replaced my Goodyears with Michelin LT M&S (not AT) and found a significant
improvement over the Goodyears in rain, snow and dry pavement.
--> If you're in serious snow country, buy 4 stock steel rims and mount 4
narrow studded SNOW tires on them.
Just my .02 worth
Dave T.
99 Solar Yellow CC Sport+ 4x4 31's
64 Mercury Short Box Stepside 4x4 36" swampers
Bret Clark wrote:
>
> >
> > Yep, they have 4 wheel brakes, just like the rest of us, only advantage
> > is traction when accelerating.
>
> Not necessarily, you can downshift and take advantage of the engine slowing
> the vehicle through the engagement of all the wheels. Of course this only
> applies if you don't have 4 wheel ABS in which case slamming on the brakes
> and letting the ABS do it's job is a better bet.
--> done carefully, this will have the same effect as gently applying the
brakes. If done at too high a speed you now have 4 wheels skidding (due to
engine braking) instead of your rears only. Guess what...no steering.
I find downshifting helpful a a 2wd vehicle because even if the rear wheels
are skidding, you can still steer.
Gentle controlled braking is more effective when 4wd is engaged.
>
> Regards,
> Bret
> 94 4X4 Dak
------------------------------
--> My $.02 inserted
Rob Agnew
ragnew@islandnet.com
Victoria, B.C.
Canada
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