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FWD in winter. Open D30 or Locker?

O

offroadordnance

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Florida
I am relocating back up north in a year or so and finalizing the D30 is the next step of the build. I'd like input if the open diff or a $199 Lokka would be best on icy/slushy roads in front wheel drive only mode. My rig will be equipped with Dana 300 twin stick (flipped ), Lokka 8.25, 32" Irok ND's, and 3:55 gears. I'm thinking that running front wheels only would be safest on icy highways in general and around town for the GF who will be learning winter driving for the first time. Selectable lockers are not an option due to cost and my experience level installing them. Anyone input would be appreciated.
 
open/open 4wd is the safest for a newbie snow driver. locked FWD is probably the dumbest thing you can do. locked rear, open front is much more manageable. just be advised, if you are in 2wd the car will swap ends VERY easily with a locked rear in snow/ice. when I had my 93, I had a 242 case (had full time 4wd) and even with the rear locker I felt confident leaving it in full time and handing the keys off to inexperience drivers.
 
ehall said:
If you are going to run in FWD, but still have the option of 4WD on-demand, then I would keep the front open and switch to 4WD when needed.
Click to expand...

FWD = Four Wheel Drive.

OP: Depends.
Open is best when there is no snow or ice. Infact I don't even use 4WD in those conditions.
In snow, it's nice to have traction.
Best option would be a selectable locker.
I have heard good things about limited slip diffs, but no personal experience with that setup.
 
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I guess I was thrown off by the use of FWD on a Jeep forum.

Also, there was a WI company called FWD. Any guess what kind of trucks they made?

Going back to the original post, I don't know if front wheel drive is safer than rear wheel drive in the winter; they both have the pluses and minuses.
 
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WB9YZU said:
I guess I was thrown off by the use of FWD on a Jeep forum.

Also, there was a WI company called FWD. Any guess what kind of trucks they made?

Going back to the original post, I don't know if front wheel drive is safer than rear wheel drive in the winter; they both have the pluses and minuses.
Click to expand...

Same here, haven't seen FWD=four wheel drive before.

The only ways i have ever seen it is:

FWD= front wheel drive
AWD= all wheel drive (full time 4wd, or passive 4wd)
RWD= rear wheel drive
4WD= four wheel drive
 
To clarify, FWD= front wheel drive, Dana 300 twin stick, and selectable not really an option I'd like to pursue with the 3 series carrier. 4wd is fine for those few days the roads aren't 50% dry and 50% slippery ice due to drifting and road salt.

WB9YZU, I'll be either an hour south or east of you and you know the road conditions. I'll be traveling alot between Lake Geneva, Fondy, & Dells.
 
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Use 4x4 on snowy/icy winter roads. A front axle Limited Slip is the best option, it provides very good traction, has no handling or locking/unlocking quirks, and is fully automatic. Otherwise, run open front and Limited Slip or locked rear axle. Naturally, tires with good winter traction are also necessary.
 
running front axle only is not safer. It's dumb.

You've not got CV joints, so in a turn the u joints phase and the wheel speeds change. it gives an odd sensation in turns.

Just put it in 4hi when the road gets slushy. 2wd for everything else.
It's winter driving, you're not doing anything new.

My wife drives a locked 8.25/D30 combo everyday. DOn't be stupid with the throttle and it's fine.
 
Keep the front open, take your time learning the limitations of your tires.
 
87manche said:
running front axle only is not safer. It's dumb.

You've not got CV joints, so in a turn the u joints phase and the wheel speeds change. it gives an odd sensation in turns.

Just put it in 4hi when the road gets slushy. 2wd for everything else.
It's winter driving, you're not doing anything new.

My wife drives a locked 8.25/D30 combo everyday. DOn't be stupid with the throttle and it's fine.
Click to expand...

Didn't think about the U-joints. Thanks for the explanation.
 
ehall said:
The shafts move in and out of the diff to accommodate the u-joint movement. You only feel it in tight turns, completely transparent in normal driving.
Click to expand...

a u joint is not a constant velocity joint. The rotational speed of the tire will change as the u jpoint rotates.

shafts slipping the the carrier have jack to do with it.

turn a u joint and this is absolutely unavoidable.

Also, having driven with just the front axle in the winter time, I'd much rather be driving with the rear. Wen you break traction with the front axle you get understeer. When you break traction with the rear you get oversteer(generally). I'd much rather have oversteer and the ability to correct it with the throttle and steering input than have understeer and slide straight into whatever it was I was trying to avoid.

Take her to a large parking lot, do donuts and 4 wheel drifts. After 20 minutes of that she'll be just fine on a snow covered road. The key is knowing how the vehicle reacts in a slide so you don't panic.
I find a parking lot and slide the hell out of anything I'm driving every winter. Keeps you in practice for the eventual slide on the road.
 
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87manche said:
.

Take her to a large parking lot, do donuts and 4 wheel drifts. After 20 minutes of that she'll be just fine on a snow covered road. The key is knowing how the vehicle reacts in a slide so you don't panic.
I find a parking lot and slide the hell out of anything I'm driving every winter. Keeps you in practice for the eventual slide on the road.
Click to expand...

That is some good advice.

Other than disconnecting the rear drive shaft, I was unaware that front wheel drive was evr an option with the XJ. If it is an option I've learned something new, but I still have to wonder if the terms front wheel drive and four wheel drive are not being confused in this thread.
 
87manche said:
a u joint is not a constant velocity joint.
Click to expand...
hence why the inner shaft moves... the outer shaft is fixed by the hub bearing to the knuckle, so those ears rotate on a fixed plane relative to the wheel. The other ears have to accommodate which in turn forces the inner shaft to move in and out throughout the rotation

http://www.4xshaft.com/driveline101.asp

Also, having driven with just the front axle in the winter time, I'd much rather be driving with the rear. Wen you break traction with the front axle you get understeer. When you break traction with the rear you get oversteer(generally). I'd much rather have oversteer and the ability to correct it with the throttle and steering input than have understeer and slide straight into whatever it was I was trying to avoid.
Click to expand...
This is true, but its not the question the OP asked

Rod Knee said:
Other than disconnecting the rear drive shaft, I was unaware that front wheel drive was evr an option with the XJ.
Click to expand...
OP has a Dana 300 transfercase
 
It explains to you the behavior of a single joint.

Multiple joints are used to phase each other out.

Each axle shaft only has one joint, no phase cancellation, everything goes to the inner (free) shaft which moves in and out of the differential

87manche said:
You've not got CV joints, so in a turn the u joints phase and the wheel speeds change. it gives an odd sensation in turns.
Click to expand...

its only a problem in tight turns
 
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