boomhauer
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Vancouver Island
Well by tomorrow morning we should have up to 30cm/1ft. of snow. I went out tonight to see what my XJ would be like fully locked No-Slip rr, Aussie fr. in the ice and snow.
What a blast! I see how you could lose control at high speeds or not paying attention, but really it's a lot of fun. Not hard to control at all. On icy streets with curves i was able to maintain speed (did not take foot off throttle) and just drive through the curve without it even trying to go straight. I was surprised by this, so i thought i'd do it again, but this time remove my foot before the curve and coast through. This provided less control, sloppy steering because you are being controlled by the snow tracks/ice ruts etc. I didn't like this method of handling BUT if it's crazy out and theres cars around, this is the route to take as a courteous and safe method for slow going and it's easier to come to a stop.(remember when stopping on ice neutral is your friend. You can cut your stopping distances in half by slipping the shifter into Neutral, this will give you more control.)
Then i tried the curve at 50kph and gave 'er in the turn, now she wanted to go straight, even with light acceleration (tried both methods). I have the AW4, if you use your brakes, neutral and the gas (2 foot it) you'll have a hoot!
Summary: It's controllable, fun, and i do not regret putting it in at all!
NOTE: With great power comes great responsibility.
Much more fun than an open diff. If you have to DD highway, stick to open front with locked rear.
Don't get cocky on public streets where people may get hurt. Practice in parking lots or fields. I've you are nice to the locker, it'll be nice to you.
If you consider yourself a 'driver' (if you have to ask, you are not one.) then by all means enjoy. This is not for the meek or timid in the white or icy stuff. Do NOT let anyone drive your XJ without you in it.
I am going to do some highway practice and pull some maneouvers and let you what happens at highway speeds.
HTH
What a blast! I see how you could lose control at high speeds or not paying attention, but really it's a lot of fun. Not hard to control at all. On icy streets with curves i was able to maintain speed (did not take foot off throttle) and just drive through the curve without it even trying to go straight. I was surprised by this, so i thought i'd do it again, but this time remove my foot before the curve and coast through. This provided less control, sloppy steering because you are being controlled by the snow tracks/ice ruts etc. I didn't like this method of handling BUT if it's crazy out and theres cars around, this is the route to take as a courteous and safe method for slow going and it's easier to come to a stop.(remember when stopping on ice neutral is your friend. You can cut your stopping distances in half by slipping the shifter into Neutral, this will give you more control.)
Then i tried the curve at 50kph and gave 'er in the turn, now she wanted to go straight, even with light acceleration (tried both methods). I have the AW4, if you use your brakes, neutral and the gas (2 foot it) you'll have a hoot!
Summary: It's controllable, fun, and i do not regret putting it in at all!
NOTE: With great power comes great responsibility.
Much more fun than an open diff. If you have to DD highway, stick to open front with locked rear.
Don't get cocky on public streets where people may get hurt. Practice in parking lots or fields. I've you are nice to the locker, it'll be nice to you.
If you consider yourself a 'driver' (if you have to ask, you are not one.) then by all means enjoy. This is not for the meek or timid in the white or icy stuff. Do NOT let anyone drive your XJ without you in it.
I am going to do some highway practice and pull some maneouvers and let you what happens at highway speeds.
HTH