Re: Successful Transplant !

"Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:vfh707$3c21d$1@dont-email.me...
On 10/25/2024 2:51 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Clare Snyder"  wrote in message news:g12ohjt801lb7phvn7c047l5jvegsiu8ee@4ax.com...
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My '96Ranger 4 liter 5 speed was my first "limited slip" vehicle.
SZtill have it at 392000km and still love it - but the first thing
that caught my attention was that when you got the rear wheels
spinning is you lost your "rudder". The non-spinner with an open rear
end keeps the vehicle going more or less in a straight line. When both
are spinning the rear end pretty much goes wherever it wants!!!...
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The same happens to my 91 Ranger's light rear end on ice even without limited slip. Dirt (and ice) biking gave me the instinctive reflexes to stay in control with the rear wheels flopping around. Ice on the road isn't limited to storms, melt water from snow banks freezes when the sun goes down.
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Pickup trucks in general (and some cars) are notoriously bad in dirt,
sand, or maybe slippery stuff due to the lack of weight on the rear
axle.  The addition of as little as a couple hundred pounds over the
axle makes a huge difference.  I know this first hand.  My station wagon
was better in the sand (with similar size tires) than most empty pickup
trucks.  My first car was a very light 67 Ford Cortina (English Ford),
It was intended as a "dune buggy" by a previous owner who installed 60s
on the front and 50s on the rear.  It was terrible until I dropped a
couple bags of concrete in the trunk.  It didn't magically turn it into
a dune buggy, but it was pretty good after that.
Crew cabs tend to have better weight distribution, but that is offset by
increased overall weight.  Add some decent width tires and they aren't
to bad in the sand.
Bob La Londe
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When I wanted to play in the sand I rode my Suzuki 185 with trials tire that behaved well on the road getting there. While it and I weren't competitive I could at least finish the long Enduro runs the motorcycle club I belonged to hosted, and struggle through the Trials (stunt) events. I practiced for their ice racing and could do at 10 MPH what good riders could at 60.
The Ranger fit narrow forest trails better than a full sized pickup but not nearly as well as the bike which could handle everything from deer paths to the Interstate. The tires didn't tear up the ground and cause erosion like knobbies, which was fine with me as I prefer to 'tread lightly' when exploring and camping, which was Club policy to keep areas open to us. The Ranger was fine for collecting firewood until I had cut everything within reach of the trails, then I inherited a garden tractor that pulled a single-width snowmobile trailer between the trees.
Weighting the back is common practice here though the weight can be a safety hazard in a collision. I was commuting in stop-and-go-fast bumper-to-bumper Boston area traffic so the risk was high. Every morning the news shows several roads blocked by crashes.
https://country1025.com/2023/12/boston-named-4th-worst-driving-city-in-us-boston-drivers-thats-better-than-we-thought/
I agree about NYC being worse, though not by much. Boston driving habits continue all over the extensive suburbs where the high tech jobs are. German city traffic was as dense but perhaps not quite as rude, in Boston obeying stop signs and red lights marks you as a tourist.
The Ranger's 4WD locks the front and rear axles together so the tires skid during turns on dry pavement, and the dealership told me from a customer's experience that leaving it in 4WD will wear out the drivetrain in 20,000 miles. In mostly 2WD the OEM lubed-for-(their)-life driveshaft U joints wore or corroded loose just after the warranty expired. In sunny winter weather the road can alternate between sunny dry and shaded ice which the system can't really handle, especially at icy corners. The motorized 4WD engagement responds too slowly.
My bad weather solution was a Honda CRV with full time AWD and much more passenger and enclosed cargo space for elderly parents, luggage and a wheelchair. The first generation CRV was a Land Rover body design with decent off road (snowmobile trail) capability. Land Rover sold it as the identical-looking Freelander, with a BMW drive train. I claim that the large windows are to better view the hungry lions circling outside. There is a 12V outlet in the back for the powered cooler you need in the Kalahari, a folding picnic table as the hatch area floor and a tub for the kitchen sink under it. Owners who drive a lot get 300,000 miles from them before they rust through, I welded patches in the holes and kept going. It gave me 20 trouble-free years before the rubber and plastic parts all began to fail.
Michelin Arctic Alpins let the car drive on ice nearly as surely as dry pavement. Their downsides are more rapid wear of the soft rubber compound and hydroplaning on deep slush or water. The car is stable sliding and stays pointing ahead, which makes it safer but less fun to play in, no more bootlegger turns.
jsw