which will have better TRACTION?

[Olive Drab]

curious lang ako..
which will have better TRACTION? (mud)
1. ordinary 4x4 on mud tires
2. 4x4 on A/T tires but with lockers

my guess is #2. comment?

[kimpOy]

lockers has an advantage talaga

[Ungas]

Iba ang principles ng lockers compared to tire threads. Tires will be useless if power from the engine is transferred to less traction side.

I should site what happened when I was observing a pickup trailing on mud terrain with LSD. Even if the LSD is operating normally, locking both left and right wheels, the AT tires did not have that grip on muds. (maybe the pickup has a lighter body?)

I'd vouch for diff lockers with AT tires anytime! :D

[tebs]

i guess that mud tires would do better in the mud.

kasi naka lockers ka nga, pero yung wheel mo dumudulas naman because AT lang sya. parang useless din.

ps: haka-haka ko lang to ha

[bogart]

Originally posted by tebs
i guess that mud tires would do better in the mud.

kasi naka lockers ka nga, pero yung wheel mo dumudulas naman because AT lang sya. parang useless din.

ps: haka-haka ko lang to ha

i agree. kasi nasubukan ko yung 02 ranger 4x4 with AT sa putikan. susme, umiikot nga yung apat na gulong pero di naman makaahon.

pero ako lang siguro yun.

[pajerokid]

id say #2. Aanhin mo naman ang MT tires kung umiikot fruitlessly (traction loss)

[OTEP]

lockers din ako. At least the power gets to the ground.

[Wolverine]

Actually this is a very interesting question and tricky too. The answer to it all depends on the terrain you re driving on. If the terrain is uneven and there is the potential for one tire on either end to lift above ground, then you are better of with A/T's using lockers because the tire with some traction will continue to try propelling you forward.

If however, the terrain is also muddy but on level ground, the equation changes. If i were to put you on clay soil,with about 1 inch of the surface being wet, your A/T's would just spin all day but not move you forward. The surface would be too slick and your shallow treads would be completely covered with clay making it look like a slick tire. The M/T would be able to dig better and expel the shallow clay better than the A/T and could reach the drier portion of the surface thus enabling you to have traction. And since both tires are planted on the surface, both would be spinning because the load on the axles are equal.

In other words, if you anticipate a lot of flexing and suspension articulation, go with the lockered A/T. If it's just a mud run, stick with the M/T.

The best combo is to have a lockered A/T and chains in your truck for the really nasty clay or mud. Hope this answered the question. Happy Trails!

[Rod & Bubbles]

Tama si wolverine. but I'd go with mud tires. much cheaper than lockers. And from experience locked AT's still don't get you anywhere on mud. Pero swampers ko usually get me out in 2H. Btw, Kasama ko si Bogart kanina sa payanig and dala yung ranger. at the first sign of mud, stuck na. All four tires were turning pero lubog na to the frame yung ranger

[splerdu]

I'm for mud tires. Lockers make sure the tires have power, but if they dont have grip its useless.

I also remember reading that mud tires seldom spin uselessly. They are designed to dig as they spin, until they can find something to grab onto. You can also use left-foot brake as a substitute for a locker, in dire emergencies.

[roydok]

No. 2.

[johnqpublic318]

I agree with Wolverine-- it depends on the terrain. He's already mentioned mud but forgot rock crawling or sand. On sand or rock crawling, a fully locked (front & rear) 4x4 even with street tires will perform better than MTs and open diffs.

In Moab you'll find some wheelers with street tires or ATs but running fully locked diffs. MTs are useless with one tire in the air but even street tires will grip dry rock.

[Olive Drab]

that means i should invest on lockers and ATs because we often trail on lahar terrains.

thanks for the replies.

[Ungas]

It might be a good investment on diff lockers first. Then match them with your simex muds. ;)

[GlennSter]

LOCKERS ko aaccording to some peeps and experience....

[Rod & Bubbles]

Due to the expense, most will suggest mt's pero if cost is not a problem go for the lockers. madali na palitan tires.

suggestion for toyota owners, ARB is not your only choice. you can get an automatic locker that keeps the tires locked unless you are turning. It is way cheaper ang simpler to install. May drawbacks lang.

for comparison, auto lockers will cost arnd 10 to 25 thou depending on what you get. I saw one for a land cruiser 10 lang. air, electric or other selectable lockers average 30 plus.

If you really want something cheap, just change to a spool. in other words, no more diff. or have a shop weld all the spider gears together.

[mbt]

a welded diff would make the truck pretty unstreetable unless it has something like manual hubs i suppose?

[Rod & Bubbles]

welded front yun pero welded rear, walang magagawa, everytime you turn chirp yung gulong. pero ito pinakamatibay na "locker"

[pajerokid]

diffs are there for a reason. pag ginawang "posi" yan.... well.... its good for drag racing! hehehe

[johnqpublic318]

Originally posted by Olive Drab
that means i should invest on lockers and ATs because we often trail on lahar terrains.

thanks for the replies.

Huh? Doesn't make sense... Lockers with ATs are better on non-mud trails than open diffs and MTs... However, lockers with MTs are still best overall. Why spend money on ATs when there are so many muddy trails in the Phil? If you can afford to lock both diffs, you might as well spend a little more and get MTs over ATs. MTs will also work on sand. Just air down to 12-16 psi.

I've driven on the Pinatubo area lahar trails numerous times and airing down works.

Good luck and have fun...