Great traction in bad weather

[Gman]

When I was heading out of the neighborhood this morning, everything was white. I tried the 4WD Auto and didn't like the way I had to have slippage before engaging. I felt there was no need to upset the vehicle at all. 4Hi and all wheels are turning which makes handling entirely predictable. I rarely ever use 4Lo. If I were traversing something challenging and wanted slower movement, fine. Snow/Ice doesn't like torque. 4WD Auto is good for spotty traction

It's similar to walking on snow/ice. You kinda' keep your stride rolling along smoothly, lightly pushing your way forward with your entire foot. If you try pushing off with the balls of your feet, you're going to slip.

It's been snowing all day here and it's mostly just a wet mess right now. I've got a date with the new Michelin Defender LTX tomorrow. 4WD will likely become more optional as I've had really good traction with the Michelin LTX M/S even in 2WD.

 

[Longhorn5G]

When I was heading out of the neighborhood this morning, everything was white. I tried the 4WD Auto and didn't like the way I had to have slippage before engaging. I felt there was no need to upset the vehicle at all. 4Hi and all wheels are turning which makes handling entirely predictable. I rarely ever use 4Lo. If I were traversing something challenging and wanted slower movement, fine. Snow/Ice doesn't like torque. 4WD Auto is good for spotty traction

It's similar to walking on snow/ice. You kinda' keep your stride rolling along smoothly, lightly pushing your way forward with your entire foot. If you try pushing off with the balls of your feet, you're going to slip.

It's been snowing all day here and it's mostly just a wet mess right now. I've got a date with the new Michelin Defender LTX tomorrow. 4WD will likely become more optional as I've had really good traction with the Michelin LTX M/S even in 2WD.

Cant wait til you get your tires Gman. Are you upsizing? Im thinking of some upsizing for me, get an inch or so more in wall. Poor mans lift kit.

 

[Gman]

I despise low profile tires, so I went with the 20s. Just enough sidewall in my opinion. I'm keeping it stock size. The truck drives so good now, I don't want to mess with it.

 

[Longhorn5G]

I despise low profile tires, so I went with the 20s. Just enough sidewall in my opinion. I'm keeping it stock size. The truck drives so good now, I don't want to mess with it.

I meant upsize as in bigger tire, not rim size, just to be clear. I hate low profiles too. I think they look weird on trucks. I dont even like having my 20s. I wish there were nicer 19s or 18s to have chose from.

But i mean upping in size to get MORE rubber wall. At least thats what I wamt. A fatter tire

 

[Gman]

Yeah, I knew what you meant. I'm not changing the tire size. The interesting wheels needed for caliper clearance at 18" is why there probably not more options in that size. Are there some 19" out there?

 

[ExcursionDiesel]

That's it Chad.

One thing to add: 4AUTO probably isn't best when starting from a standstill on a slippery surface.

I've done some playing with 4 Auto. The front axle engages really quick. I estimate it's within 1/2 rev of rear wheel spin. That's based on the length of the black mark on a hard launch. The front axle kicks in and the truck hooks up agressively which stops the rear from spinning.

So I actually read the manual section about traction control, vehicle stability control, all the numerous drive options and interactions. The Ram has an open differential on both axles unless Anti-slip or eLocker rear diff is optioned. That being said, the VSC/TCS systems WILL apply a variable braking resistance to transfer torque from a slipping wheel. This effectively assures all 4 wheels will get torque to some degree. The Jeep Grand Cherokee uses this for it's full time 4WD system and it is amazing. Any wheel can get 100% torque. I don't know if the Ram system is as adept. From the OP's report, perhaps it is. Of course with no center diff, it can't direct torque front to rear. It can only dynamically engage the front in 4Auto or lock front to rear in 4HI or 4LO.

I can attest that with eLocker off and only an open differential, my Limited will spin BOTH back tires easily on wet roads...not necessarily at the same speed though. Only 1 would spin if the system wasn't using the brakes to redirect torque. Of course engine power is cut if they spin too much. There's a button to turn that off.

 

[Electrical]

Good post, ED.

Your post spurred a thought: I think cars that have true torque vectoring may not be as good as the simple 50/50 split that Ram's have.

In watching Youtube videos of those vehicles, it seems that when they're in a tough spot and only one wheel is grabbing, the torque is reduced so much that it can't extricate itself.

And that may make sense if the half-shaft and CV-joint at any one corner are not rated to handle full engine torque all by itself.

With a 50/50 split and open diffs operating with the brake function, is it possible that engine torque does not need to be reduced so much?

 

[Longhorn5G]

@Dog Hauler started a thread that turned into a great read. Useful too.

 

[Longhorn5G]

I've done some playing with 4 Auto. The front axle engages really quick. I estimate it's within 1/2 rev of rear wheel spin. That's based on the length of the black mark on a hard launch. The front axle kicks in and the truck hooks up agressively which stops the rear from spinning.

So I actually read the manual section about traction control, vehicle stability control, all the numerous drive options and interactions. The Ram has an open differential on both axles unless Anti-slip or eLocker rear diff is optioned. That being said, the VSC/TCS systems WILL apply a variable braking resistance to transfer torque from a slipping wheel. This effectively assures all 4 wheels will get torque to some degree. The Jeep Grand Cherokee uses this for it's full time 4WD system and it is amazing. Any wheel can get 100% torque. I don't know if the Ram system is as adept. From the OP's report, perhaps it is. Of course with no center diff, it can't direct torque front to rear. It can only dynamically engage the front in 4Auto or lock front to rear in 4HI or 4LO.

I can attest that with eLocker off and only an open differential, my Limited will spin BOTH back tires easily on wet roads...not necessarily at the same speed though. Only 1 would spin if the system wasn't using the brakes to redirect torque. Of course engine power is cut if they spin too much. There's a button to turn that off.

Did you literally go out and test all these things to make burn marks and see the differences? When? Was it for the education of this forum?

In any case, thats pretty awesome. Thanks for doing it and sharing it. Heres a cyber case of beer for you!

 

[ExcursionDiesel]

Did you literally go out and test all these things to make burn marks and see the differences? When? Was it for the education of this forum?

In any case, thats pretty awesome. Thanks for doing it and sharing it. Heres a cyber case of beer for you!

It was purely for satisfying my own curiousity. I had a Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel with QuadraDrive II and automatic eLocker. It had a tuner on it and had a very aggressive launch and incredible traction. I'm now convinced the Ram is going to do well in ice and snow also. It rained all day and I was launching pretty hard with no ill affects in 4-Auto.

 

[Gman]

Came down with a stomach bug yesterday morning, so no new tires until next weekend.

What I noticed with 4Auto that I didn't like, was when the ground was covered in snow. I came to an intersection and stopped. Attempting to turn left the truck bobbled as the front tires slipped and then engaged. In 4Hi, the truck was driving the front wheels, so it tracked and drove perfectly.

There are different use cases for each mode, which is probably why they exist. Yes, I am master of the obvious. ;-)

 

[Longhorn5G]

View attachment 13517

When did ypu get all this stuff done?

 

[Dog Hauler]

19Jake: when you quote someone, you really shouldn't alter the quote. I agree with your point, though, tires play a very big role...it's what I said at the outset of this thread. And when tires like that are what we're talking about, holy cow!

 

[Longhorn5G]

That's my rig that he has been talking **** on behind the safety of his computer,

Well I was going to tell him that the truck does look mean and ready.

And yeah, i saw just yesterday your post where you posted all of them. Nice looking rig

 

[dutchman187]

We had some snow this past weekend so I got a chance to hit the streets a bit (nothing crazy or offroad). I was expecting poor performance after reading some prior threads on my 22 in wheels with the Goodyear Eagle Touring tires they came with. Honestly, not bad at all. Like Gman, around corners with packed snow I felt it slipped slightly before engaing in 4 auto. Zero issues in 4WD high. I was worried I might have to switch to a better AT or perhaps get dedicated snow tires for winter, but I don't know if that will be necessary, at least initially.

 

[Vettethret]

Well I was going to tell him that the truck does look mean and ready.

And yeah, i saw just yesterday your post where you posted all of them. Nice looking rig

Thanks Man, I appreciate it. I just got back from Park City Ut myself, left it in 4WD Auto. I went through some very deep snow, truck performed flawlessly, I was pleased.

 

[Longhorn5G]

Thanks Man, I appreciate it. I just got back from Park City Ut myself, left it in 4WD Auto. I went through some very deep snow, truck performed flawlessly, I was pleased.

In your case I would never have thought otherwise lol. You could go snap some pics of the north pole for us if you wanted to.

 

[Longhorn5G]

My truck had good traction today

 

[Jtr]

posted pics of my truck

I also thought it looks bad a$$

 

[dutchman187]

I'm dredging up an old thread here to see if anyone's opinions have changed. I originally posted in this thread back in winter that I was pretty happy with my Goodyear Eagle Touring tires that came on my 22s for snow. I also did not have any issues in other wet conditions at that time. However, recently my tires have spun going from a stop sign or stoplight when it is raining (not heavy downpour). I switched to 4WD Auto and that helped, but I didn't notice this before. I have about 8,400 miles. Surely the tread can't be wearing that quickly? Or am I just driving more aggressively than before? I was definitely surprised to start spinning tires pulling away from the stoplight in the rain.