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Old 10-13-2003, 09:20 AM   #16
RockyMtnRay
TrailManor Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 816
Default Re:Gonna replace my Cherokee with a Tundra

Quote:
You might want to consider the Gear Vendors Under/Overdrive as an answer to the power problem.
Interesting, thanks for the link. I'm impressed....these guys actually understand the issues involved in modifying a 4X4 drivetrain...such as increased angle of the rear driveshaft (reduces reliability of rear U-joints, introduces vibration), lengthened front driveshaft (more vibration at higher speeds), and reduction of ground clearance in the center of the vehicle. Unfortunately they only make kits for the Ford/Chevy/Dodge full size 4X4 trucks...nothing for Tundra.

And in any case, it's probably not going to be necessary...most of the steeper climbs in the Rockies (those over 6%) are usually only 5 to 8 miles in length and often have low speed limits (35 to 45 mph). I'm confident the Tundra V8 has enough horsepower, torque, and engine/tranny cooling capacity to handle my TM on these grades considering that my TM's weight is just over half of it's rated towing capacity. Actually my Jeep, with it's 4.0 L I-6, could have handled these climbs if it had the heavy duty radiator and 4.10 gears instead of the 3.07 gears.

OTOH, if I had a Ram 4X4 with a Cummins TD...and was trying to haul a 14,000 lb 5th wheel up these grades, you bet I'd be in line to buy one of these over/under kits.

Quote:
p.s. Thanks for the info on TV wheelbase.
Most welcome. Being a sports-car fan...I drove a 240Z for 10 years...I'm pretty acutely sensitive to understeer and oversteer issues on mountain roads. Before I sorted out the WDH issues on my Jeep/TM combo, I was running with lighter-than-unhitched weight on the Jeep's front tires...which amplified any tendancy toward under- and over-steer. As I noted at the beginning of the thread, I never experienced any loss of control due to trailer-induced oversteer in tight, steeply descending turns but I had a sense (mostly from the "scrubbing" sound of the tread) that the front tires were definitely fighting substantial oversteer forces. And that was on just an 8% grade. Trailer induced oversteer (especially on descending turns) can become very nasty very fast because it's self-amplifying.
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