ok im thinking about rippin out my rear gear and welding it, but heres the problem, my rig is my DD so how would a welded rear gear affect my driving?
i drive at about 55-70 mph on some curvy roads any idea on how this would be driving that speed around curves when its A raing and B snowing or snow covered roads? would i spin out alot more or not so much?

im looking for fead back from poeple that have doen this to there rear gear or have a spolled rear end any and all help would be nice thanks everyone for what you think or what has happened to you with this set-up

 

It won't be fun in the snow.. thats for sure.

 

I have a welded rear and it is interesting to say the least. You have to be careful on turns when it is wet or icy outside because the rear end will drift. When you are turning a corner or any time that you have your front wheels at full lock your rear tires will "bark" and wear more than they would with a normal open rear or with a detroit locker or Lockright. You could either weld your spiders together or get a full spool to accomplish the same thing.

 

It will suck bad for normal driving, and hard on the drive line to boot. I think I am going to go the lunchbox route.

Oh ya experience: I welded a full size Blazer front and back for plowing. You could harly drive it in 2wd on the road. Also ripped the hell out of my tires because I did it anyway.......

 

i have my trail rig welded and i drive it around town...

i like it but i agree prolly not the best idea for a DD spend the 250 on a lunchbox

 

A welded rear end would piss me off in a daily driver. Horrible on pavement, and I've never driven a welded rear in wet paved conditions but it can't be good.

 

ive been DDing a welded rear for the past year and its not that bad. i actually like it better that a LR locker with my 5spd because there is no play.

that said i plan on pulling it out to replace it with a full detroit soon

 

I don't think you'll be very happy with yourself if you do that to a DD...

 

It'd be fun!

 

Listen to the people who have actually DONE it - it's not that bad. You have to change your driving style a little, but it's not the huge deal people are saying it is. It will chirp the inside tire around corners, and increase tire wear, but that's about the extent of the driveability issues. I never had an issue in the rain/snow, either, though we don't get a huge amount of snow here so my snow-driving experience is limited to about one time.

 

Double-post.

 

crawdad is right...

ive had 3 rigs where i welded the rear. I prefer driving a welded rear to ANYTHing else, after getting used to it. no play like a welder

 

Well, I agree with the last couple posts. I have lived in WI and U.P. of MI ever since I bought my rig 2 years ago. The U.P. gets 300+ inches of snow a year and has rainy summers. I spend the majority of my time in these types of conditions along with normal dry pavement. Hauled heavy loads of dirt/steel/concrete..

Its not fun with the heavy loads. The truck jerks and sways with cornering, and everything creaks and groans, tires chirp all the time at hard cornering and even with little corners under load.

Normal driving isnt that big of a deal. I like it on snow and rain. But I also used to do alot of drifting in cars. I would NOT recommend it for auto. It blew my buddies auto to pieces driving it in the snow from shifting up and down from slip to grip. But in the U.P. there are a bunch of times when part of the road is pavement and the rest is snow.

Its cheap, reliable traction, with drawbacks just like anything cheap.

 

I had a spool for a year. I went through 2 sets of tires in a year, My truck looked like it was going to roll half of the time and it ruined 2 sets of wheel bearings, 2 u-joints and the yoke bearing on the transfer case but i always had traction and you always knew when it was going to slide.

 

What is a lunchbox? (besides the Spongebob kind... )
Is it a brand name or a type of setup?

 

X2

I am running a yukon full spool in my rear end. Its not bad at all. At freeway speeds you cant even tell its there. The only time I actually notice it is during low speed driving like parking lots. I say go for it!

 

I ran a welded 4.56 for a few months. It's definatly not as bad as the web would have you think. The only time I remember it getting annoying is at the gas station when you are chirping tires everywhere.

I'm much happier with my detroit.

 

I read welded ring gear and though, now that's too far.

 

2 years of DD with welded rear toasted both my rear wheel bearings and both ujoints on rear driveshaft, and 2 sets of tires. But it was still worth it imo. When it rainy just dont go to crazy on the gas and you should be fine.

 

lunchbox locker.. its only a brandname