Originally posted by XtremeOff-Road
Well my synthetic line came in today, let me tell you I have never realized how much of a pain that steel line is! Anyhow, just thought I would share, I think it was an excellent decision to change out the line. Are there several others that run the synthetic line, besides Steve and Corey, I know you had switched as well.

Will the plastic rope melt on a hot winch drum? Yes or No, depending on which product you're talking about. Heat is a real concern, but only with the UHMWPE, which has a melting temperature of 284° F, and a critical temperature (the point at which the rope starts to weaken) of only 150° F. The drum of a Warn winch can be expected to reach temperatures well over 200° F (one source says as high as 300° F). The Technora aramid fiber-based X-Line rope does not begin to decompose until over 900° F, and X-Line can be used at nearly 400° F for long periods of time without loss of strength. At last, a winch product that doesn't have heat as an Achilles heel!

The sport of rockcrawling has quickly become very popular, and with tougher trails being added each year, the possibility of vehicles requiring the use of winches during these competitions is almost certain. ARCA felt that the use of conventional wire cable during competition was simply not safe around the increasing number of spectators at these events. Although a rarity, mishaps do happen, and a broken cable flying through the air could cause serious injury.

If a Master-Pull winch rope snaps, however, it simply falls to the ground. ARCA saw this as a huge advantage and now requires that all vehicles competing in ARCA-sanctioned events use a rope-type cable substitute such as the Mater-Pull winch rope.