How much better does a DRW 4x4 truck do in the snow and/or on other wet slippery terrain than a SRW?
How much is the mileage affected?

I like the DRW for towing stability, but trying to see if there are any other benefits...

Thanks

 

MY absolute dream truck would be this:



Rock it with a 7.3l diesel, with some NOS, Injector kit, CAI, and a nice exhaust... and of course it's gotta be 6 speed standard shift with 4x4.

But as far as gas mileage, if you get the diesel... it'd be really hard to tell. As far as traction, you will get a lot more traction. Towing stability... heck... are you towing something behind you?! It's that GOOD.

 

Mileage will be worse. All dually's came with at least 4.10 gears, while the SRW trucks had 3.73 standard. Add in the drag of the training wheels and fenders, and it kills it a little more. Traction is good, although they don't do well in snow. In a SRW truck, the rear tires follow in the grooves of the front tires. Dually tires have to make their own path. Trust me, a 2wd dually will have problems with a few inches of snow if it isn't a LSD.

Oh, and Manuel, that's a 6.0.

 

I'd still take it...

 

I wouldn't... Its a 2003-2004 6.0. The worst years possible. Oh, and for your 7.3, you don't need NOS, and there's no point in doing injectors if you're not gonna run a chip. And if you are doing bigger injectors, might as well run a bigger turbo. Damn, I wish I had more money...

 

True...

Well... I'd love to have a reg cab dually with a 7.3l PSTD, 6 speed stick, 4x4... oh my, my, my...

You have no idea...

 

Interesting point in regards to the extra tires having to make there own path.... What about a DRW 4x4? While in 4wheel low wouldnt that give you more traction than a SRW in 4w low?

Thanks

 

Spreading the load over more area does not necessarily give you more traction. It does make the vehicle more stable for hauling, but it also puts less weight per square inch on the contact patch of each tire, which negates the benefit of having more contact patch.

 

x2

That means if you have a tire load of 100 PSI on that contact patch with SRW... you can generally say that it will be 50 PSI on the 2 contact patches with a DRW set up.

 

DRW isn't the greatest for off roading not only because of the tracking issue mentioned above, but because large rocks can get caught between the two wheels and:

1) fling the rock and damage the fender (if cruising at a good clip) and:

2) they can become lodged between the two tires and cause a flat in the sidewall....just things to consider.

Also, the width of the DRW will limit your ability to get through narrow trails...

 

Not to mention a DRW is usually lower than a SRW truck for towing purposes.

 

I wouldn't say negates is the word for it, lessens maybe...

There are 2 reasons people put duals (and even tripples) on farm tractors and heavy equipment, flotation, and increased traction. You may have just half the pressure on your tires, but you're also doubling your contact patch which is always a good thing.

 

...usually farms have mud were that kind of flotation is needed when going at slow speeds.

 

Yes, but trust me, duals on a tractor GREATLY increase traction.

 

The speed (slow) of the tractor and the weight (heavy) of the tractor makes sense for a set-up like that. Plus, look at the lugs of tractor tires!! You won't find that on your typical off-roader...