Anyone HAPPY with Borg Warner 44-44 / Auto 4WD

[smiley]

I like the traction control sometimes it does awesome to prevent fish tail but terrible when off road.

 

[SyN]

I honestly feel since I never venture off-road anymore & my Ram only sees tarmac/interstate/highway use.
Also my rearend- transfer case -frontend will receive service every 40,000 miles.

With a Good Set of A/T tires and 300lbs of sandbags against the tailgate & a little bit of senseable driving I will be fine.

I just tend to way over think crap anymore.

Like someone else posted before. If your looking for a off-road 1500? Buy a Outdoorsman! Maybe the Rebel?

 

[roadshow]

You mean Outdoorsman?

 

[SyN]

^^Yes my mistake! Corrected

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I think the Outdoorsman is no more.

 

[Hemi395]

Didn't the Rebel replace the outdoorsman?

 

[roadshow]

dunno I friend of mine bought one earlier this year so I don't think they're discontinued... yet

 

[smiley]

Outdoorsman is not much different. If I am not mistaken it sets the front struts one level higher, skid plates, LT tires and a badge. Is there anything else?

 

[Hemi395]

They have the 44-45 starting in 2014 I believe...

 

[yillbs]

Outdoorsman is not much different. If I am not mistaken it sets the front struts one level higher, skid plates, LT tires and a badge. Is there anything else?

Thank you for pointing that out. It has some additional badging, better tires , skid plates and one notch up like you said. The outdoorsman is -not- any more off-road ready than a normal 1500. I do think you get the 44-45 tho. If you want an off-road truck, you purchase the power wagon.

 

[roadshow]

Thank you for pointing that out. It has some additional badging, better tires , skid plates and one notch up like you said. The outdoorsman is -not- any more off-road ready than a normal 1500. I do think you get the 44-45 tho. If you want an off-road truck, you purchase the power wagon.

It's not marketed as an off-road vehicle in the sense you're talking about though. It's targeted at outdoors sports people who basically would just be driving on slightly rough beaten trails. Hunters for example. Either way I kinda agree with you, those people would (and do) do all that stuff in basically any pickup.

 

[huntergreen]

I think the Outdoorsman is no more.

i believe it is an option to be added now, now longer its own model.

 

[Q68]

Q: During all of these situations did you have the Traction Control enabled?

I have heard rumors of the TC in many instances affecting the way L/S as well as the BW44-44 performed.

Pretty sure I drove it both ways, experimenting to see how it would behave. Never had any issues, the only minor concern I had was running up near the dunes in loose, dry sand in 95+ heat, the coolant & oil temps got a little higher than I would like.

I would imagine its similar to the Outer Banks but I've never been there so I really can't say. The beaches here have very soft sand and if you don't air down you WILL get stuck. It's also not the most AWD friendly place either. I've seen many crossovers have a lot of trouble getting around out there. This is why I'm really hesitant to take my truck out there.

But you've given me a glimmer of hope that it would be OK out there if you've had good luck with 4Lock on the beach...

Yes, you'll see crossovers get stuck at OBX more than pickups or Jeeps, but if you know what you're doing and use a little judgement, most crossovers are fine. You just need to plan ahead so you don't stop where the sand is loose, and try to time your drive close to low tide when there's plenty of hard pack. I drove my wife's Hyundai Santa Fe Sport on the beach all the way to the VA border, 2 years later and if I get under that car today I can still find beach sand in the rear bumper...

I have tried every imaginable combination of traction control in hopes that I could get this transfer case to work......None of them work. By the way, traction control is for idiots.......To protect the least common denominator. When you pull out in traffic in the snow and expect to use a little power in four wheel drive to get going. The rear slips a bit sending truck into a bit of a slide. In the old days(pre traction control) you'd pour on the fuel, the front end would get traction, and you'd go right on down the road. Now, the engine *******, the brakes do goofy things, and you get hit on the side because some idiot in Detroit thinks he knows more about driving than you do. Buy the way, "yes" I do hold down the traction control button for ten seconds and hear the Ding, but apparently this does not completely disable the traction control. Oh, for my 06 back......

Frankly, I think the TC on the Rams is pretty unobtrusive. On my previous car, a '04 Infiniti G35 RWD, the slightest break in traction would cut virtually all engine power and clamp the brakes on hard. There was no way to climb hills on snow & ice without disabling TC. The Ram gives me lots more leeway, and if I'm in any 4WD mode pulling out from a stop I need to give it an awful lot of throttle to break it loose.

 

[SyN]

I know if I was going to subject my Ram 1500 to many situations of Off-Road use or abuse-->I would prefer the off-road package and most importantly the 44-45 (chain driven) not the BW44-44 (Yuppie sports car) Clutch Design transfer case.
Major difference in off-road performance capabilities.

I do admire the PW concept.
Locking F/R diffs would be a major plus Off-Road.
I will bet this model does not sport the BW44-44!

I do have full confidence in my ram with the BW44-44 transfer case. I believe it will take me and my family anywhere I want to go as long as I keep the four tires on the pavement and not venture off road to seriously.
I know mine will not spend too much of it's life in the auto mode.

I will be honest. I will be very hesitant if ever called upon to pull out / or get unstuck other auto's from the deep snow or ice due to fear of burning up the clutch within the transfer case. (Just Me) I would not have this fear with the 44-45.
Let alone the fear of possibly being sued by the individuals you're trying to help if something goes wrong and you damage their vehicle.

 

[Gump]

Has anyone looked in to the kit that removes the clutches, and replaces it with a splined collar and shift fork? Read about it on ramforumz. I'm either going to do that if the TC takes a dump, or buy a new Rebel.

 

[Hemi395]

Yup. There's been problems with it coming out of 4Low back to 2wd. Apparently you have to manually turn the shift motor to complete the shift back to 2wd.

 

[Gump]

Thought that was just the 15-16 trucks

 

[Hemi395]

Oh maybe. It's been awhile since I checked that thread

 

[Gump]

Oh maybe. It's been awhile since I checked that thread

The one I read said the 15+ trucks have slightly different cars programming or motor that's causing it to stay in 4x4. With that collar the 44-44 is supposedly stronger than the 44-45.

 

[Hemi395]

The one I read said the 15+ trucks have slightly different cars programming or motor that's causing it to stay in 4x4. With that collar the 44-44 is supposedly stronger than the 44-45.

Oh yeah that's right I remember seeing that. I would love to convert mine but I'd like to see some more examples of it installed in 2012-2014 trucks...