5 Features For The Ultimate Off Road Truck

Опубликовано 22 февраля 2017, 15:00

Top 5 Features For The Ultimate Off-Road 4X4 Vehicle
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Off road testing the 2017 Ram Power Wagon.

1. Front & Rear Electronic Lockers
To start off with the basics and essentials of a proper off-road vehicle, the vehicle boasts an impressive 14.3 inches of ground clearance, with the 4WD system sending power to 33” Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires. But more impressively, the first feature I’ll be discussing are the electronic front and rear lockers. Yes, both axles can fully lock up at the push of a button. So what does this mean? For off-road use, there is no system which provides more potential wheel torque. When all four wheels are locked, any wheel that has traction can receive 100% of the engine’s torque, assuming all three other wheels have no traction. In other words, the torque splits across all four wheels as traction allows for it. The downside of having all four wheels rotate at the exact same speed is that while cornering the outside tires travel further, so there will be axle bind or wheel scrub, which is why it’s important to only use the lockers when off-road.

2. Disconnecting Sway Bar
One of the balances engineers have to address when designing an off-road truck is the amount of axle articulation allowed, versus the amount of body roll allowed. A stiff suspension means little body roll, but not enough axle articulation. A soft suspension allows for greater articulation of the axle, meaning more contact with the ground, but significantly more body roll. The Power Wagon addresses this with an electronically controlled disconnecting sway bar for the front axle. At low speeds, with the sway bar disconnected, this allows for significantly more twist of the front axle, without the rear tire coming off the ground. Decoupling the sway bar allows for a total difference of 26 inches of vertical travel between the center of each of the front wheels. At speeds above 18 miles per hour, the sway bar automatically reconnects to decrease body roll, though you can select to turn it on or off below this speed.

3. Unique Suspension Design
The disconnecting sway bar isn’t the only noteworthy detail of this truck’s suspension design, which brings us to point number three. Up front there’s a three link suspension with Ram’s Articulink, a high movement joint located at the lower control arm mount, which allows for additional flex and articulation of the axle. In the rear, there’s a five link coil suspension. A five link suspension can control the up and down motion of a suspension, while negating side to side motion. Versus a leaf spring design, this setup is better at preventing axle rotation and lateral motion. Other advantages of using coils rather than leaf springs is reduced unsprung mass and the elimination of slip-stick friction between leaf springs. The Power Wagon also incorporates a third damper connecting the top of the rear axle to the frame, for additional control. After all, this is a 7,000 pound truck.

4. Engine: Raised Idle & Throttle Control (+ Crawl Mode)
Moving on to number four, the engine provides excellent low speed control. Place the transfer case in four wheel drive low, and this increases the systems gear ratio by 2.64, providing a crawl ratio of 35:1. This allows for better hill decent control, as well as increased control going up hills or navigating over larger obstacles. But it’s not just about gearing here. The 6.4L V8 engine, producing 410 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque, alters several parameters when it sees the transfer case placed in 4-low. The throttle response softens, to allow for more precise inputs, and the idle speed raises from 650 RPM to 750 RPM. By raising the idle RPM, this helps to ease into the throttle more precisely, allowing for smooth acceleration, rather than jolting the vehicle.

5. 12,000 LB Warn Winch
Finally, at the front of the truck, a 12,000 pound Warn winch is incorporated seamlessly behind the bumper. So in the event that you get stuck, or need to pull yourself up a steep incline safely, or you know, if your friend rolls there car over. Well in this scenario, it’s best to orient your vehicle perpendicular to the flipped car, attach the winch over and across the top, and slowly and carefully roll the car back to an upright position. This won’t fix their broken windshield, but hopefully their tires can serve their purpose again.

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