ragtowne
Member
- Joined
- January 22, 2011
- Messages
- 24
- Reaction score
- 7
- City, State
- Whitefish, Montana
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2018,Explorer,Sport
I wanted to share my experience with upgrades I recently made to my 1999 V6
Ford Eddie Bower Explorer. I got stuck in the snow recently and only two wheels
turned - the left front and the right rear. This did not seem like "true" 4wd to me.
Up to this point, the vehicle was completely stock and unmodified other than
usual maintenance items (brake pads, tires, etc) with 120,000 miles. The tires
are 265/70-16 Goodyear Fortera TripleTred Highway All-Season.
After reading much on this forum, I became interested in the Torsen differentials.
Ranger Rick (Rick Barnes) was very helpful and patient in answering the many
questions I had about the various Torsen differentials and my specific application.
The front differential was the standard "open" Dana-35 Ford Explorer unit.
The rear differential was the Ford "traction-lock" unit. The clutches were
completely burned out - I could rotate both wheels by hand in opposite rotation
with virtually no effort, and examination of the old differential confirmed the
clutches were completely "gone". It was probably worse than an open diff in
terms of getting power to the ground.
I purchased the 975420-0207B Dana-35 T2 from the Torsen on-line store, and
the Ford M-4204-T31H Ford 8.8 T2R from my local Ford dealer.
The T2R has a higher torque bias ratio than the M-4204-T31 T2. The higher TBR
allows the transfer of more available torque to the wheel that can better use it.
Rick felt that in a heavy vehicle like the Explorer, the higher TBR in the rear
would work well even though the front Dana-35 T2 has a lower TBR.
Installation of the front differential was relatively easy; you can get a bearing
shim pack from Ford which made centering the differential easy.
Installation of the rear differential was a pain in the rear - the shims are fairly
thick and you have to buy them individually.
The T2 diffs have slots cut in them that allow you to use a standard bearing
puller to remove the bearings to change shims without damaging the bearings.
The Ford diffs do not and you have to destroy the bearings to remove them.
I used Ford 75w-140 Synthetic oil in both differentials without any XL-3 /
C8AZ-19B546-A friction modifier. Ford also sells a small plate that attaches to the
differential cover bolts that reads "Use 75w-140 synthetic oil only".
I added the Ford rear axle damper brackets, and installed Bilstein shocks at the
front and at the rear axle damper. The rear axle shocks are the auto adjusting
air shocks so I left them "as is".
I replaced the front upper and lower control arms with MOOG units which have
provisions for a grease zerk fitting.
The results are nothing less than amazing. It is a totally different vehicle in the
snow and ice. I was able to do "donuts" in 2-foot deep snow where before it
would have gotten stuck. There were times when driving on ice where I could tell
one wheel was just beginning to lose traction, and then like magic it did not.
Where others were driving 5mph and losing control, I was able to drive 25mph
comfortably with a full load with no hint of control issues - even on icy
surfaces with the outside temperature 19-degrees on California Highway 120
to Yosemite over the New Years holiday.
One other interesting note - when under any throttle at all when letting go of the
steering wheel after a turn, the wheel practically jumps to center - in 4wd mode
you have to use some effort when under throttle to keep the wheel from going
back to center. I don't consider this a "bad" thing at all - the vehicle now seems
stable at speeds under conditions I would have never tried before. The vehicle
seemed "rock solid" at all times now.
I cannot more highly recommend the Torsen differentials. Anyone considering
upgrading their drivetrain should seriously consider Torsen differentials.
Ford Eddie Bower Explorer. I got stuck in the snow recently and only two wheels
turned - the left front and the right rear. This did not seem like "true" 4wd to me.
Up to this point, the vehicle was completely stock and unmodified other than
usual maintenance items (brake pads, tires, etc) with 120,000 miles. The tires
are 265/70-16 Goodyear Fortera TripleTred Highway All-Season.
After reading much on this forum, I became interested in the Torsen differentials.
Ranger Rick (Rick Barnes) was very helpful and patient in answering the many
questions I had about the various Torsen differentials and my specific application.
The front differential was the standard "open" Dana-35 Ford Explorer unit.
The rear differential was the Ford "traction-lock" unit. The clutches were
completely burned out - I could rotate both wheels by hand in opposite rotation
with virtually no effort, and examination of the old differential confirmed the
clutches were completely "gone". It was probably worse than an open diff in
terms of getting power to the ground.
I purchased the 975420-0207B Dana-35 T2 from the Torsen on-line store, and
the Ford M-4204-T31H Ford 8.8 T2R from my local Ford dealer.
The T2R has a higher torque bias ratio than the M-4204-T31 T2. The higher TBR
allows the transfer of more available torque to the wheel that can better use it.
Rick felt that in a heavy vehicle like the Explorer, the higher TBR in the rear
would work well even though the front Dana-35 T2 has a lower TBR.
Installation of the front differential was relatively easy; you can get a bearing
shim pack from Ford which made centering the differential easy.
Installation of the rear differential was a pain in the rear - the shims are fairly
thick and you have to buy them individually.
The T2 diffs have slots cut in them that allow you to use a standard bearing
puller to remove the bearings to change shims without damaging the bearings.
The Ford diffs do not and you have to destroy the bearings to remove them.
I used Ford 75w-140 Synthetic oil in both differentials without any XL-3 /
C8AZ-19B546-A friction modifier. Ford also sells a small plate that attaches to the
differential cover bolts that reads "Use 75w-140 synthetic oil only".
I added the Ford rear axle damper brackets, and installed Bilstein shocks at the
front and at the rear axle damper. The rear axle shocks are the auto adjusting
air shocks so I left them "as is".
I replaced the front upper and lower control arms with MOOG units which have
provisions for a grease zerk fitting.
The results are nothing less than amazing. It is a totally different vehicle in the
snow and ice. I was able to do "donuts" in 2-foot deep snow where before it
would have gotten stuck. There were times when driving on ice where I could tell
one wheel was just beginning to lose traction, and then like magic it did not.
Where others were driving 5mph and losing control, I was able to drive 25mph
comfortably with a full load with no hint of control issues - even on icy
surfaces with the outside temperature 19-degrees on California Highway 120
to Yosemite over the New Years holiday.
One other interesting note - when under any throttle at all when letting go of the
steering wheel after a turn, the wheel practically jumps to center - in 4wd mode
you have to use some effort when under throttle to keep the wheel from going
back to center. I don't consider this a "bad" thing at all - the vehicle now seems
stable at speeds under conditions I would have never tried before. The vehicle
seemed "rock solid" at all times now.
I cannot more highly recommend the Torsen differentials. Anyone considering
upgrading their drivetrain should seriously consider Torsen differentials.