I have now put about 500+ miles on the unit and have even taken it off-road a little.
You can read my previous post on the install process. Here I will discuss how it has change the behavior of my vehicle and the resultant changes in my driving habits.
Changes to my trucks behavior:
1) Increased backlash (or slack) in the drive train. Backlash can best be described as the amount of free movement the drive train normally has. For instance when you put your truck into park on a hill and let off the brake the truck roles an inch or two before the slack is taken up. Well for the No-Slip unit to work correctly there is a little more “slack” built in. Powertrax warns you in the manual that this is normal. So NOW when I put the truck in park on a hill it roles 4 inches or so before it stops!!
2) Under moderate+ gas the tire will chirp going around a tight corner (like pulling out of the gas station).
3) When costing around a tight corner (like pulling in to the gas station) there is sometimes a clunk as the unit disengages. Occasionally you can feel that clunk! As the unit breaks-in I am feeling it less often. This cluck can only be heard with the windows down and radio off. It sounds like some one just hit your axle with a ball-peen hammer.
4) The truck has a tendency to drive in a strait line more. With power to both wheels there is a resistance to allow the truck to turn. This is VERY subtle, I would not consider this a negative or a safety hazard in anyway! If you turn your wheel the will truck turn. However I find the truck does not wander as much going down the highway (more on this below).
5) When your off road, your tires don’t slip nearly as much!! This is what its all about!! On the down side when your rear tires do break loose, the rear end wanders a little more. But if expected it can be corrected and its a whole lot of fun!!
Driving impressions:
During normal relaxed driving the No-Slip unit is not noticeable for the most part. However there are a few situations when it is very noticeable. Mainly when driving in town at speeds of 20-30 mph. At this speed the increased backlash is very noticeable. As you let off the gas and then re-apply you can feel a clunk as the drive train spins through the backlash (slack) and catches up to the wheels. It’s hard to explain, suffice to say the truck is a little clunky at slow speeds. On the highway you can’t notice it.
Also I now feel like a teenager again. When I was younger I would burn tire all the time. Tearing around ever corner I could!! Now with the No-Slip if I give the truck anything more than very light gas my tires chirp. Its not a burn out, it’s a light chirping sound. Basically with moderate or more acceleration the No-Slip locks the rear wheels together. Result – the rear wheels spin at the same speed so the inside tire spins faster than the ground resulting in a chirping effect. The funny part is I’m burning rubber while moving relatively slowly. Its not a big deal, its kinda like driving in those parking garages where your tires squeal as you do simple turns, but not nearly that bad. I would suggest that you keep your No-Slip manual in the truck so if an Officer ever did stop you for “Exhibition of Acceleration” (AKA burning out) you can show him the manual which will document it as a normal and then remind him how slow you were really going and I’m sure there will be no problem. On the downside, those killer burnout you did around corners are no-more! This No-Slip gives you such great traction that even around corners if you gun it, you’ll only get loud chirping at best!
As for going around corners while coasting, the No-Slip unit disengages and allows the wheels to spin at different speeds. There is sometimes a clunk as the unit disengages, but it is usually quiet and you don’t feel it do anything. It is getting quieter each day as it breaks in.
As for the tendency to push the truck strait. To be honest I love it! I found that the truck used to wander a little while driving down the road. If I took my hands off the wheel the truck might drift right or left. Not anymore, it tracks straight as an arrow! Some folks have expressed concerns about going on or off a highway exit/entrance ramp at high speed and having the truck push you straight off into the woods. I have tested this by intentionally jumping on the gas around those turning exit/entrance ramps and have not had a single problem. I think that at that speed and with those relatively gradual corners, the tires can slip the little bit that is needed without a problem. So for me, so far, I do not consider this a problem.
Off road – this is what its all about right? let me tell you a short story that explains why I got the No-Slip! A month or so ago, me and two other trucks were going down this old abandoned mining road. There was a dry stream bed that we had to cross. It looks like a very easy crossing – dry gravel bottom. To cross this stream you have to break left and then right so you can cross it at an angle. Well as I came across my front-left tire came into contact with the far bank first. As I started to climb the 1.5ft sloped bank, the weight of the vehicle was transferred to the front-left and rear-right tires. This leaves the opposite two (rear-left and front-right) with little weight which equals little traction! And so it started - the rear-left and front-right tires started to spin and spin (in 4wd). Did a great job of tossing some gravel, but did nothing for making my truck go forward! I backed up and tried many, many times and no matter what, I could not drive up that stupid *%$*&@@% slope!! There was not enough room to reposition, so when all else fails you resort to speed. I backed up and gave it a good run up and bounced right over the bank – not the preferred method of off-roading. NOW the real kicker is that the two truck behind me just crawled right through the stream bed like it wasn’t even there, one of them never even put it in 4wd!!!!!! Boy was I pissed and embarrassed (I’m Mr. tuck/gadget of the group). Turns out both of the other two trucks had factory limited-slips and that’s all it took!
Now a month later with the No-Slip: I went to that same exact road the other day, the same two people were even riding with me. As we drove down the road we were deep in conversation. I decided not to say anything and see what happened. I eased left then right and drove right up that bank like it wasn’t even there. The guy talking in the passenger seat didn’t even notice we when right through it. Hell I didn’t even put the truck into 4 wheel-drive!!!!!!! At that moment this No-Slip paid for its self hands down!!!!!!!!
Changes to my driving habits:
Really the biggest change to my driving habits is that I do not accelerate as hard when making a turn from a stop. Like leaving gas stations or stop signs. This is simply because I don’t like people thinking that I am driving recklessly. Otherwise I haven’t had to change my driving that much.
Would I recommend the No-Slip:
You maybe surprised to hear that I do not recommend the No-Slip for everyone! I feel that the No-Slip has its benefits and its drawbacks.
For the everyday driver who drives maybe 5 miles a month on dirt roads or the guy that does some light off-roading once or twice a year. I would say NO. The increase in amount of backlash and the tire chirping at slower speeds detract from the smooth and worry free operation of the Tundra. The No-Slip unit makes the Tundra more like a work truck – a really nice work truck! The No-slip is not as smooth as the company would like you to think. I think that is to be expected considering what it is doing!!
For the serious off-roader who makes his/her truck go places and do things that boggle the mind of the general public – I would say yea maybe. First if your one of THOSE people, you really don’t need my opinion, you know way more about this than me!! Powertrax says that this unit is strong enough to handle the toughest of applications and it would be nice to be able to drive you beefy rig to and from the trail without trailering it. But I’m not convinces this unit would be strong enough for the real tough guys.
So why do I need it? Well I fall right in the middle. I’m a biologist that works with animals on a daily basis. Animals (wild ones anyway) tend to stray away from paved roads. So I find myself driving me and my equipment down dirt roads weekly if not daily. Monthly if not weekly, I find myself doing some sort of light off-roading. For me this No-Slip was the perfect answer for that little extra something I needed. A limited-slip differential probably would have been enough for most of my occasions and would have had even better street manners. However, since a limited-slip would have been a little on the light-duty side and it would have been 3X the cost I am very happy with the No-Slip!
If anyone has specific questions about the No-Slip, please feel free to contact me at any time.
Hope you found this helpful
Later
TIM