Cascade Crew

[nonsensekid20]

So i was driving my car the other day, and at low RPM (It has a pretty rough idle) It likes to lurch. I don't know if this is just because of the rough idle or what. It has the stock T5 and stock rear end (one tire fire) And ideas on what this could be and how to fix it? And don't say posi because my dad doesnt want me to have posi. lol

[aaron_sK]

Rough idle and bogging on low rpm deceleration are probably related. You still need to figure out what timing curve the engine likes, and what the carb likes.

BTW, tell your Dad you're safer off with the posi. Take the car out on a day like today with that pegleg and you'll end up in a ditch far easier than with an LSD.

[nonsensekid20]

Lol. He just doesn't want me going doughnuts and driftin.

[chevymad]

Um.. a non posi rear will not kick you in the ditch.. you'll just sit in one place going nowhere. A posi can.. but unless you're being an idiot its nothing to worry about either. That said.. a posi was the last thing my dad was worried about, the bb under the hood had his direct attention though.

[nonsensekid20]

I'll see if I can convice him. lol.

How can I fix the lurching feel?

[RK82]

[aaron_sK]

[RK82]

[nonsensekid20]

Well I think it runs pretty rich right now. Will that fix it?

[Twilightoptics]

[QwkTrip]

When a posi rear breaks loose the back end of the car slides around without traction. When an open differential rear breaks loose you usually have one tire still planted and under control. But I'll still take a posi in a 2WD for the go-go traction and just feather the throttle to maintain control.

I remember driving my '68 El Camino with a locker in the snow. I did it once and never did it again. My 'Vette was okay with the traction control. But those were the days when I could only afford one vehicle at a time. Now I just get in the Jeep and go.

[Alphius]

I drove my Camaro for a few winters with a posi. In fact, the night I swapped rear ends out to get a posi/disc rear I went for a test drive at about 1AM and about 10*F with black ice all over.

I appreciated the extra traction available to get going, however it was way easier to get in trouble as well. Like they said above, it's easier to get moving however if you lose traction, you often lose both rear wheels instead of possibly just one. I'm sure we're almost all very familiar with this phenomenon...

Now I can afford more than one vehicle, so I just hop in the Subaru when it gets sketchy outside. Problem solved.

Small anecdote:
One cold, winter weekend morning, I was arriving at the high school to go on a speech and debate trip, I was about half an hour earlier than anyone else, so I decided to get some fun in before the others arrived. This was just about a month after I got my posi in. Yeah, I spun 'em up and started to go in circles, dropped it in second and kept going, probly a good minute or two of absolute mayhem, 6 grand in second round and round, then I pulled into a parking spot and got out of the car. I looked over toward the school and my girlfriend of about 6 months and her father were standing by the front door... They had gotten there early as well, and when I saw them I played it all cool and walked up and was like "Sorry about that, it's a little slick out and my clutch is a tad bit touchy." Of course, he didn't buy it at all (who would?) but he just kinda shook his head and walked away. Now 4 years later I'm with the same girl and her father is one of my good friends. I was freaked out all day though...

[rjmcgee]

I'm poor and can't afford another car.

I have been daily driving my red IROC this winter and we have been getting pretty steady snow. When it was an open rear end it would only spin one trying to get going from a stop. It always went sideways once it was over about 15mph. Now that I welded the spider gears it goes sideways all the time. Way better at getting going though. I'm not sure why people are so scared of a locked differential on snow and ice, just don't let them spin going down the road.

People go to damn slow on the snow anyways. This winter I found my comfort zone in the semi truck, scares the shizzle out of someone putting along at 20 -25 mph when I blow past them at 50 with a loaded hay truck.

[chevymad]

Ya.. but werent you doing 80 in the ford .. on gravel.. when you took us to fort rock? lol

[aaron_sK]

I understand what you guys are saying about the sit-n-spin vs. getting traction, then spinning out. It's just that for me in an LSD car, I like the ability to control it with the throttle a little bit, whereas an open diff just spins all the time.

[Dewey316]

Snow is one thing....the crap that falls and sticks in Portland/Seattle is not snow. I normally cruise along in the snow at about 50mph in the Jeep on street tires in the snow, no big deal, snow will build up in front of the tires, and you can stop and turn.

On the crap up here, my best advice is that, unless you absolutely need to be going somewhere, don't. If you do, the best technique I have found, in the Jeep, my Audi, and even the times I drove my Camaro in the crud, is to get the car moving, then just keep a slow steady pace, and try your hardest to not make any steering/throttle input, and absolutely don't hit the brakes. I let it engine brake as much as possible, and only touch the brake pedal when needed. The trick here, is to anticipate, so that you are not surprised into having to brake.

That said, I think an open is easier to drive in the snow, right up to the point where you get stuck from lack of traction. with 4wd/awd, I really like the open/open combo, as you get enough traction to move and not get stuck, but it is a little more forgiving, then having a posi in the back.