dual range vs AWD

[woundedbrat]

I am sitting here looking at my brat......... pondering the meaning of life and what transmission to put into my brat when I do the 2.2 conversion. It currently has the 1.8 stock motor and the D/R turbo trans from a 86 87 rx I think? 25 splined axles I already have to use the dual range or the awd 5 spd the rear drive shaft was custom made and I believe would work with either trans. If I went with the D/R I would still need the fly wheel re drilled but I already have the adaptor plate, the downside to the D/R is the smal clutch you have to use and the fact that the low range is only 1.2/1.the awd 5spd that I have came from the 95 leg donor car. The way it looks now is that I will use the awd trans and save the dual range for a spare possibly modifying it for a lower low gear from a nonturbo 5 spd. what do you think are there things that i am missing /should know .

[Numbchux]

what are you planning on doing with it? if you'll be wheeling it at all, you'll want the locking center diff instead of the LSD.

 

 

I like my RX lo range for around town, but only because I also have FT4WD.

 

 

also, the EA82 and EJ trannies are different lengths. so if you use the EJ trans you'll have to have your driveshaft modified again.

[woundedbrat]

see thats why I posted this are you saying the 95 tranny has a ls central diff as in its not a 50/50 tipe of all wheel drive? cuz I was under the impresion that it was.

[Phizinza]

EJ center diff is VLSD non-locking. Means you can lift one wheel and it will spin and you will go nowhere offroad.

 

FT4WD RX center diff is open with locking mech. Means you get poor AWD (but AWD all the same) and 4WD (locked center, no slip) when locked for offroad so you have to lift 2 wheels.

 

If your going for AWD and no D/R then don't bother about lift and offroad tires. Just street it. Unless you want to 'rally' it in which case stick some nice tires on.

If your going for FT4WD box then swap out the low range with an EA82 PT low range. And offroad it.

 

BTW, (at least for the early models) the EJ gearboxes use the same size clutch as the EA82 (PT and FT) boxes. Just different flywheels that fit different pressure plates which may have a harder squeeze.

[Numbchux]

^his '86 RX trans is PT4WD (assuming it's actually an '86 trans, I believe the '87 would be FT4WD).

 

 

yes, the legacy tranny will be 50/50, assuming that the amount of resistance on all 4 wheels is the same. BUT, if you're offroad, and you have way more traction in the rear than the front (for example), the center diff will slip some, and won't send all the power to the rear. it's far from an open diff, so it will still send quite a bit of power to where it needs to be, but not all of it, and if you're in a hairy situation it definitely might not be enough.

 

and yea, an XT6 clutch is plenty to hold EJ22e power. so, unless you're expecting a lot more power, don't sweat the clutch.

[Gloyale]

I used to believe the same stuff about the partime boxes being better than the full time.

 

That was uintil we lifted my buddies 91 Legacy and started wheeling it. I've seen him bounce through water breaks with only 3 or even 2 wheels on the ground, and he is getting plenty of power to both axles. Only time he gets stuck is when he has one wheel on each axle spinning. Just the same as a PT box with open diffs at the axles.

 

I know purist will still say it's gotta be locked. And to an extent I still agree it is *better*

 

I just want to point out that if you've got good power, good tires, and maybe an LSD rear diff, The AWD EJ box would still allow you to do plenty of good wheelin.

[woundedbrat]

will an xt clutch fit on a brat flywheelfrom what i have read you need an ea82 flywheel? and has anyone ever locked an ej center diff either by welding the viscous plates or perhaps a bolt through them to lock it up.

[Numbchux]

yes, guys have welded up the viscous center diff (a guy in the Twin Cities did it and pulled his front axles.....RWD impreza!). but you can't run that on the street.

[Phizinza]

I've seen him bounce through water breaks with only 3 or even 2 wheels on the ground,

Sure you can put me under "purist". But when you follow behind a 4runner with 35" MTZ's and two diff locks you don't want to be hitting this terrain at any speed. I believe crawling over things and scraping under body panels slowly is better then just jumping the lumps. Less damage in the end and more fun.

But not everyone wants or does offroading as hard as some of us. Some just want to drive along the easy trails for what ever reason they have.

BTW, when you say full time it usually (in the case of Subarus, Nissans and Toyotas at least) means centre diff with locking mechanism. So full time (FT) is just as good as part time (PT.)

[Gloyale]

Sure you can put me under "purist". But when you follow behind a 4runner with 35" MTZ's and two diff locks you don't want to be hitting this terrain at any speed. I believe crawling over things and scraping under body panels slowly is better then just jumping the lumps. Less damage in the end and more fun.

 

Depends on whether it's muddy or just rocky, lumpy terrain. And on you're definition of fun:grin:. And this gets to my point. At least on his car, the viscous center works pretty good for transfering power front/rear, even when crawling.(as much as you can crawl with no Low range and 225/75/15s.

 

BTW, when you say full time it usually (in the case of Subarus, Nissans and Toyotas at least) means centre diff with locking mechanism. So full time (FT) is just as good as part time (PT.)

 

I should have differentiated between the *fulltime* boxes with the locking center, and the AWD with Viscous center. The Car I was reffering to is a 91 Legacy with viscous center AWD.