I would LOVE overdrive on my truck. I'll take 4WD overdrive in a NY heartbeat. Going 55mph in 4wd in the snow without my motor screaming would be awesome.

Everything I've read about the GV and US Gear says it would be best just to swap in an OD tranny if you're looking for OD. I've also read that the US Gear is more like a dual rear end and requires a specific shifting technique to engage. Then the GV, you shouldn't use engine compression to slow down with the GV engaged if you have a load. I wouldn't turn either down, but I'd prefer having OD work in 2WD and 4WD just like it would work with an OD tranny.

 

if you can get to 55 you don't need to be in 4wd, and being in 2x on snow is a lot more fun cause you can break the rear at will and still keep stearing controll,

I learned to drive the year we had 7 foot of snowpack and 4 blizzards up in northern mich

 

I drove from Rexburg, ID to Boise, ID when I bought my truck. There was a really bad storm and I was in 4WD on the highway going 55mph. Everyone was passing me. We saw hundreds of wrecks and dozens of fatalities. Many of them who passed me cussing. I had zero issues that day, so 55mph seems pretty good in 4WD. I grew up in Vermont and learned to drive in the winter there. Evidently folks out this way can't drive in the snow. LOL.

 

It's the influx of Californians coming north. The natives don't seem to have many issues with the snow around here.

I go over 2 passes, twice a day to get to work. With near bald tires and a front wheel drive, I have rarely had problems. There has been only 2 weeks since October that I haven't seen snow flying at least one day.

Jason

 

Back in my driving days, 60 or 70 or 80 or 90 in the rain, snow or on ice was the normal speeds I drove in a semi.

But traffic then and traffic today is something totally different.

Back then every one was driving their vehicle.
Today it seems 70% of the drivers are talking on cell phones, reading the paper, eating, text messaging, getting dressed or doing hair and makeup.

Talking on the phone while driving seems to be more than some people can handle.
Reading and sending text messages while driving, no one can do that safely.
At 70 MPH, three seconds looking somewhere besides the road means you just covered 308 feet while not looking where you were going.

A text message, 10 seconds worth of distraction, over 1026 feet.

I wonder why there are so many more accidents?

Multitasking while they should be driving has to be costing many lives every year.
I have seen several accidents so far this year from close enough to tell the drivers were distracted by some type of messaging device.

 

And this is the exact reason I wouldn't feel safe driving an econobox. Gotta be on your toes if you dont wanna get run over.

 

the handling of my econobox has let me dodge quite a few nasty accidents the truck takes a lot more space to stop and manuver than the jetta

 

I guess their is that aspect of things. Im just thinking escalade vs econobox in a collision wont be pretty.

 

Two of the accidents I have seen this spring, rear end collisions where the car running into the front car never even touched the brakes until after impact.

Wonder what they were doing while driving into a car stopped to turn left in both instances?

Sure makes me worry about my son when he is out on his motorcycle.

 

I got rear ended that way the day I got my licence, noticed a stop sign a little late and stopped kinda quick, then this lil toyota suv hit the back of that dodge conversion van hard enough to drive her out into the intersection, lady was just saying goodbye to whoever she was talkin to when I got back there to see if she was allright

that was also the first time I saw a cell phone up close

 

Somebody hit me at an intersection when I was 17, never saw it coming, after the wreck he was still on the phone.
I love my gearvendor, the 4x4 lockout works great, except I don't like that after using 4x4 you have to turn the key on and off before the GV works again, I guess I would rather have that than no lockout at all. When I had my C6 Rebuilt, the idiots at the shop put the transfer case linkage on upside down, it put two wheels where four wheels go and four wheels all the way up, I drove for two weeks in 4x4 not knowing it, they had unplugged the 4x4 light because the gearvendor wouldn't work, if I had locked my hubs in it would have tore up everything.

 

I'd rather have a US Gear or Gear Vendor, PLUS an overdrive trans. That way you have all the gearing options when loaded and pulling and a double overdrive when running empty. Easier on the truck, easier on the wallet. Course the purchase price can have about a 6 on the pucker factor

 

Back to the US Gear... Do you still like it? Are you used to shifting into and out of the OD range? Does it lag 2+ seconds when shifting in order to avoid a slam or crunch in the drivetrain? Is your motor N/A or turbo? Does your turbo lose all spool during the lag shifts?

 

The shifting lag in the US gear unit is because of the shifter motor design ... According to US gear the proper procedure for shifting is to flip the switch a couple seconds (I forget exact time frame) BEFORE you want to shift, then release the drive train load (push clutch or throttle sync) and it'll shift.

Flippin the switch and releasing the load (pushing the clutch or throttle sync) at the same time will cause slow shifts, partial shifts and possibly damage the unit.

Shift them Just like a two speed rear end (or transmission), flip the switch then allow it to shift.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

i have the us gear unit and i have to say it gives me no problems unless your to slow on the shift even in manual shift mode on my c6 bassically do not let fully off the throttle when shifting it just let up slightly and reaplly no clink just a smoth wuick shift. also if it seams to shift really hard just chang out the oil with syncromesh and it works great.