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Hail and well met!
I'm new to the forum (2nd post here) and new to the side by side world. I'm coming in from wheeling 4x4 trucks - Ford rangers, Jeeps, Samurai, and more recently, Land Rovers. I've been a hardcore offroader/rock crawler in New England for over a decade and I'm looking forward to trying this stuff out.
I originally put a deposit down on a 2019 Honda Talon X. I reconsidered that purchase and opted for a lighter taste, with some further usability and moved my deposit onto a 2019 Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe. I figure it'll be more handy to have than a full on sport, but still had the "please god save me from owning a CVT" dual clutch auto that was really my biggest draw to owning a Talon that hadn't even come out yet.
My first posting was to another thread from a gentleman asking about LE or Deluxe - Feel free to see my light commentary there - P1000 - Deluxe vs LE? Need some real world knowledge.
I currently own a 2005 Land Rover LR3 that I purchased specifically to be a 'woods beater' a few years back. I bring this up mainly because of how quickly I understand people are really trying to grasp just what the i-4wd system can do for them, want to see it in action, etc. -- While I don't own one, I understand -exactly- what it CAN do and how it will work on at least a general level.
Years ago, I had a Jeep with no lockers. Broke through some ice on ONE side of my vehicle, and there it sat, the wheels still on the ice would just spin with a light breath of the throttle, while the two broken through had perfect traction... That jeep had nothing to force torque to the wheel that had resistance, as with any open differentials, this freedom is designed for smooth turns, allowing your outside wheel to turn faster than the inside wheel taking a right or a left. With a little bit of skill, you can actually get a car to do this just by pressing the brake lightly, to force the wheel with no resistance to stop or slow which has the effect of redirecting the power to the other axle, making the stopped wheel move slightly. Ask anyone over the age of 60 who used to drive a rear wheel car in the snow... I understand this is a lost skill in our age...
Anyway, I'm rambling. I have an example of how a system that will use the brakes to do this automatically, computer controlled, like the I-4WD system. It's a quick video of one tire clearly spinning in the air, and the computer reacting to this speed difference (as sensed by computers!) and braking. In most cases, it doesn't take this long to move a vehicle along, but the rock was large, and my LR3 is HEAVY so it really needed to work the system a bit to get it to start climbing!
You notice the wheel is spinning and it stabs the brake on that wheel, barely noticeable to the movement of it, but suddenly, the other side begins to climb the rock.
Here's another example, my old Discovery 2, a more primitive system, but still based on the same premise - you can see a wheel spinning and suddenly the other starts spinning too -- Same thing, using brakes to force power to the other axle.
The video doesn't give that rock justice, it's fairly steep and any vehicle without lockers will really struggle, if they can make it up at all.
With all that said -- the I-4WD will be almost perfect for 95% of users. I think it'll be perfect for a side by side, it'll be easier to steer through obstacles and give you enough confidence to go just about anywhere. There's a reason it has that premium pricetag. Keep an eye on this -- the next steps they'll do is start giving hill descent control too. That's where these systems really shine.
Now, why did I buy the lowly non I-4WD system? Price. The money for that step up I was able to do the aluminum skid, glass windshield AND wiper system, roof, winch mount and "accessory kit" for the dash -- aaand still be about $2k cheaper.
One more note for the I-4WD system. The system works BY losing traction. That is NOT as efficient as being "locked" however steering will never be compromised. That I-4WD will not "bind up" as you turn like any locked vehicle does. That alone, twisting through the woods can be worth the price of admission. No need to move the lever to locked, just simply drive on.
So, uh, still here? Still reading my ramblings? Thanks! Looking forward to learning all about this new rig AND the Side by Side life!
Dave aka Ghan
I'm new to the forum (2nd post here) and new to the side by side world. I'm coming in from wheeling 4x4 trucks - Ford rangers, Jeeps, Samurai, and more recently, Land Rovers. I've been a hardcore offroader/rock crawler in New England for over a decade and I'm looking forward to trying this stuff out.
I originally put a deposit down on a 2019 Honda Talon X. I reconsidered that purchase and opted for a lighter taste, with some further usability and moved my deposit onto a 2019 Pioneer 1000-5 Deluxe. I figure it'll be more handy to have than a full on sport, but still had the "please god save me from owning a CVT" dual clutch auto that was really my biggest draw to owning a Talon that hadn't even come out yet.
My first posting was to another thread from a gentleman asking about LE or Deluxe - Feel free to see my light commentary there - P1000 - Deluxe vs LE? Need some real world knowledge.
I currently own a 2005 Land Rover LR3 that I purchased specifically to be a 'woods beater' a few years back. I bring this up mainly because of how quickly I understand people are really trying to grasp just what the i-4wd system can do for them, want to see it in action, etc. -- While I don't own one, I understand -exactly- what it CAN do and how it will work on at least a general level.
Years ago, I had a Jeep with no lockers. Broke through some ice on ONE side of my vehicle, and there it sat, the wheels still on the ice would just spin with a light breath of the throttle, while the two broken through had perfect traction... That jeep had nothing to force torque to the wheel that had resistance, as with any open differentials, this freedom is designed for smooth turns, allowing your outside wheel to turn faster than the inside wheel taking a right or a left. With a little bit of skill, you can actually get a car to do this just by pressing the brake lightly, to force the wheel with no resistance to stop or slow which has the effect of redirecting the power to the other axle, making the stopped wheel move slightly. Ask anyone over the age of 60 who used to drive a rear wheel car in the snow... I understand this is a lost skill in our age...
Anyway, I'm rambling. I have an example of how a system that will use the brakes to do this automatically, computer controlled, like the I-4WD system. It's a quick video of one tire clearly spinning in the air, and the computer reacting to this speed difference (as sensed by computers!) and braking. In most cases, it doesn't take this long to move a vehicle along, but the rock was large, and my LR3 is HEAVY so it really needed to work the system a bit to get it to start climbing!
You notice the wheel is spinning and it stabs the brake on that wheel, barely noticeable to the movement of it, but suddenly, the other side begins to climb the rock.
Here's another example, my old Discovery 2, a more primitive system, but still based on the same premise - you can see a wheel spinning and suddenly the other starts spinning too -- Same thing, using brakes to force power to the other axle.
The video doesn't give that rock justice, it's fairly steep and any vehicle without lockers will really struggle, if they can make it up at all.
With all that said -- the I-4WD will be almost perfect for 95% of users. I think it'll be perfect for a side by side, it'll be easier to steer through obstacles and give you enough confidence to go just about anywhere. There's a reason it has that premium pricetag. Keep an eye on this -- the next steps they'll do is start giving hill descent control too. That's where these systems really shine.
Now, why did I buy the lowly non I-4WD system? Price. The money for that step up I was able to do the aluminum skid, glass windshield AND wiper system, roof, winch mount and "accessory kit" for the dash -- aaand still be about $2k cheaper.
One more note for the I-4WD system. The system works BY losing traction. That is NOT as efficient as being "locked" however steering will never be compromised. That I-4WD will not "bind up" as you turn like any locked vehicle does. That alone, twisting through the woods can be worth the price of admission. No need to move the lever to locked, just simply drive on.
So, uh, still here? Still reading my ramblings? Thanks! Looking forward to learning all about this new rig AND the Side by Side life!
Dave aka Ghan
