July 2002 4x4 Truck & Automotive News - RPM

Better Antiroll, Better Articulation
We all know that disconnecting a rig's antiroll bars during four-wheeling activities is a quick, easy way to improve articulation, and thus to improve traction. Why? Because by its very nature, an antiroll bar, designed to limit chassis roll, works to keep a vehicle's axles and its chassis in the same plane by resisting articulation. Disconnect the antiroll bar and the axles can get crazy, so that all of the drive wheels have a better chance of putting the vehicle's weight onto the driving surface.

But a recent trip to the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, illustrated that technology and ingenuity have moved well beyond the passivity of merely disconnecting a rig's antiroll bar.

At Moab we had the opportunity to drive a Wrangler TJ equipped with the Kinetic Suspension system. Kinetic, originally of Australia and now under the umbrella of giant Tenneco Automotive, which also owns Rancho Suspension, soon will offer what is essentially a passive/reactive replacement for the antiroll bars that came on your vehicle. To use the Kinetic system, you remove your old antiroll bars and toss them. Then you add the Kinetic system. In current form, this consists of front and rear antiroll bars and a closed-loop hydraulic system that not only interconnects both antiroll bars, but interconnects a pair of links. One link is on the front bar, and one is on the rear. When the links are closed, the antiroll bar is operative. When they're open, it isn't.

Stay with us now-the way the system works is proportional to the suspension input, so on the road, in a handling situation, where suspension inputs tend to be equal from side to side, front to rear, the Kinetic antiroll bars provide roll stiffness. During four-wheeling, however, suspension inputs are of an articulated nature, and during those, the front and rear valves, mounted at the midpoints of the two antiroll bars, decouple proportionate to the input to maintain near-equal wheel loading. Because the system is hydraulically interconnected, when one suspension unit deflects, the fluid that actuates that corner of the system is pushed to the other corners of the system. So when an obstacle pushes one wheel up, the system reacts by pushing the other corners down. The result is traction, and lots of it.

We drove the Kinetic TJ over Moab's Gold Bar Canyon trail with little or no tire spin. This was a very standard Jeep, without lockers, and without even limited-slip. Traction with the Kinetic system was so complete that we did much of the trip in two-wheel drive, shifting into 4-low because we needed to crawl, not because two-wheel-drive traction was a problem.

Kinetic is still working on the system-this first generation is now available, on a very limited basis, for Wrangler TJs through Rancho Suspension. A second-generation system will do away entirely with antiroll bars, and will consist instead of interconnected passive/reactive shock absorbers. That's at least 6 months down the road. Kits will be available for Jeep TJs, Hummer H2, Ford Super Dutys, and what Kinetic spokesman Bill Johnson cagily calls "a major Japanese platform." We're impressed with what we've seen from Kinetic so far, and plan to do an in-depth test of the Gen2 system as soon as we're allowed to do so. We'll keep you posted.

Who'll Be The Champ?
This just in-Four Wheeler's 2002 Top Truck Challenge contenders. And the top vote-getters are...(drum roll please)

1. Jerry Cantrell's '56-CJ 3A (#12)
2. Tim Dzaman's '72 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40 (#13)
3. John Reynolds' '02 "Fat City" Bronco (#54)
4. Scott Godfrey's Raptor 1001 (#31)
5. Barry Toledano's The Frog (#67)
6. Robert Bryce's '83 Chevrolet Blazer (#7)
7. Abelardo Ramirez's '78 IH Scout (#53)
8. Jesse Haines' '86 Toyota pickup (#28)
9. Corey Dean's '85 Chevy K20 (#25)
10. Toby Lavender's '53 Jeep CJ-3A (#33)

We'll have features on each vehicle in our September issue, and full Top Truck Challenge coverage in our October issue. In the meantime, keep visiting Fourwheeler.com for bonus coverage. You never know what you might find there.

Win This Tacoma!
Here's your first look at our fantastic Four Wheeler Sweepstakes Truck. We'll be giving away this Toyota Tacoma Double Cab in mid-November in Southern California just prior to the Baja 1000. The lucky winner will get a chance to use it as they observe this famed race as a team member of Groff Motorsport's Class 1 entry. This Tacoma is similar to the model that won Four Wheeler's 2001 Ultimate 4x4 Competition, beating out such heavyweights as a Hummer H1 and Land Rover Discovery. You can follow the rig's evolution as we feature the project in upcoming issues of Four Wheeler.

Two-Second News
Chevy Takes the Lead
For the first time since July 1991, the Chevrolet division of General Motors outsold the Ford Division of Ford Motor Company for a one-month period. Though the margin was small-Chevy sold 235,173 cars and light trucks compared to Ford's 222,599-the numbers were enough to make Chevrolet number one, relegating Ford to the runner-up position. The figures demonstrate a .5-percent sales increase for Chevrolet for the same month last year. Not surprisingly, overall auto sales for February 2002 declined 3.3 percent from a year ago. The news wasn't that bad however, since industry analysts had predicted a 10-percent shortfall in sales as a result of a poor economy and the aftermath of 9/11. Heavy sales incentives such as GM's "Keep America Rolling" campaign helped February's U.S. auto sales reach 1,306,567 cars and light trucks sold.

Diesels Key for Big Three.
It looks like each of the Big Three American truck manufacturers is investing in the development of diesel engines for their heavy-duty rigs. Last year, GM introduced the 300hp DuraMax V-8 in its Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras, helping to increase GM's diesel market share from 2 to 20 percent. Dodge's newest version of the Ram 2500/3500 with a redesigned 5.9L Cummins inline-six turbocharged diesel will go on sale this fall. And Ford won't be left out, either. The company plans on incorporating its newly revamped Power Stroke 600 in the heavy-duty F-Series line. With a 350hp rating and 600 lb-ft of torque, the new version of the Power Stroke will be the only diesel engine to boast four valves per cylinder.