i recently had a warn 424 put on and for some reason it seems to be faster than before . it windes out in 5th which it never did before . my question is it possible that it could be faster now because all the power is going to the rear wheels . one thing for sure is that it handles a hole lot easier .

 

Yeah thats exactlly what happend. there is less drag because the front wheels are no longer pulling and it is sending all the power to the rear wheels now.

 

I don't know if mine is really faster or not but it sure seems faster.

 

This has left me a little confused for a while now. I understand the 424 diconnects the shaft between the engine and the front diff. This being the case, the front wheels would have drag on them turning the front diff., and the quad would require the same amount of power to propel it. If you had a 424, and unlockable hubs you would have less drag. Enlighten me please.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

I am not sure it is as much of a drag question as gearing. I would think turning the diff will cause a little more drag than a standard bearing-shaft setup. Where it seems you gain is by releasing the front wheels from the drivetrain. With all 4 connected you get a governor effect, only allowing you to go as fast as the slowest wheel, plus robbing horsepower for the additional wheels. Mine have always spooled up a lot higher in 2 wd than in 4. Didn't matter Suzuki, Polaris whatever.

 

The reason that the wolvie is able to spool up more is indirectly related to the 424. What is happening is, is that the rear wheels are slipping ever so slightly, allowing the engine to spool out. The amount of drag being created by the front diff, axles, hubs, etc is the exact same. It's a lot easier for the engine to get the tires to spin than it is to make the "entire" wolvie go faster.

 

What is really interesting is, that when most of the mags test 4WDs, the bikes are usually faster (straight line) in 4WD than 2WD. I think they attribute this to traction.

 

Definatly

 

True, but it also depends what kind of surface you are on. If you are on a hard surface or at least one with good traction, I would think the 2 wheel drive would be faster.

 

yea in a grass field drag i race mine in 4x4 cause i feel it grips quicker with less wheel spin and pulls harder through the whole acceleration