My wife and I went for a little ride in my Tracker today. We eventually got on the interstate even though I avoid them lately. I couldn't hold 70 so I just put it in 4th and set the cruise at 60. I hate driving slow but what the heck it's Sunday right. After about 15 miles of 4000 rpm noise |removethispart|@ 60 MPH I decide to take the old highway that runs along the freeway and take an exit. As I come off the exit I see a muddy Z71 and a quad sitting in one of those park and ride lots by the interchange. They are watching me go by and I look past them and see a muddy two track that leads to some big hills with trails up them. I quick through a u turn and head back. My wife says, "What's up?" I just say, "mud and hills".
Any way I head past the truck and quad and into the mud. It was a soft, wet mix of clay and sand. In seconds my nice clean Tracker was a moving mud ball. I got back to the hills and they were fun. Some really steep stuff. A few minutes later the Z71 and quad joined me. I would watch the truck try to climb stuff and have to back down. As soon as he got out of the way I would crawl up it like nothing. It was a blast. (sorry no pics).
Anyway, get this. We get back on the interstate and suddenly my Tracker is a race car. I'm driving 85 MPH in 5th gear and holding steady. Even in the hills I leave it in 5th and it only slows about 5 MPH. What the heck? I end up driving another 40 miles on the freeway and was passing everyone. Any ideas why it suddenly can take on the highway?
The only thing that happened different than usual was that once the hubs (stupid auto hubs) ingaged hard while backing through a rut with a big bang noise. At first I thought I broke the 3rd but everything appeared ok.
So now I am afraid to wash it. I can't see out anything but my windshield but I can hit 90 MPH.
