Synthetic Rope vs Steel Cable Winch Line: Pros and Cons

A question that every 4WD winchman asks - which is better, a steel wire or synthetic/dyneema winch rope? With all the misleading information out there to wade through, it can be challenging to get a clear answer. Here are our pros and cons to help answer this question for you. 

At Explorey we have been making and splicing winch ropes, soft-shackles and extension lines for over 10-years. We are extremely pro synthetic winch ropes because of their huge advantages, so expect this to be a little biased. Here is our list of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

When you hear the words Dyneema, Dynamica, SK78, Spectra or any of the other names around, these are all just brand names for the same UHMWPE compounds. They are not a different product or compound.

Synthetic winch rope Pros

1. Safety is #1. These ropes are safe to use without gloves and rope dampeners, and they will not build up kinetic tension causing damage or harm. Steel wire is dangerous when snapped and will splinter your hands. Synthetic ropes literally do save lives.
2. Repairable in-field. You can quickly repair a snapped rope with minimal or improvised tools when you are exploring remote to 100% strength and functionality. You can repair these ropes in any area with only a slight bulge to the repair zone.
3. Lightweight. Synthetic ropes weigh up to 10x less than the steel equivalent (by breaking strength), so they will put less weight on the front and rear of your vehicle and allow you to store spare extension ropes in your boot easily.
4. Very durable. Not as durable as steel wire; however, Synthetic will last many years when used correctly.

Synthetic winch rope: Cons

1. Expensive when compared to steel wire. You will always pay less for a steel equivalent. 
2. Average abrasion resistance when compared to steel. Synthetic ropes do not like being dragged over rocks, sharp objects or attached to sharp points without protection. You need to run protective sleeves, pulleys and tree protectors when using them.
3. They do have minimal stretch (<3%) and have no-tension “fattening”. Synthetic ropes need to be spooled under load for the first time if you want the maximum spool capacity.

Steel winch rope: Pros  

1. Cheap. You can get quality 30-metre ropes for under $100 that will get you out there doing it.
2. Extremely Abrasion-resistant. The steel wire can handle a lot of abuse before you affect its strength and integrity. 
3. Widely available with quality products. A lot of suppliers sell steel wire and you can be pretty confident you are buying something that will do the job. When you are buying synthetic ropes, a lot of suppliers are selling inferior products.

Steel winch rope: Cons 

Steel Cable Rope Jamming

1. Extremely dangerous when snapped under load. These ropes are known to cause serious damage, physical harm and even death. Don’t take risks lightly. 
2. Difficult to repair in the field. You will likely need to take a steel saw, crimps and a crimp tool to get you out of the dungeon if you snap one of these.
3. Rope jamming. A big problem with steel is when the wire slips getting jammed under the next spool line caused by normal-tension winching, making an impossible hand-pull jam. This happens mostly in the first ⅓ or ½  of the rope, making it inoperable. The only way out of this is to hopefully have a line extension until you can tie your line off to a tree and drive out backwards. 

 

The main thing to look for when buying a synthetic rope is the supplier's reputation. You will get a much higher ‘true’ breaking strength with massively improved UV and abrasion resistance when you buy right. Look for long warranties and read the product descriptions carefully.