Limited slip diff. Or locker

[Clint S]

I am leaning to a locker but I want one with a dial to turn on/ off.

Our Chevy has a locking diff. and it works well plowing it auto locks when one wheel spins 150(?) rpm more than the other.

 

[the old grind]

'What Clint S said' .. (while I typed a long version :confused2 .. I say KISS this time! Pretty hard to go wrong with a limited slip, .. kicks in when needed by design, .. doesn't make you worry about tires 'scrubbing' in turns. (real)

'What SR said' .. no stomp accel pedal when turning on pavement. Wears on clutches of that type limited slip, might give only 'one-wheel-drive' if turning tight-med in any 'locked' mode and 'getting on it'.

Want to dazzle 'em at the truck pulls you enter, .. or sling the most mud on your pals when bogging? Show off what your manual locker will do. (skull handle, or WTH are you? )

Want superior traction without having to think about it when your pushing/plowing/scooping snow? Got metaphor, too? Read comments above, .. pucker up vs pounding your chest and having another lever/switch to muscle. btw, shuttle-shift, HST, synced throttle, etc are also improvements over WW I era tech. .. :stirthepot:

 

[Morning Wood]

My f350 has a locking diff. It does not unlock when turning but does unlock above 30-35 mph. I have to pull a knob to engage it. My trucks used to have limited slip but they didn’t always work. You needed forward progress for them to lock in and spin both wheels. Can’t count the number of times I got stuck with one rear wheel spinning and the other doing nothing. 4wd is more important in a plow truck

 

[zzvyb6]

A set of REAL snow tires can out-pull a L.S. equipped truck, even one with 'traction' control'. I have Bridgestone Blizzaks on my Tahoe and this truck's nickname is Doser. Go anywhere on snow and ice. Traction control will just bog down your speed as it looks for equal wheel speeds using brakes and limited throttle. You want high surface friction from the tires on the path you just plowed. Otherwise you get controlled wheel spin and no forward thrust. Snow plow loads require high forward plus side force capability. But, you might not want to wear the snow tires out of season from a noise, fuel economy, and longevity standpoint. I keep mine on extra wheels and swap them out.

 

[buickanddeere]

What's better for a truck that plows snow to get better traction. This truck might be driven also so will milage be afected?.

I installed a Detroit Locker in my Grand National . Was not the ideal choice . Next time the limited slip will be a Torrsin worm gear differential , similar to what the military Hummer uses .

 

[ovrszd]

Funny but not one of my locking diffs disengage when going around a turn. If they did I would have had to return them as defective.
The hard turning I experience is not from it re engauging but because the tires are pulling at the same speed as each other while trying to turn and since the distance they actually need to turn is different in order to turn smoothly.

Yeah, a guy has to be very careful what he states about the characteristics of a locker. There are a lot of variations. Application dictates what's best. Clint did a pretty good job of describing what's known as a "lunchbox locker".

 

[ovrszd]

For plowing snow on roads/parking lots I think the Auburn True-Trac will give you the best performance with least amount of odd behavior and no personal interaction.

In this situation a selectable locker would be second choice. Requires a LOT of personal interaction to get the benefit. And you'll continuously find yourself wondering why the truck is acting weird because you forgot to unlock and you are now driving down the road in traffic going to the next job.....

In this situation I'd never consider a solid locked rear axle for the reason listed above.

With all that said, the Auburn ECTED MAX Electronically Controlled Differential gives you the best of all Worlds. Basically functions as a limit slip plus having the ability to lock solid electronically. The best always costs more.

I use an Eaton E Locker in my hiway/offroad Jeep. Great selectable locker. Not limit slip capable.

 

[paulfun9]

Yeah, a guy has to be very careful what he states about the characteristics of a locker. There are a lot of variations. Application dictates what's best. Clint did a pretty good job of describing what's known as a "lunchbox locker".

Wow I must be getting old! I almost forgot about some of those nick names for the different types.

 

[paulfun9]

A set of REAL snow tires can out-pull a L.S. equipped truck, even one with 'traction' control'. I have Bridgestone Blizzaks on my Tahoe and this truck's nickname is Doser. Go anywhere on snow and ice. Traction control will just bog down your speed as it looks for equal wheel speeds using brakes and limited throttle. You want high surface friction from the tires on the path you just plowed. Otherwise you get controlled wheel spin and no forward thrust. Snow plow loads require high forward plus side force capability. But, you might not want to wear the snow tires out of season from a noise, fuel economy, and longevity standpoint. I keep mine on extra wheels and swap them out.

Good to see somone else knows the difference real snow tires make! Was starting to think I was the only one left using them.

 

[ovrszd]

Wow I must be getting old! I almost forgot about some of those nick names for the different types.

I have forgotten several also. That one always stuck in my mind for some reason.

Definition: A Lunchbox Locker replaces the Spider Gears and sometimes Spider Gear Pin within the stock carrier. It uses springs and notched gears to function. Power applied, it wants to lock up. Power off it disengages. Pain in the Butt for an inexperienced driver on pavement. Moderately effective. Minimally stout. Beats an open rear end.

 

[dodge man]

Just my opinion here, but I have had several factory limited slips. They are just that, pretty limited. If they are set up to tight, they will drag a tire on dry pavement. If they are set up like they are from the factory, they only help so much. I had one limited slip that I could jack up one tire and grab a hold of it and just with arm strength spin the tire even though I could feel the limited slip dragging some. My current F150 has the factory locker and you just pull out on the 4 wheel drive knob to engage it, I think you have to be going less than 25 mph for it to engage. It works well.

I suspect a lot of the limited slips people mention that are aftermarket are much better than factory setups.

 

[adam728]

As some others have said - #1 is true snow tires. Not all terrains. Not M&S. Not all seasons. But actual winter tires. I've yet to meet someone that has tried them and not been blown away. Currently I have new Yokohama Geolander G015's on my GMC, which have a 3 peak mountain snowflake rating, meaning they are well above average in snow. Wife has true Cooper snow tires ok on the minivan. I can out accelerate (AWD vs minivan FWD) and go through deeper snow than her. That's it. Braking and cornering the minivan on winters wins, no contest. Our 5th vehicle with snow tires.

Anyway, for a daily driver, no hassle plow truck, limited slip. 2nd choice would be a selectable locker. 3rd, auto locker (Lunchbox, full Detroit, etc). The auto lockers do take some driver awareness in snow, had a Lockrite in a Toyota, a Jeep with Lockrites front and rear, and a Jeep with a rear Aussie Locker (same as a Lockrite, basically). According to the internet I should be dead. Good thing I didn't know that back when I started using them.

I will say, for plowing, probably not a huge need for a locker or limited slip on the flats. Open diffs do pretty good. But, drop a tire in the ditch and hang the corner of the plow up, now they help.

But real snow tires first.

 

[herm0016]

yep. snow tires first. we have winter wheels with snows for our truck and our car. i am a big fan of the blizzak dmv-2s, i'm on my third set of them. we have Ipikes on the car, but that does not go to the mountains in the winter.

i have always liked the g80, you just have to understand how it works, much like adam728 said.

 

[bigtiller]

If one wheel has to spin 120 rpm faster than the other wheel for the G80 differential to lock up, how fast is that in mph?

 

[CADplans]

My last two Chevy trucks have had locking rear axles, they are perfect
You do not know the locker is in the truck until one tire spins too much, then it locks

Both of the trucks were sold new as snow plow special trucks.

 

[herm0016]

lets see...

275/65/18 is about the size on my GMC. circumference is 100.7 inches * 120 rpm gives us 12084 inches/min x 1ft/12 in x 1 mile / 5280 ft x 60min/1 hr is ~ 11 mph. but that is difference between the 2 rear wheels and varies with tire size, not your ground speed. 120 rpm is pretty slow. you can pedal a bike at 11 mph pretty easy.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My last two Chevy trucks have had locking rear axles, they are perfect
You do not know the locker is in the truck until one tire spins too much, then it locks

Both of the trucks were sold new as snow plow special trucks.

I have two Chevy trucks with factory locking rear diff's, a "12" and an "18", both work VERY good, no complaints with the lockers at all...

SR

 

[adam728]

The G80, or "Gov-Lock" only gets a bad rep becauae guys put 37's on a half ton and then try to bash through rocks and ruts off road with the throttle to the floor. Its a pretty good system.

 

[buickanddeere]

The primary problem is people who are too cheap to install real winter tires and try to make do with mid&snow, four season or other bad jokes .

 

[Industrial Toys]

Mc Arthur sold me some supposed snow tires for my Sierra that are more like M&S. Hardly worth changing them over. But, they are noisy enough on dry pavement, so what is a guy to do?