I think I've decided to go with either the Eaton Posi or the Detroit TrueTrac LSD for the rear of my 02 4WD Tundra. Does anybody have experience with either? I spend most of my time on the road, but sometimes I get off the highway into some light mud and, of course, snow and ice in the winter. Which one might be the better choice for this combination?
They are both limited slips. The main difference between the two is that the Truetrac is completely gear driven. The Posi uses clutches. The clutches wear out in time and would need to be rebuilt. Both the Posi and Detroit Truetrac are an Eaton product. My choice would be the Truetrac. I plan ongetting one for my front dana 44 axle.
I have the Detroit Locker in the rear toyota axle.
Thanks for the info. How does the Locker do on the street?
Not bad. You do have to change your driving habits a little. Mainly around sharp turns. From a stop and you make a turn, you have to feather the gas pedal. Otherwise, the inner tire tends to chirp. But, nothing seriously annoying or harsh. Most of the time, I hardly know it's there. On the trails it kicks @$$!!!
Thats awesome! I'm gonna check into that too. Now I'm up to three choices lol. Thanks for your input again.
Another option is the ARB air locker. When it's engaged, it's a locker. When it's disengaged, it act's like a limited slip. Only downfall is the price.
When it's disengaged, it act's like a limited slip.
Not true. When an ARB is disengaged, it is an open differential.
Of the 2 limited slips, I would go with the TrueTrac. Like was said before, it has no clutch plates to wear and doesn't need rebuilt.
It is also the most transparent, making it the most streetable. Although you wouldn't know the Eaton Posi is there most of the time, the friction between the clutches may be enough to cause the rear end to slide sideways on low traction surfaces, such as ice (while in a turn, on a crowned road, etc.). This can happen even when coasting. The TrueTrac is much less likely to do this.
The Detroit, or any other automatic locker, would be the hardest to live with. I drove an automatic locker equipped vehicle as my only transportation for 6 1/2 years. Although I managed okay, at times it was a pain. I always had to be alert. Towing a heavy load didn't help.
The fact that I had a short wheelbase vehicle with a manual transmission made my experience with a rear automatic locker worse. Fortunately, a longer wheelbased Tundra with an automatic transmission would make an automatic locker easier to live with. The torque converter in an automatic helps dampen the shock loads (which cause jerking) that are often encountered with an automatic locker, and the longer wheelbase makes the vehicle more stable.
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'06 Tacoma TRD Doublecab 4wd
Rear locker mod, 3" Skyjacker lift struts, Skyjacker rear springs and shocks, home made front spacers for 3/4" more front lift, Roadmaster rear overload springs for 7/8" more rear lift and less rear sag under load, more to come...
I installed a TruTrac in the front of my jeep and i hate it. I installed a TruTrac in the rear of my friends bronco and we both hate it. It acts like a open diff all the time and requires a brake tap when you are stuck to activate. Now they are making the clutch plate type with better material but it still would only take one time with driving with one really low tire to burn up the clutch plates, also if you had one tire really in a bind and the other with no traction it will only spin the one with with no traction at the same time burning up the clutch plates. The TruTrac will not wear out in either of these situations but like i said it will get you stuck before it engages. For a person who can pay attention to tire pressure and understand the situations that burn up clutch type and avoid those situations I think the clutch type is better and will last forever with the proper lube and maintenance. If it were me I would go with a Detroit locker.
For some reason the ARB site doesn't specifically say that the Air Locker is open until manually locked. And several other websites I looked at don't mention it as well.
But there are a few others I found that DO say it is open until locked, and I found absolutely none that say it is a limited slip until it is locked.
There are other brands that are limited slip until locked, but they aren't the ARB Air Locker.
As far as limited slip differentials go, any type of limited slip, be it the clutch type or gear driven like the TrueTrac, may need brake application to force it to deliver enough torque to the wheel with traction so the vehicle can get unstuck.
In fact, I have heard that when the military is training Hummer drivers, that they teach brake application to help get unstuck. Hummers have geardriven limited slips that are much like the Detroit TrueTrac (I think Gleason Torsen differentials, if I recall correctly).
The big problem with actuating a limited slip is that in low traction situations, there isn't enough traction to make them lock enough to send torque to the wheel with traction. This is why the brakes need applied in order to accomplish this.
I've even used brake application with open differentials to get unstuck.
If you aren't going to be getting in radical off road situations, a limited slip may be plenty.
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'06 Tacoma TRD Doublecab 4wd
Rear locker mod, 3" Skyjacker lift struts, Skyjacker rear springs and shocks, home made front spacers for 3/4" more front lift, Roadmaster rear overload springs for 7/8" more rear lift and less rear sag under load, more to come...
SORRY you are right, the ARB is and open diff untill engaged. For some reason my fourwheeler magazine put a foot note about the auburn ected (witch is a limited slip untill engaged) right next to the section about the ARB, I should have read more.
I heard the ARB acts as a limited when not engaged, guess not. Sorry for the wrong info...
A truetrac in the front is not as good as a locker for traction but, if you don't have hydro assist and big tires it's a lot easier to turn the steering wheel. Plus, driving on ice with a front locker is scary as hell. For a daily driver and and weekend wheelin' rig, having a limited slip in the front and locker in the rear is ideal - IMO. Unless, you can spend the $$$ for ARB's front and rear.
What is the brake method to get unstuck? Is it applying break pressure wile giving it gas?
Yes, basically. You give it some gas and brake simultaneously. Sometimes it just takes a quick stab on the brakes while the tires are spinning, sometimes it takes steady brake pressure. It takes a little practice.
On a truck that has ABS with 4 individual wheel sensors (older ones had one sensor at the ring gear for both rear wheels), with the foot brake applied, the ABS will treat the wheel that isn't spinning like the brake is locked up and will send all of the brake fluid pressure to the wheel that is spinning, slowing that wheel and transferring torque to the one with traction. It basically works like a poor man's traction control. I've used that method with open differentials, although it works better with a limited slip since the limited slip and the ABS work together to aid torque transfer.
If it's a limited slip in a 2wd, then you use the parking brake, although I have had that method work with a 2wd open differential equipped truck.
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'06 Tacoma TRD Doublecab 4wd
Rear locker mod, 3" Skyjacker lift struts, Skyjacker rear springs and shocks, home made front spacers for 3/4" more front lift, Roadmaster rear overload springs for 7/8" more rear lift and less rear sag under load, more to come...
Eaton Posi or Detroit TrueTrac??
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