Traditional limited slip differential?

When I lived in AZ, after a long dry spell the pavement would become very slick after a fresh rain. Wouldn’t say you could get stuck, but definitely break the tires loose if you floored it. Kinda hard to do if you’re driving normal.

The first day I played around with it, it seemed just ok…today I tossed some sand bags in the bed, worked much better. Really had to try hard and break the tires loose, running Blizzaks though.

 

You were answering @Dicktrickle92 who said if AutoLSD worked he shouldn't be spinning his tires at a flat intersection in the rain. Which is true. Auto LSD should be activating ABS on the spinning tire. And here we are?

 

My 06 Sport had the mechanical limited slip and by 95,000 miles it was well worn and not very strong. I wouldn’t bother trying to do a clutch-type LSD.

My truck has had a Truetrac for the last 30,000 miles and I have to say the Truetrac is fantastic on the street, in the snow and even off roading.

After tires, it’s the the most useful modification on my truck.

 

He was claiming it was a “safety hazard” that he couldn’t get out on an intersection filled with wet pavement without 4wd. Coming from a cold wet state, I find that to be a bizarre statement, but I have read similar statements on here. I have never felt the need to engage 4wd or AutoLSD on wet pavement. Make sense?

 

Yep, sure does. I suspect it is working but he is expecting more.

 

I think you should only expect so much from an unloaded pickup in 2wd; limited slip or locker notwithstanding.

 

Yeah there isn't much to work with there with no weight over the drive axle. I spend a fair amount of my time off-roading in sandy washes and air down my tires on a locked axle with a tub of sand strapped against the tailgate.

 

Maybe it was really wet…

 

It’s hard to spin your wheels when your engine is hydro locked.

 

So it snowed last night...


After shoveling, I took the truck and parked it in a snow bank. One wheel spun easily while the other had plenty of traction. I then engaged AutoLSD and tried to get out. Typical of any LSD, the free wheel spun and I went nowhere. Had the clutch out and speedo hit 20kms with the traction light flashing away. Applied the brakes and engaged 4wd, and pulled right out. A true locking diff would work much better...

 

Not saying it's better than a locker or 4WD, but I've had better luck than that with AutoLSD.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/traccontrol-or-lsd-in-4wd.646499/page-3#post-22474647

 

I didn't know these were available for the Tacomas. Excited to look now. I had a Chevy with the auto G80 diff and really liked it in the snow.

 

I've tested the auto LSD on the Tacoma many times in the snow and yep, it does nothing. Some other brand vehicles auto/brake actuated LSDs actually work as intended.

 

Got an older 2wd Tacoma and live in the snow belt. Auto LSD does work and is used regularly. Winter time I use a 100 lb piece of conveyor belt as a bed mat and keep fuel tank full for extra weight over wheels. Driveway is quite steep and when snow covered, truck will not back up it but when LSD is engaged, no problem. If one rear wheel has sufficient traction then truck will move. As for wearing out rear shoes, truck is 10 years old and original shoes are still at about 75% left.

 

Maybe it was different in the older trucks. I've parked mine with one rear wheel on ice, engage that thing, have someone on the outside watch the wheel on the ice and....... nada. Just spins, and no power goes to the other side.

 

Saw a video of guy testing the auto limited slip works in 2wh and 4wh.
They lifted the 3gen Tacoma three wheels off the ground and driver side front tire was the only tire touching pavement, After spinning the three tires , the Auto limited kick in moving the Tacoma forward,with the only tire touching.

Tacoma Auto limited slips works by appling brakes to the spinning wheels, letting the tires not spinning to move forward. Note Toyota does not recommend you leave the Auto limited slip on for a long time.

Tacoma lockers only can be use under 5 mph, once free Toyota recommends you turn it off

Nissan Pro4x will out perform the Tacoma lockers all day long.
Colorado front and rear lockers will outperform against every Toyota Pro trucks any day.

For the more serious off roaders , having a front and rear lockers is the a”king”. In my opinion.
Toyota should dump the crawl control , install to working lockers that works with higher speeds and mostly it will be cheaper then the crawl controls

 

Crawl control costs Toyota nothing other than the dial to activate it. It is achieved using the ABS system and the ECU, which are already part of the vehicle . Other than the “crawl knob”, there is no crawl control hardware. Having a front locker would certainly cost Toyota much more to offer the buyer, than Crawl Control.

 

Best way to add weight to the rear!

I miss my 2nd Gen Trail edition. The trim was the best ever.

 

BTW, now that the SR5 is paid off, I was contemplating adding a locker(s). However, I pondered quite a bit last night. I’m one of the few who feel this TRAC system, in conjunction with the open differentials, do a good job on moderate trails/hill climbs. I’ll never wheel the Miller Jeep Trail, or have the desire to do it as I spend more time building two stroke motors and that’s where my passion lies. Then this thread pops up.

Perhaps I should be looking at the truetrac a little closer. Would be mint to have for the street too.

 

Thank you, There are a few good things the crawl controls offers. Going down a rough hill, getting out of sand when wheels are bury. But Toyota systems seems limited? When driving on soft sand? I want to be moving with the lockers on!

I am old school, none of my 4x4s had lockers, but all my other 4x4s had some kind of limited slip units. They always perform well for me. I seen too many open diff vehicles get struck or unable to climb a small hill.

I would like my electronic lockers be able to use at any time and at any speeds. Same for the limited slips.
I am not a rock crawler. Mostly hard rocky lava roads, sand beaches, dirt and muddy roads.

B-4 days lockers and limited slips I think were very good then, But factory built electronic lockers NICER.
Chevy and Fords are now offering factory front and rear lockers in many of there hard core 4x4s.