Wondering what people are running in their trucks? I do a decent amount of towing and some wheeling so I want something that will do decent at both. What are you running and what would you recomend. I want something that is always there no airlockers ect. I have had enough with this one tire fryer.
Evan

 

I don't think that there is a really good solution for what you want to do without going to an air locker or something. If you are towing, you will find a locker very harsh with all that weight on the rear wheels. Once you get used to starting a turn with no throttle on so that it unlocks, then giving it power, it gets a little better but it is still unpleasant. You will also go through tires a lot faster. Lockers are great for things where you are not on a side slope but they are terrible on a side slope. If you start spinning, your entire rear end will slide downhill rather than just not moving. Snow and lockers is also dicey.

As far as a LSD goes, it won't provide you with as much traction as you probably want to go wheeling. Some people really tighten up their clutch packs to get traction but then they go through them a lot faster.

My last two trucks have both had rear lockers and I took the one out of my current truck in favor of an open rear. The truck gets better mileage, the tires last longer, there is less clanking and jerking and I like it a lot more. Since I mostly deal with mud and snow, I always have chains for all 4 corners with me and it does the trick.

 

Both my current trucks were open diffs when I bought them, but my previous Rams, a '99 and a '00 had factory LSD units and I loved those.
So on my '95 I installed a factory LSD, and I love it.
Then stupid me put a Detroit locker in my '98...I hate it, but I'm way too lazy to take it out. The locker sucks for any intown driving, and in parking lots I look like a beginning driver.

 

I believe that a selectable locker (air, electric, or mechanical) is the best way to go for a vehicle used on and off road. I would like a locker, but am worried about driving on icy roads with it. I may just end up with a gentle Truetrac limited slip, but at the cost of good traction off road.

 

Dont mean to hijack the thread, but since we are on the subject. I have a 97 with LSD . well its seriously worn out, grinds going around corners etc. well the parts to fix are like 600 bucks, i can buy a new open carrier with spiders for about $180. If i go the open route will i notice any difference towing? thats all i do is tow my bobcat for jobs on a flatbed 10K maybe. Thnaks

 

Can't see it making any difference towing. With 10K behind it, it probably wasn't helping traction a great deal. If you're not getting stuck with it worn out, you probably won't know the difference with it gone.

 

Locker + highway + snow or rain= Scary

 

There is a thread in the 1st gen forums about the powertrax locker. Its seems most people who have them like them. I have a Powertrax no-slip locker waiting on the shelf of my garage to go in.
When I had my Jeep Cherokee I had a locker in it and loved it. It takes some getting used to driving it in rain and snow. If you give it to much gas while turning its going to go sideways, but then again so did my Mustang that ran 10.60s in the 1/4 mile, that I used to drive in the rain and the snow (sometimes).
I am going to try mine, if I dont like it I will take it out and get a limited slip.