New Guy here. I just traded-in my 4x4 Chevrolet Suburban for a 2004 2500 4x4 Laramie Diesel. My first trip off road I get it stuck. I'm 25 miles from nowhere with only the factory tire jack . It took 12 hours for me to dig it out.

I've made this trip dozens of times in the Chevrolet and never came close to getting stuck.

Without doing any research I take it back to the dealer and tell them my "Anti spin" axle is really an "always spin" axle. The shop foreman agreed until he took the cover off, scratched his head, call their tech support and told me that it is working as designed. What is American Axle thinking? Replacing the spider gears with a planetary gearset does NOT make a differential "Anti-spin". It appears I got a fancy open differnential.

Now I need an alternative. It's either a aftermarket unit? Are their any? Or sell the truck and go back to Chevrolet.

 

The AAM limited slip diffs are as good or better than any other oem supplied unit. Chevy uses the same axles by the way, and therefore, the same limited slip unit I would certainly assume.

If you want no slip, you want lockers. You have to go aftermarket for those. Very few on road vehicles in the world come with lockers. The new Powerwagon from Dodge is one of those few.

 

The GM trucks use the "Gov-lok" limited slip that has been around since the 1970's. It is completely different from the Dodge "anti-spin" dif.

 

The trick to making the AAM anti-slip differential work much better is to apply the parking brake moderately. If all else fails, read the instructions!

 

You know, I might have fell off the turnip truck......... but it wasn't yeaterday.

You know that is the EXACT method we use to use to make an open differential act like a limited slip.

So my statement stands; It looks like I got a fancy open differential.

Thanks, and although the Gov-Lok isn't the strongest piece it works great in limited traction. I buy my vehicles to go off-road. So far,the Dodge is a poser. Does anyone know if the Gov-Lok will fit the Dodge housing? With the ABS tone ring? I think I have a 10.5 inch AAM Gov-Lok in the attic.

Yes, Yes!! Front and Rear if I can get them. Find me a source! I checked online with ARB, Detroit, Auburn ect and I found nothing.

TIA

 

You should be able to use the Power wagon setup on the front. The diff sizes (9.25") are the same. It's a AAM TracRite EL electric locking differential. Here's a link to a Power wagon review w/ this info:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/roadtests/129_0410_powr/

 

If I remember right, last year I checked out their website and they had something like 8-10 differentials listed. The anti-spin that we have is the "mass production" one that is designed more for tame street manners than getting you unstuck. They did have some other ones that were more like a detroit locker (gears, no clutch) and the electric one that they put on the power wagon 9.25 front/10.5 rear. If you call them, they actually have an engineer return your call within a few days. I don't think there are any aftermarket ones available yet.

 

The AAM anti spin diffs in our trucks use gears, not clutches. As far as limited slip diffs go, I don't think there is much better. You can get the electric locking front diff, one is the elocker AND the other is the oem unit for the power wagon. I'm told they are not the same. I know someone posted here or over on TDR on putting in an elocker up front. Don't know if anyone has actually installed the oem unit yet.

A true locking front diff would probably give you 75% of the traction you would get with both ends lock assuming your running unloaded since most of the weight is up front.

 

I use a similar type of limited slip diff in my race car as what I believe is used in the rear end of our trucks.
The drawback of the gear type differentials (torque biasing) is that if one wheel completely looses traction (as in it's up in the air, or on ice) all the torque goes to that wheel - just like an open diff.
If you are just taking a hard turn, an open diff will always put the most torque to the wheel with less traction.
A torque biasing diff will put the torque to the wheel with the most traction (the outside wheel), up to the point where one wheel loses all traction.

What that means is that for road racing, it works fine as long as you don't pop curbs (which cause the inside wheel to be up in the air) since you almost never end up with one wheel with no traction (it's pretty rare to have a mud slide on track )

A clutch-type diff on the other hand, will always work, but is often hard on the diff housing, and is also more aggressive in its engagement, especially if it's setup for a race car. You can really feel them coming on, especially in a front wheel drive car. I don't know if anyone makes them for our trucks? but they might be an interesting option for the off roaders out there. Clutch types will also require special oil, and some periodic maintenance as the clutch packs wear out. That's why I chose the gear driven type for my race car: no maintenance required.

For our trucks, as long as you are on-road, the stock LSD will work fine unless you end up with one wheel on an ice patch.
Off road, well, they won't do crap if you like rock-crawling, or if you end up with one side of the truck in mud, or with mud high enough to lift the axle on one side.
I belive it would work fine for Baja-type of offroading, or just plain old dirt road blasting (what I like )
Bottom line, if you plan of doing serious off road in muddy conditions, get an aftermarket locker.

 

Same tires???? I've heard that the aam limited slip is the same as a loose torsen.. Next time you hit the hole set your e-brake a little. It should work a lot better that a open diff. And by the way have a buddy standing by with anyrig loaded with a couple of detroits or air lockers just in case!!

 

Can I guess........Torsen? I know how a Torsen operates. I've looked at them both with my own eyes and this Tracrite is very different from a Torsen. From the service manual:

Basically AAM has replaced the spider gears with a planetary gearset. Other than the helical gear and pinions that's is how an open differential works. All's fine until one wheel loses traction.

I don't know if you consider ranching, fishing on Texas beaches or winter/summer trips to Colorado "serious off road". If I'd been stuck 25 miles off road with the wife and kids there is little doubt I'd be in a different truck.

I did call Rieder racing and confirmed that there is no aftermarket unit for the 11.5 inch rearend. Although I can't find a listing they did mention Eaton has a electric locker for the front end. I should have asked the price.

 

The limited slip is pretty much the same as found in the H1 and H2 Hummers, but with less bias. All need a bit of brake to engage in some cases, as in this forum some Dodge owners have had bragging rights of pulling National Guard Hummers out of snow and ice, and then showing them how to use the Torsen.

Ultra mega lockers with eleventeen wheel drive still needs decent tires, and the OEM tires can be pretty humble off road, in lots of water on road, and ice or even frost on road. Chains can work very well in bad conditions with marginal tires, and don't cost that much.

 

yeah, a Torsen-type. Made by Quaife. Hmm, what you describe is indeed a glorified open diff. bummer.

 

If both wheels are spinning...they both will stay spinning...period. You need to learn how to drive your truck differently with the limited slip. Keep momentum, apply brake modulation, or something. You are doing something wrong. This has been my best 4x4 pickup by far.

Call us when that Chevy gets high centered on a curb. Check out my reader pics for a dirty truck shot or two....

 

That reminds of the day a few years back when the Chebby Avalanche first came out. I was driving home and I spy this brand new god awful ugly thing 300 feet off the road in a farmers field. I think to myself as I drive by, who the heck is this moron trying to impress with his new toy, it's just a level field, I could idle my truck through there if I wanted to.

I come back by the next day and there it still sits, WITH A TOW TRUCK OPERATOR WORKING TO TRY AND WINCH IT OUT.