Locking Diff?

[Donny88]

I got an 88 comanche pioneer 2w drive. Is there some kind of locking diff or positraction rear end I can put in this?

[Minuit]

Lockers range from cheap to ridiculously expensive. Cheaper lockers are automatic and will make your truck "interesting" to drive on the road. They're loud and tend to lock in turns and will wear tires very quickly if you aren't careful. Auto lockers are usually relatively simple to install. Selectable lockers (you can switch between open and locked from the cab) are usually expensive but are much nicer if the truck is driven on roads regularly. That's just the basics - someone will probably come around with more detail later.

 

Limited slip diffs are something you'd probably want to have more on a 2wd truck. They won't lock on you in a turn and make your truck hop around and are generally much nicer to drive with. They're helpful offroad but not as much as a locker. The stock posi-trac rear end sort of sucks and most ones you are likely going to find in junkyards will need to be rebuilt - they use clutches. The Detroit TrueTrac is a much less maintenance intensive diff (it's gear operated so no clutches) and is fairly cheap. Installing an LSD is a bit more involved.

[Donny88]

 

 

Thanks for the info. Do you know if they came with stock posi traction?

[Minuit]

Some axles did. As far as I know the only way to tell is to jack it up and spin a wheel. If both wheels spin in the same direction, it's a limited slip.

[a4xnut]

The stock "posi" in a Dana 35 is called a TracLok and, as far as I am concerned, is less desireable than an "open" differential.  At least with an open diff, you can throw in a lunchbox locker.  I ran one of these in my Cherokee on the street for years and the only time it locked in turns is if you got on the gas.  It is a little bit noisey when you turn, but for me, that was part of the romance.  I got a kick out of people telling me my rear axle was making clicking noises in the parking lot and I would respond with, "I know, I paid extra for that!" LOL

[Megadan]

I was told my truck had a limited slip, but I recently discovered that I infact had a Detroit Locker (Part Number: eat162c66a) which is the "Super Locker" version.  I have to say that I have been extremely happy with how it operates.  It doesn't lock up on turns (unless I really gas it), and actually manages it's locking action very smoothly and quietly.  I've gotten to test it out quite a bit with the recent snows we have had.  If you want an auto-locking diff then I would highly recommend it.  Detroit diffs are generally a great product, but the downside can be price.  Currently the Super Locker version runs around $620.  I have also heard great things about the Detroit True-trac, which is considered more street friendly, but still an auto locker that is about $200 cheaper.  

[Minuit]

I was told my truck had a limited slip, but I recently discovered that I infact had a Detroit Locker (Part Number: eat162c66a) which is the "Super Locker" version.  I have to say that I have been extremely happy with how it operates.  It doesn't lock up on turns (unless I really gas it), and actually manages it's locking action very smoothly and quietly.  I've gotten to test it out quite a bit with the recent snows we have had.  If you want an auto-locking diff then I would highly recommend it.  Detroit diffs are generally a great product, but the downside can be price.  Currently the Super Locker version runs around $620.  I have also heard great things about the Detroit True-trac, which is considered more street friendly, but still an auto locker that is about $200 cheaper.  

 

I should've been clearer in regard to the TrueTrac name - from what I've seen both lockers and LSDs are sold under that brand name. In my post I was referring to the Limited Slip version such as this.

 

I agree. Eaton products are generally very good. Every model of locker is going to act differently so make sure to do plenty of research.

 

[Megadan]

Yes, but even Helical limited slips like the Truetrac have advantages and disadvantages.  They are never a positive engagement like a clutch type would be, and as a whole they behave more like an open diff than anything else mentioned.  For example, if you have the wheels off the ground and spin one by hand, the other will spin opposite since the gears aren't under enough load to cause the diff to engage.  They are great for on-road use, but unlike a clutch type limited slip or a locker, if one wheel spins on a slick surface, it will actually keep spinning (although, the other will get some power at least).  Or you will get a back and forth spin sometimes.  Once nice thing about helicals is that they never wear out.  I used to do a fair bit of road racing, and I actually preferred the helical style diffs over clutch type because of how they behaved - like an open diff but with enough positive engagement to rotate the car if needed.  You will never see a drag racer using one though for the very reasons I mentioned above.

As you said, research is key.  That and considering the application and general use of the vehicle.  For a truck that is off-road as often as on-road then I would definitely go with an auto locker or selective locker.  Mostly on-road with light off-road, then a clutch type would be the better choice.  They do vary greatly on how aggresive they are and behave as well as clutch setups - Cone or disc and plate.  Completely on-road use, then definitely a Helical.

[Eagle]

Yes, but even Helical limited slips like the Truetrac have advantages and disadvantages.  They are never a positive engagement like a clutch type would be, and as a whole they behave more like an open diff than anything else mentioned.

 

I disagree. I've had a factory Trac-Lok in my '88 Cherokee since I bought it new, and I run a True Trac in my '88 Comanche. The True Trac engages much more positively than the Trac-Lok.

[Incommando]

Detroit is the trade name but the TrueTrac is just used for their gear driven (gleason torson) limited slip. It is a much better design than the cone type or clutch pack limited slip units. To get a Truetrac to engage almost as well as a locker you merely have to apply a bit of drag via the brakes. Although that is not practical on the street or in pavement racing it is easily done while 'wheeling. the bias set for most limited slips including the various Trac-lok designs are easily overcome leaving you with what amounts to an open diff.

 

IMHO the street characteristics of automatic lockers in general and specifically the drop in style such as the Aussie are much tamer than is stated. often statements to the contrary are made by folks who are just repeating internet postings and without any personal experience. I have used them in several vehicles and in the winter in everything from a lifted '05 KJ with a 6 speed stick and 31" mud terrains to a '72 Commando automatic. They are the best bang for the buck. Having said that remember that the you most likely have the infamously

weak dana 35. Locking it will increase the stress on it.

[Megadan]

 

Yes, but even Helical limited slips like the Truetrac have advantages and disadvantages.  They are never a positive engagement like a clutch type would be, and as a whole they behave more like an open diff than anything else mentioned.

 

I disagree. I've had a factory Trac-Lok in my '88 Cherokee since I bought it new, and I run a True Trac in my '88 Comanche. The True Trac engages much more positively than the Trac-Lok.

That goes back to what I said in that post earlier, it really depends on the individual limited slip.  Most factory clutch pack style limited slips like the trac-lock you had tend to be fairly weak on engagement to make them quieter, easier to live with on a daily basis, and last longer.  Throw in the already weak pre-load and lower number of spring plates in the pack and you get a smooth, quiet, happy diff that works ok on the snow and light duty situations.   Add mileage to those types of diffs and they just get weaker until they eventually almost quit working all together.   So comparing a worn out factory limited slip to a brand new helical isn't a very fair comparison.  

 

Heck, I have two Dana 44 Auburn limited slips that I would be glad to show you the difference an aggressive and non-aggressive pre-load makes.   Auburns are a cone type diff by nature which makes them much quieter and smoother than a clutch and plate style clutch pack diff.   One is a standard and the other is the Pro version.  The difference in the two is huge, and the only real difference between them is the pre-load springs being heavier on the Pro model.

[Donny88]

Now trying to figure out if mine has lsd stock. If so would this be good enough for a snow covered road? I'm not lookin to off road in this thing but getting to and from in snowy weather.

 

[Eagle]

 

 

Yes, but even Helical limited slips like the Truetrac have advantages and disadvantages.  They are never a positive engagement like a clutch type would be, and as a whole they behave more like an open diff than anything else mentioned.

 

I disagree. I've had a factory Trac-Lok in my '88 Cherokee since I bought it new, and I run a True Trac in my '88 Comanche. The True Trac engages much more positively than the Trac-Lok.

So comparing a worn out factory limited slip to a brand new helical isn't a very fair comparison.  

 

Who is comparing a worn-out Trac-Lok to a new TrueTrac?

 

Not me. The '88 Cherokee now has 287,000 miles on it. The original Trac-Lok lasted about 125,000, then it was rebuilt. That took it to about 200,000. The next time it got wimpy I replaced it with a new one, and that was about the same time I bought the '88 MJ and put the TrueTrac in it. So I can compare new to new. The TrueTrac is much more positive than even a new Trac-Lok.

[benjy_26]

whay to choose and where to use it depends as much on the driver as it does on the diff. I have a lunch box locker in the 8.8 under my 2wd ZJ and I love it. It's pretty much transparent to me in daily use and is a big help when off roading. Honestly, though, I think I'm either deaf, or I just like rough, "interesting" vehicles. Case in point: I drove my K5 with no top, doors, carpet, radio, or cup holders to and from a trail run that was about 300 miles away on recentered HMMVW wheels and tires and a full spool in the back with what amounts to an open exhaust. I honestly had a blast. Except for the cup holders. That's probably the only thing I truly missed.

[cruiser54]

Detroit is the trade name but the TrueTrac is just used for their gear driven (gleason torson) limited slip. It is a much better design than the cone type or clutch pack limited slip units. To get a Truetrac to engage almost as well as a locker you merely have to apply a bit of drag via the brakes. Although that is not practical on the street or in pavement racing it is easily done while 'wheeling. the bias set for most limited slips including the various Trac-lok designs are easily overcome leaving you with what amounts to an open diff.

 

IMHO the street characteristics of automatic lockers in general and specifically the drop in style such as the Aussie are much tamer than is stated. often statements to the contrary are made by folks who are just repeating internet postings and without any personal experience. I have used them in several vehicles and in the winter in everything from a lifted '05 KJ with a 6 speed stick and 31" mud terrains to a '72 Commando automatic. They are the best bang for the buck. Having said that remember that the you most likely have the infamously

weak dana 35. Locking it will increase the stress on it.

Gleason had nothing to do with the TrueTrac. The people who bought Gleason's patents "added" the True-Trac to the product line calling it a TorSen. 

[Incommando]

 

Detroit is the trade name but the TrueTrac is just used for their gear driven (gleason torson) limited slip. It is a much better design than the cone type or clutch pack limited slip units. To get a Truetrac to engage almost as well as a locker you merely have to apply a bit of drag via the brakes. Although that is not practical on the street or in pavement racing it is easily done while 'wheeling. the bias set for most limited slips including the various Trac-lok designs are easily overcome leaving you with what amounts to an open diff.

 

IMHO the street characteristics of automatic lockers in general and specifically the drop in style such as the Aussie are much tamer than is stated. often statements to the contrary are made by folks who are just repeating internet postings and without any personal experience. I have used them in several vehicles and in the winter in everything from a lifted '05 KJ with a 6 speed stick and 31" mud terrains to a '72 Commando automatic. They are the best bang for the buck. Having said that remember that the you most likely have the infamously

weak dana 35. Locking it will increase the stress on it.

Gleason had nothing to do with the TrueTrac. The people who bought Gleason's patents "added" the True-Trac to the product line calling it a TorSen. 

 

The TrueTrac is a helical gear-driven LSD commonly referred to as a gleason-torson due the inventor of the design and its later maker. Although Gleason the man may not have had any direct connection to the TrueTrac the people who bought him out did. Gleason the company became Torson ( its long full name escapes me right now.) I have always heard ( that might be my mistake right there :hmm: ) that the TrueTrac was based off of a Torson modification of the original Gleason design. The later versions are referred to as a gleason-torson differential.

 

I have had the cone-type LSD in several Mopars with the 8 3/4 rear. Their version is called the Sure Grip. I was impressed with their initial clamping power but less impressed with their longevity and that failures are for all intents and purposes catastrophic. They were originally a Borg Warner cone-type design that was sold to Auburn and which Auburn still produces. Mopar's car Dana 60 Sure Grips were actually the Dana Power-Lok clutch type LSD, considered by many to be about the finest clutch-type LSD design as the clutch pack is easily adaptable to fine tune the bias. Their discontinued Dana 30 Power-Lok LSD's were a factory option in the front of several vehicles and are still sought after for that application. 8.25 & 9.25 axles used clutch-type LSD's but were also referred to as Sure Grip. A factory LSD in an XJ with an 8.25 is a clutch-type. Sure Grip = Chrysler. Posi/positraction = Chevy & GMC. Traction Lok ( later unofficially shortened to track-lok ) was the most common Ford name. Dana's in house units were Power-Loks while Jeep primarily had the Trac-loc. Notice the very similar names for most? How Chevy's "posi" became the default norm for all LSD's when even Buick, Olds, and Pontiac had different names for their LSD's is strange. Especially when you consider that the other make's LSD's were mainly the exact unit that Chevy used. 

 

So to tie this in: The fact that Borg Warner designed a cone type LSD to which the rights were subsequently sold to Auburn in no way changes that today's Auburn cone type LSD is based on that BW design. Later enhancements were not made under BW but the BW design remains. The same applies to the TrueTrac. It may or may not be a child of Gleason but it is at least a grandchild.

 

Benjy-26:

Similar to your Blazer story I drove a '70 Dodge Super Bee with a 425 horsepower (via desk-top dyno) 440 and a spool in the rear for a full winter here in Ohio. As with your K5 all that  I had to do was remember that it was there and drive accordingly. I did not realize that you and I were apparently displaying a skill that is unobtainable by so many others. 

[airspeed]

I have the Dana 44 with the LSD and I like it.  It is impressive what it can do in the mud and snow, tires have a lot to do with that as well.  The 2.5l with the lack of power acts like traction control.

[cruiser54]

 

 

Detroit is the trade name but the TrueTrac is just used for their gear driven (gleason torson) limited slip. It is a much better design than the cone type or clutch pack limited slip units. To get a Truetrac to engage almost as well as a locker you merely have to apply a bit of drag via the brakes. Although that is not practical on the street or in pavement racing it is easily done while 'wheeling. the bias set for most limited slips including the various Trac-lok designs are easily overcome leaving you with what amounts to an open diff.

 

IMHO the street characteristics of automatic lockers in general and specifically the drop in style such as the Aussie are much tamer than is stated. often statements to the contrary are made by folks who are just repeating internet postings and without any personal experience. I have used them in several vehicles and in the winter in everything from a lifted '05 KJ with a 6 speed stick and 31" mud terrains to a '72 Commando automatic. They are the best bang for the buck. Having said that remember that the you most likely have the infamously

weak dana 35. Locking it will increase the stress on it.

Gleason had nothing to do with the TrueTrac. The people who bought Gleason's patents "added" the True-Trac to the product line calling it a TorSen. 

 

The TrueTrac is a helical gear-driven LSD commonly referred to as a gleason-torson due the inventor of the design and its later maker. Although Gleason the man may not have had any direct connection to the TrueTrac the people who bought him out did. Gleason the company became Torson ( its long full name escapes me right now.) I have always heard ( that might be my mistake right there :hmm: ) that the TrueTrac was based off of a Torson modification of the original Gleason design. The later versions are referred to as a gleason-torson differential.

 

I have had the cone-type LSD in several Mopars with the 8 3/4 rear. Their version is called the Sure Grip. I was impressed with their initial clamping power but less impressed with their longevity and that failures are for all intents and purposes catastrophic. They were originally a Borg Warner cone-type design that was sold to Auburn and which Auburn still produces. Mopar's car Dana 60 Sure Grips were actually the Dana Power-Lok clutch type LSD, considered by many to be about the finest clutch-type LSD design as the clutch pack is easily adaptable to fine tune the bias. Their discontinued Dana 30 Power-Lok LSD's were a factory option in the front of several vehicles and are still sought after for that application. 8.25 & 9.25 axles used clutch-type LSD's but were also referred to as Sure Grip. A factory LSD in an XJ with an 8.25 is a clutch-type. Sure Grip = Chrysler. Posi/positraction = Chevy & GMC. Traction Lok ( later unofficially shortened to track-lok ) was the most common Ford name. Dana's in house units were Power-Loks while Jeep primarily had the Trac-loc. Notice the very similar names for most? How Chevy's "posi" became the default norm for all LSD's when even Buick, Olds, and Pontiac had different names for their LSD's is strange. Especially when you consider that the other make's LSD's were mainly the exact unit that Chevy used. 

 

So to tie this in: The fact that Borg Warner designed a cone type LSD to which the rights were subsequently sold to Auburn in no way changes that today's Auburn cone type LSD is based on that BW design. Later enhancements were not made under BW but the BW design remains. The same applies to the TrueTrac. It may or may not be a child of Gleason but it is at least a grandchild.

 

Benjy-26:

Similar to your Blazer story I drove a '70 Dodge Super Bee with a 425 horsepower (via desk-top dyno) 440 and a spool in the rear for a full winter here in Ohio. As with your K5 all that  I had to do was remember that it was there and drive accordingly. I did not realize that you and I were apparently displaying a skill that is unobtainable by so many others. 

 

Much clarification is needed regarding the Gleason Torsen diff and the inventor Vernon Gleasman.

 

See the difference in names?

 

Vern Gleasman invented the Dual Drive Differential aka the Triple-D in the 1950s.

 

In the late 70s, they made me 2 one-off units for my Nissan Patrol.

 

Early 80s, the Gleasmans sold their patent rights to Gleason Corporation in Rochester, New York. 

 

The original diff was a cross-axis design and was throughout it's time at Gleason.

 

Gleason later sold the right to the Torsen to another company that had the rights to a Parallel-axis diff known as the Tru-Trac.

 

That company .put the Tru-Trac parallel-axis diff under the Torsen NAME.

 

As Keith Gleasman, son of Vern once told me "It's like giving your son up for adoption and the next time you see him, he's wearing a dress".

 

Why do I know these things?

 

Because I have been a friend of the Gleasman family for 37 years. I also worked for Gleason Corporation in sales and training. I have demonstrated and explained the original Torsen cross-axis diffs to the likes of Mickey Thompson, Andy Granatelli and Mario Andretti. 

[benjy_26]

 

 

Detroit is the trade name but the TrueTrac is just used for their gear driven (gleason torson) limited slip. It is a much better design than the cone type or clutch pack limited slip units. To get a Truetrac to engage almost as well as a locker you merely have to apply a bit of drag via the brakes. Although that is not practical on the street or in pavement racing it is easily done while 'wheeling. the bias set for most limited slips including the various Trac-lok designs are easily overcome leaving you with what amounts to an open diff.

IMHO the street characteristics of automatic lockers in general and specifically the drop in style such as the Aussie are much tamer than is stated. often statements to the contrary are made by folks who are just repeating internet postings and without any personal experience. I have used them in several vehicles and in the winter in everything from a lifted '05 KJ with a 6 speed stick and 31" mud terrains to a '72 Commando automatic. They are the best bang for the buck. Having said that remember that the you most likely have the infamously

weak dana 35. Locking it will increase the stress on it.

 

Gleason had nothing to do with the TrueTrac. The people who bought Gleason's patents "added" the True-Trac to the product line calling it a TorSen.

The TrueTrac is a helical gear-driven LSD commonly referred to as a gleason-torson due the inventor of the design and its later maker. Although Gleason the man may not have had any direct connection to the TrueTrac the people who bought him out did. Gleason the company became Torson ( its long full name escapes me right now.) I have always heard ( that might be my mistake right there :hmm: ) that the TrueTrac was based off of a Torson modification of the original Gleason design. The later versions are referred to as a gleason-torson differential.

 

I have had the cone-type LSD in several Mopars with the 8 3/4 rear. Their version is called the Sure Grip. I was impressed with their initial clamping power but less impressed with their longevity and that failures are for all intents and purposes catastrophic. They were originally a Borg Warner cone-type design that was sold to Auburn and which Auburn still produces. Mopar's car Dana 60 Sure Grips were actually the Dana Power-Lok clutch type LSD, considered by many to be about the finest clutch-type LSD design as the clutch pack is easily adaptable to fine tune the bias. Their discontinued Dana 30 Power-Lok LSD's were a factory option in the front of several vehicles and are still sought after for that application. 8.25 & 9.25 axles used clutch-type LSD's but were also referred to as Sure Grip. A factory LSD in an XJ with an 8.25 is a clutch-type. Sure Grip = Chrysler. Posi/positraction = Chevy & GMC. Traction Lok ( later unofficially shortened to track-lok ) was the most common Ford name. Dana's in house units were Power-Loks while Jeep primarily had the Trac-loc. Notice the very similar names for most? How Chevy's "posi" became the default norm for all LSD's when even Buick, Olds, and Pontiac had different names for their LSD's is strange. Especially when you consider that the other make's LSD's were mainly the exact unit that Chevy used.

 

So to tie this in: The fact that Borg Warner designed a cone type LSD to which the rights were subsequently sold to Auburn in no way changes that today's Auburn cone type LSD is based on that BW design. Later enhancements were not made under BW but the BW design remains. The same applies to the TrueTrac. It may or may not be a child of Gleason but it is at least a grandchild.

 

Benjy-26:

Similar to your Blazer story I drove a '70 Dodge Super Bee with a 425 horsepower (via desk-top dyno) 440 and a spool in the rear for a full winter here in Ohio. As with your K5 all that I had to do was remember that it was there and drive accordingly. I did not realize that you and I were apparently displaying a skill that is unobtainable by so many others.

Man... that Super Bee sounds like a sweet ride. I honestly think that a lot of people get too caught up with what they hear one should or shouldnt do. I remember when I installed 32's on ky zj with only an inch of lkft, people told me it was going to be unusable, even on the street. I've been daily driving it and wheeling it hard for years now. Mud Terrains on the street? On a 2wd daily driver?!?!?? MADNESS!!!! According to a lot of people, I should be dead, or Satan is ice skating in his living room. Same attitude goes with a bunch of stuff, like using speed parts on trucks ("it ain't a drag car, why you putting that MSD stuff on that crap L6?"), to my choice to not run sway bars on my low lift, long travel builds. I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned that you drove your Bee according to conditions. I think we have gotten used to having REALLY good cars and parts too. Take tires and shocks, for example. Even as little as 10 years ago, having such an aggressive tire as a BFG KM2 that was astually usable on the street the whole year round was unheard of. A 6 inch lift HAD TO ride like a pissed off donkey, and a decently flowing exhaust came with ear plugs and Advil. There's a lot of good stuff on thr market now, and thanks to the hugely varied styles of car customization, there's people out there with all sorts of valuable ideas and skills that we can observe, study, and maybe incorporate into our own mentak tool box and ultimately our builds.

[gogmorgo]

The original TorSen (they're calling it the T1 and it's still somewhat available) is a pretty slick unit. We run one in our Formula SAE car. You wouldn't even know it's there, but it grabs HARD. Even on a 15' radius turn you've got to work to break either rear wheel loose, and we're talking 90hp in a car that weighs ~600lb with driver. 10,000rpm launches and we'll shear the splines off a chro-moly axle shaft before anything happens to the TorSen.

[Incommando]

The original TorSen (they're calling it the T1 and it's still somewhat available) is a pretty slick unit. We run one in our Formula SAE car. You wouldn't even know it's there, but it grabs HARD. Even on a 15' radius turn you've got to work to break either rear wheel loose, and we're talking 90hp in a car that weighs ~600lb with driver. 10,000rpm launches and we'll shear the splines off a chro-moly axle shaft before anything happens to the TorSen.

That has to be a fun ride

[Megadan]

 

 

 

Yes, but even Helical limited slips like the Truetrac have advantages and disadvantages.  They are never a positive engagement like a clutch type would be, and as a whole they behave more like an open diff than anything else mentioned.

 

I disagree. I've had a factory Trac-Lok in my '88 Cherokee since I bought it new, and I run a True Trac in my '88 Comanche. The True Trac engages much more positively than the Trac-Lok.

So comparing a worn out factory limited slip to a brand new helical isn't a very fair comparison.  

 

Who is comparing a worn-out Trac-Lok to a new TrueTrac?

 

Not me. The '88 Cherokee now has 287,000 miles on it. The original Trac-Lok lasted about 125,000, then it was rebuilt. That took it to about 200,000. The next time it got wimpy I replaced it with a new one, and that was about the same time I bought the '88 MJ and put the TrueTrac in it. So I can compare new to new. The TrueTrac is much more positive than even a new Trac-Lok.

 

Ok, fair enough.  I am not knocking Torsen style diffs at all, infact I love them and think they are just about perfect for a daily driver.  They are quiet and extremely reliable.  I guess our experiences with them vary a little bit, but I won't argue with you on how positive yours is.  I was more trying to point out that more aggressive clutch types will be more positive than a torsen, but as you and others have pointed out the more aggressive clutch types also wear out faster. By positive, I mean the locking and/or engagement between the two axles.  Clutch types can act more closely to a locking diff, but with the ability to allow slip between each axle, compared to a helical system.  Helicals, by nature, are not designed to fully engage both axles at the same time, but constantly meter between the two, which gives you a more constant change of power back and forth between the axles.  That ability to constantly change while never fully engaging (or "locking") the axles together is why they are so much more predictable for road racing.  Clutch types will tend to engage both axles more equally, and thus cause them to become tail happy more easily.  

 

My experience with diffs comes more from track experience than off-road so I also admit I am speaking from a little ignorance in that regard.  I simply know how each type behaves on a paved surface when pushed hard.

[cruiser54]

The original TorSen (they're calling it the T1 and it's still somewhat available) is a pretty slick unit. We run one in our Formula SAE car. You wouldn't even know it's there, but it grabs HARD. Even on a 15' radius turn you've got to work to break either rear wheel loose, and we're talking 90hp in a car that weighs ~600lb with driver. 10,000rpm launches and we'll shear the splines off a chro-moly axle shaft before anything happens to the TorSen.

Check out the inventor's family's new stuff. www.torvec.com.

 

Thanks for the reminder!!

 

T1 is original Cross-Axis design. T2 is the Parellel-Axis design which was never realy a TorSen. 

[gogmorgo]

 

The original TorSen (they're calling it the T1 and it's still somewhat available) is a pretty slick unit. We run one in our Formula SAE car. You wouldn't even know it's there, but it grabs HARD. Even on a 15' radius turn you've got to work to break either rear wheel loose, and we're talking 90hp in a car that weighs ~600lb with driver. 10,000rpm launches and we'll shear the splines off a chro-moly axle shaft before anything happens to the TorSen.

That has to be a fun ride

 

You bet it is.

 

Here's a link to our  youtube channel and facebook page if you want to check it out. We should have another promotional ice racing video out within the next few days, which I haven't seen yet but based on a bit of the raw footage I've seen it promises to be pretty awesome.

Every year we build a completely new car, so the older videos feature older (read "less competitive") cars. A couple of the older cars are still kicking around, and feature in some of the newer videos as well.

 

Yes, this is shameless self-promotion ;)

 

 

 

Check out the inventor's family's new stuff. www.torvec.com.

 

Thanks for the link. Some sweet stuff there!

[pizzaman09]

I'm mostly commenting as this was a very interesting read from an off roader point if view.  I've done a lot of autocross racing with various LSDs.   I've run stock 25% lock up plate style LSDs in a BMW M5 and M3.  I went with a Quaife torsen LSD in my Mini.  Between the two different types on the race track, they both feel the same.  The Mini originally had an open diff and the torsen diff made a world of difference.  Being 2wd vehicles, the LSDs were worth their weight in gold in the snow.

When I do pick up my next Comanche someday, I will likely be going the torsen style diff route for it.