Dual Truetrac LSD Review
		CONTENTS 1) Vehicle Setup 2) Performance Review 3) Installation 4) Additional Resources 1) VEHICLE SETUP - Dana 30 / 35c Axles - Rubicon Express 2 Budget Boost - Spidertrax 1.25 Wheel Spacers - BFG 32x11.50 MT's - Warn Rock Sliders - Warn 9.5 XP Winch - 1 M.O.R.E. Body Lift - 1 M.O.R.E. Motor Mount Lift - Currie Anti-rock off-road swaybar - Low-Profile Skid Plate Conversion Note: There are no components that need to be installed prior to the Truetrac LSD installation. Note: Truetrac carriers come in 3.55:1 and lower cases and 3.73+ cases for the ring and pinion sizes. As long as the diff is being changed, it makes sense to consider changing the gear ratio during installation. 2) PERFORMANCE REVIEW Balanced Approach: The whole approach I've taken with the TJ has been one of building a well balanced rig. Gaining ground clearance without lifting it too high. Getting a flexy suspension with out making it undrivable. And building good trail capabilities while balancing the need for good on-road manners. Up in the Northwest our trails are tight and twisty as they wind up the sides of our mountains. Washed with rain, they become slick and muddy making for challenging wet root strewn off-camber trails. While lockers are definitely a benefit for this terrain they aren't critical. Often a TJ with open diffs does VERY well and only requires the use of a winch to get up or through short distances. Opportunities for rock crawling are sparse and I decided a while ago that I do not have the wallent to maintain or build a rock-crawling rig. Combined with the need to drive, not tow, my Jeep to the trail heads I was looking for a traction adding differential that would balance good on-road manners while still provinding a marked improvement in off-road traction. A selectable locker such as ARBs were a possibility but struck me as too complex and especially too expensive. And autolockers held no interest for me due to their poor on-road handling characteristics. Not to mention that installing lockers in the Dana 35c rear axle is a very poor idea as it overloads the axle. This pointed me to a limited slip differential which would be much easier on the drivetrain and axles and offer much better road manners. Clutch Pack Based LSD vs. Torsen-Type LSD: Limited Slip Differentials or LSDs get a bad rap in the off-roading community for good reason. Often, they too easily allow wheel slippage and are a very minor improvement to an open diff. These LSDs have a pair of internal clutch packs under a pre-load to evenly split the torque to the left and right wheels. Offroad driving can easily overcome the clutch packs causing wheel slipage which can wear out or over heat the clutches. These LSDs require special friction modifiers and maintenance at servicing intervals. And typically don't hold up well to the rigors of the trail. The Truetrac LSDs, however are a torsen-type limited slip. That is, rather than relying on pre-loaded clutch packs the diff only transfer power to a non-slipping wheel when it senses a change in resistance torque (or tire traction). Instead of a series of clutch packs the torsen LSD has a set of internal helical gears that reside in special pockets within the differential case. The instant there is a torque imbalance these helical gears are forced out against the case which binds it up and transfers up to 3 times the available torque to the wheel with traction. With such an LSD there are no clutch packs to wear out, no special friction modifiers to add or anything. On-road Handling: Because the Truetrac acts as an open diff until there's a torque imbalance on-road driving characteristics are very benign. There is no understeer or pushing through corners as with an autolocker. Nor is there any chirping, racheting, popping or other harsh engagement/disengagement characteristics. For all intents and purposes it feels as if you're driving an open diff rig. "Subtle" Traction Improvement: Due to how the torsen LSD "engages" the way it works offroad is very subtle. Again, there are no theatrics when the Truetrac engages and disengages. There are no buttons to push, no compressors to activate, no clanking or racheting. The Truetrac simply transfers torque instantly and seemlessly from one wheel to the other all the while not affecting the Jeeps ability to turn. The first time I took the Jeep off-road after the install I had a hard time determining if the LSDs were working. . . except that I wasn't getting any wheel spin and the Jeep kept going. [ cont . . . ]
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