Limited Slip Or Not, Thats The Question!

[Xcalibur]

As the owner of a 1994 X 4x4 EB, i have questions about the limited slip rear ends. My rear end ( 3L27 ) started making a roaring noise when torque was applied. So i scurried to my local salvage yard to get a replacement. I purchased a (3 27) which is the same ratio, but not a limited slip. The snuff chewing hybrid guy told me that the limited slip rears gave alot more probs than the nons. After i gave 250 bucks for the used non LS rear, i got to thinking, maybe i should get my LS rear rebuilt and put it back in. How much better pulling power does the LS rear have, and is it worth the probs that come with it??

 

[merc2dogs]

To date I haven't had any trouble with LS rears, I've had them in my ranger, mustang, B2 and explorer, and put tons of miles on them
the traction is much better with an LS than without. Normally, in 'ordinary' winter cruising, I can keep going in 2x when most are switching over to 4x or parking till the plows come through, and when I'm offroading with buddies, I normally am the last to hit 4x. Most of my friends are the 'more power + bigger tires get you through' mindset, my lift's not as high, my tires aren't as big, and the motors stock, but the first thing I do is gears or LS depending on the gears in the truck when I get it, and normally I pull them out of stucks. (it helps that I also drive more aggresively in the boonies)

tips:
keep tire pressure the same in both tires, keep an eye on lube (check or change when you hit water) never run mismatched tires, and keep the donuts on the table not the pavement.

Also, and this is simply an observation, and I can't find ANY reason for it, but on two trucks, when the only change was installing an LS,(same gears,just a new carrier) I noticed a -SLIGHT- increase in mpg.

Ken.

 

[jimbo74]

never had a problem with my rear end that was in my 94 (d4) its better than an open diff, but not as good as a locker....

 

[Creager]

My rear end ( 3L27 ) started making a roaring noise when torque was applied.

have you tried putting friction modifier in the gear oil? that might fix the roaring.

 

[kfkodiak]

I have also run several LS differentials over the years, and never had a problem. In fact, I hate driving pickups without them, especially in the rain.

From what I've heard, when the Ford LS units do fail it's just the LS hardware that goes out, effectively giving you an open diff.

 

[nascar_intimid]

I have also run several LS differentials over the years, and never had a problem. In fact, I hate driving pickups without them, especially in the rain.

From what I've heard, when the Ford LS units do fail it's just the LS hardware that goes out, effectively giving you an open diff.

check out the powertrax no-slip locker that doesn't ratchet around corners and has full lock when going in a straight line....sounds awsome and I'm looking into it for qabout 385 plus you can install in under two hours with just a wrench and a screwdriver...check out the websight of powertrax

 

[techieman33]

$250 sounds pretty high for used gears.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

From what I've heard, when the Ford LS units do fail it's just the LS hardware that goes out, effectively giving you an open diff.

That is true. We've replaced a few clutch packs of a LSD before. Talk to Boomin -- he knows. His LS went out and now he has an open.

-Drew

 

[monkeydude3]

My theory is if you can use limited slip, do it. It just puts more power to the ground. I have a 1994 4X2 5 speed manual with non limited slip rear, it gets so stuck so easy, I'm tempted to put a limited slip in there just to get more 2wd traction. Any opinions on that? It's totally stock (but changed muffler ) and works great though.

George

 

[dmasini]

I found out the other day that my 01 X has the 3.55 with out LS. My 97 X had 3.73 with LS. I haven't noticed any difference between the two. And I think my 01 drives better. IS the 3.55 going to come back to bit me when I put 33's on the X??

 

[rookieshooter]

3.55

I found out the other day that my 01 X has the 3.55 with out LS. My 97 X had 3.73 with LS. I haven't noticed any difference between the two. And I think my 01 drives better. IS the 3.55 going to come back to bit me when I put 33's on the X??

I just read page 98 of Off-Road Adventure, He has some formulas on gear size for larger tires. This has probably been on this site before, but here it is anyway. Take your new tire dia. divided by old tire times the original gear ratio that will give you your Equivalent ratio. Example new tire of 35 divided by old tire of 28 times your original ratio 3.55 = 4.4375 So closest ratio would be 4.56. Or you can find out what Effective ratio by reversing the division. old tire divided by new tire times 3.55 = 2.84 Or as he says, rule of thumb 33's need 4.10's

 

[boominXplorer]

I killed my LS and im a street guy. Burnouts are not good for rear ends. I had open for like a week. The Stic-o sent me his L/S guts from when he put in his locker and now im back to LS The only sheotty part is LS gear oil is expensive