someone agrees! lol

IMO its not a potential it will happen, driving along, fine and you drive across a ice covered bridge, you didnt accelerate and you didnt let off the gas, one wheel breaks free the LS locks in and around you go... good luck!

 

when you start feeling it slide around let off the gas right then and there.. it has to be almost like a reflex and it wont spin.. little thing i learned long time ago... its just in how you drive i guess.. i havent has issues other people seem too.. dont get it...

 

ive never had any issues with a factory l/s in the snow/ice. the facotry l/s has very little preload, and only takes a 50ft/lb differential in rotational force to slip.
the tru-trac and torsen are even better as the helical cut gears allow variable resistance from 0%(open) to 100% depending on loads and torsional bias. the T2R is preloaded, and even then its not enough to be hazardous in the snow, IMO.
last winter i drove my truck with full lockers. spent most of my time in 2wd and never had any issues then either. its all about knowing your equipment and its limitations. knowin how to drive it in whatever the current condition may be.

i would never wish an open diff ranger upon anyone in the rain, let alone snow. learn your equipment and get a l/s; you will be happier.

any idiot can drive an auto/open/traction control/ABS vehicle(like my grand am) in bad weather, but what fun is that??

 

I don't have much experience with a LS in icy conditions, but I do know what a locker will do for you on slick roads and believe me you do not want a locker for those conditions. You'll be fishtailing before you know what hit you. Although the locker can make for some great fun in an empty icy parking lot lol.

But going solely by the principles on how a LS unit works, I wouldn't want to rely on one to get me through slick conditions. I can surely think of situations that it could keep you from getting stuck, but at the same time I can think of other situations where it could screw you over, where an open diff wouldn't have acted the same way. I dunno though, its really up to the person driving the truck to decide if it would be a good solution for them.

 

lets start here, with a factory l/s.

when one wheel looses all traction with a l/s, like in beards example of the icy bridge, the l/s WILL NOT "lock in." when one wheel looses traction they go OPEN, not locked.

 

this is what im trying to drive home! if anyone can drive it then its the optimum for just about all conditions on the road for all drivers no matter the skill level.

hey if you can drive your truck with no weight in the back and a LS cool, good for you, most can, but it can erratically spin out. not everyone is going to know to let off. i bet you didnt know that the first time.

 

thats why i said back in this thread i can count on ONE hand how many times i have had problems with my L/S... you got to learn after you learn i havent had issues.. thank god..

 

i never said once you couldnt learn how to drive it with a limited slip/locker

 

There are few traction upgrades so tried and true as a LS. As I said lots of Fords and Mazdas come from the factory with a LS (both Torsen and Ford), not only the Ranger and B-series but Explorers and F-series, etc. Hell, I even had a stock LS on an F100 back in the 70's. And they don't come with special driving instructions. There must be many many thousands of people driving with a LS installed and getting around just fine. And I bet most of them probably don't even know that a LS is installed or what a LS even is.

I'm not talking about lockers here. They are certainly a different beast designed for maximum traction offroad and don't come stock. But with a little know how, like Gumby certainly has, a lot of folks safely get around with those too.

Personally I'd rather have a LS on my truck. And I'd rather have the FX4 Level 2 with the stock Torsen LS than an XLT with an open. If you don't, that's your thing.

 

I have a 2007 XLT SUPER CAB 4 DOOR 4X4 OPEN DIFF . We had our first snow of the season, about a weak ago ,about 6 inches. I was bumbed out about it being open DIFF , because I thought it had l/s owell. SO WENT OUT TO TEST IT OUT . Drove great on the road even went down where I usually go fishing it has about a 40 degree hill u have to go down to get to the creek no problems tried to go up it , had a little wheel spine, but made it with no real problem. Tried it again but had to stop at the top because a car was come, well got alot of wheel spin lol but it stayed straight,thats the good part because it has 6 foot ditches on either side. so went back home,put about 300 pounds in the bed, went back to try it out had no problems at all. well putting 300 pounds in the bed made me realize I just save my self about a grand , cause i was dead set on putting a torsen in , not any more. I know yours is 2wd but just put weight the bed makes a big difference.

 

You found out an important lesson on open diff vers. L/S. When an open diff spins one tire is just sitting there .'Aint going forward or back,'aint sliding side to side.Where as a L/S starts spinning , you have now lost any grip to the road from side to side.Which ever way the crown of the road/terrain you are on slants, that is the direction the rear of the truck is going to slide.

 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential6.htm

 

in my experience LS can help out alot in snow, but can also screw you over.

if at least one of the wheels can hook up then the LS will help you big time, but if both start to slip then you will slide

 

Hey, every one here that has a factory tow package in their truck raise your hand.

Guess what, you have a 4.10 Limited Slip rear end. Yep, courtesy of Ford. It comes with the package.

I think all ya'll that can't drive with a L/S rear end need to learn how to drive.

There are more positions in the throttle than idle and flat on the floor.

I like the L/S feature and when used right they are ok. If you are sitting on a slope to the side or a hill up or down you can and may slide it's a toss up but throttle management is the key. My 2003 Ranger has an acceration limiter in the PCM program and the litlle bugger won't spin at all on dry road and barely on wet. Maybe some of your trks have it too.

I started driving in 1958 and didn't have a L/S rear end untill 4 years ago when I got an Aerostar with a tow package and L/S. In all those years I didn't get stuck unless I did something dumb and I did a dumb thing or two. The Aerostar was an eye opener and helped in slippery conditions. I expect my Ranger will be the same.

 

i have a trailer tow, class 3 does that count

 

Quickest thing to do is de-clutch...they used to teach us that back in driver ed...as soon as it slides mash the clutch down & start to counter steer...just don't mash your knuckles on the three on the tree...

that's right, America went shiftless!

 

And was that worth brining this thread back for? Didnt think so