Ok....I am certainly confused after visiting the website of Powertrax. The have, and supply "open" differntials. But all through the FAQ, they try and discourage the consumer from buying one. So, what exactly the difference between an open differential, and a locker? An open transfers power to the slipping wheel, and the locker "locks" both rear wheels to move with equal power. So here is what they say:

OPEN:
This century-old technology delivers virtually all the engine power to the wheel that begins to slip first. Because the wheel that begins to slip has the lowest amount of traction and because all the power is delivered to that slipping wheel, there is insufficient power applied to the non-slipping wheel to adequately propel the vehicle.

Locker:
Unlike the poor traction characteristics of open or limited-slip/posi differentials, when one wheel looses traction, locking differentials deliver engine power, not to the slipping wheel, but to the wheel with the highest amount of traction.


So with all that said, which is best for a street usage? I hear lockers are notoriously noisy, and sometimes rough....And according to Powertrax, Open's are crap. I have a 2000 f-150, XLT, 3-4" drop, intake, exhaust, etc...But with the purchase of a supercharger, I want to maximize my traction, and eliminate the one-wheel peel!

Thanks for any and all advice. Oh, one last thing...to make things slightly more complex, how about Auburns?

Garrett

 

All I've had experience with is my Detroit TrueTracs... which are kinda like a limited slip, and they made my truck 100% better off-road and on ice.

Oh yeah, and absolutely no side-affects on the pavement performance. They act juct like an open diff until a low traction situation is encountered.

 

Thanks for the info...so it works like a hybrid between an open diff and a spool?

Garrett

 

I guess that's one way to look at it.

Regular limited slip diffs use little clutches inside to start to grab when one wheel slips. Downside to that is the clutches can wear out over time, leaving you with essentially an open diff.

My TrueTracs are gear driven. It uses a gearset that applies torque to the wheel with the most traction. This is called "torque biasing". Essentially it is the exact opposite of an open diff... an open applies torque to the wheel with the least traction.

Check out http://www.tractech.com for more info on Detroit's line of products.