I have the 3.55 Limited slip diff on my truck. Everytime I ever had the truck in the grass, or on pavement, or mud....both tires would spin perfectly.

Last night, I tried to pull my truck into the driveway, which is on a slope, and I couldnt make it. I had to park at the bottom.

Well, today, I went out to shovel the driveway and dig out my truck to pull it up to the carport.

I got the rear tire on the drivers side free from snow and ice and it was on the concrete, but the passenger's side was still in some ice. I figured, what the heck, both will spin. Wrong!

How come only my back passenger's side tire would spin today? Remember, I DO have Limited Slip.

 

This has been discussed before. I think the manufacturer says the limited slip is torque based. That would mean (I think) you'd have to put enough torque/power to the rear to make both wheels engage. My theory is if that's the case, you can floor it and force both to lock up, but of course that's not practical in snow or ice. That's where a locking rear end would be nice. I wish it was an option, I would have ordered it. Glad I have 4x4 though...so I'm good to go (4x4 w/limited slip).

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential8.htm

 

our trucks produce 90% of their torque under 1000 RPMs. I did floor it. trying to man my way off the ice patch, still only one wheel spun. Think maybe something is broke?

 

I think maybe you don't have LS. Try jacking the back end of your truck in the air. When your truck is in Park Spin one wheel by hand. If you can't turn it you have a posi diff. If you can spin it either you don't have LS or something is broken. If your truck is in neutral when you try this then the opposite wheel will spin the same way. Whereas with an open diff it would spin the opposite.

If something was broken though it would tear up your rear end real quick and it would sound to good either.
:santa:

 

The thing is, yesterday I had it out in the snow and both were spinning, but the bed was empty and it wasnt on a slope.

Today, the bed was full of snow, piled high for extra traction, and I was on a slope. Only the passengers side would spin.

It just seems wierd. I thought both would spin.

 

Sometimes if it's real slick and you can still move your truck then both will spin. But as soon as your stuck then only one will. Just try jacking it up that will tell you for sure. But when you were stuck both should have been spinning not just one.

 

my understanding of a ltd slip dif. is this. when wheal has lost traction and spins a excess of rotation's this will drive the oposite axle via a gear on the crown and pinion. this will work on booth axles.

If you do jack up your truck, have someone hold the oposite wheal that you spin, if thiers resistance you have a ltd slip.

spining one wheal will drive the othier axle if thier is no resistance Ltd slip or not.

 

From the "How stuff works" web sight

This type of LSD has all of the same components as an open differential, but it adds a spring pack and a set of clutches. Some of these have a cone clutch that is just like the synchronizers in a manual transmission.

The spring pack pushes the side gears against the clutches, which are attached to the cage. Both side gears spin with the cage when both wheels are moving at the same speed, and the clutches aren't really needed -- the only time the clutches step in is when something happens to make one wheel spin faster than the other, as in a turn. The clutches fight this behavior, wanting both wheels to go the same speed. If one wheel wants to spin faster than the other, it must first overpower the clutch. The stiffness of the springs combined with the friction of the clutch determine how much torque it takes to overpower it.

Getting back to the situation in which one drive wheel is on the ice and the other one has good traction: With this limited slip differential, even though the wheel on the ice is not able to transmit much torque to the ground, the other wheel will still get the torque it needs to move. The torque supplied to the wheel not on the ice is equal to the amount of torque it takes to overpower the clutches. The result is that you can move forward, although still not with the full power of your car.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential8.htm

 

Some 4WD vehicle manufacturers offer a "limited slip differential" option. As the name implies, they limit wheel slip. These use clutch plates to lock the differential, and when turning on dry pavement they just slip.
Unfortunately, they also slip when there is a significant difference in traction between two wheels in an off-highway situation. Limited slip differentials do not prevent wheel slip; they only delay wheel slip. Therefore, traction is lost a little later than without limited slip, and you will be stuck a little later. Personally, I am now convinced that at least OEM LS sucks on snow and ice and makes it MUCH more likely to cause problems, a "360" than an OD. At best it's of marginal value in rare circumstances-I'd get it as a "poor man's 4X4" if I went the 4X2 route, but wouldn't bother if I had 4X4 (and do). 4X4 will keep you going in those rare circumstances where LS MIGHT help.

 

Well,

Try this one...IF your stuck or whatever... try put some light apply emengrency brake on and put some gas..

I tested it on my truck and It works for me..

How do i know this? i learned about this from off roading rockcrawling jeep club...When i had Jeep wrangler, it came with limited slip before i swapped lockers in it and they taught me to use emengnecy brake (light apply) and put some gas..it works...i would said it works at least 75%-better than one tire spun.

YOMAN!

 

damn! I gotta remember this trick!

Thanks Yoman.

 

What YOMAN said.