Does anybody that purchased a used 2wd F-150 regret the fact that your new (to you) truck doesn't have a limited slip rear end? My 02 Screw has an open differential and I don't really mind that much. The 02 Scab that I leased before I purchased this one had a LS rear end and I only noticed it in the rain. It was easier to accelerate from a stop when turning corners and from a red light. I just have to watch now that I don't get the rear tire spinning too much on wet pavement with my new (to me) Screw. Other than that, I really don't forsee encountering any problems. I know that LS is better, but what the hell, I liked the truck and I wasn't going to say no deal just because of a lack of LS.
What do you all think?

 

i have the limited slip but i kno quite a few people that dont up here in northern mn.. they have mainly complained about how it takes forever for them to accelerate in the winter months ( when not in 4wd) most of them use 4wd a lot more then i end up using it and we are driving the same place.. its not that they CANT get there its just they dont like granny footing the gas so that the rear aint doing a mini burn out trying to get up to 30.

 

I went for "the deal"/one on the lot too and initially regretted not getting the LS until I did more research and survived a particularly snowy New England winter. I never even came close to getting stuck so not a problem there and yes, I do take my car off road. I understand that you are much more likely to spin out entirely on snow, ice, with LS. (Everyone fancys themselves the perfect driver where this won't happen but statistics prove otherwise). Now I am reading that the LS in the F150 is weak, not all that (it'll only delay your getting stuck at best-that a locker is what is needed for anything serious), clutch pack problems leading to ultimately a lot more expense than the option price, wears out, has some twitchy cornering chirps and chatters etc. etc.

I think that some people have to have every available option on their truck and will always SWEAR that it's the best thing to have but I KNOW I haven't needed it (although I did use 4X4 this winter) and at this point I am glad to have the "free vacation"(or two) for what LS will actually cost over the life of the truck.

 

hey recurve, not to start anything just wanted to point out that most people with LS havent had a singe problem. I'm on 70k and changed rear dif fluid once so far.its the people that abuse them that pay the big bucks, such has railing your tires on a curb which throws bearings and that sort of thing. maybe in your case the people you know got the ls so they could do more serious offroading and abuse it more(just a guess) I know many poeple up here that havent touched anything one their dif's and not a noise or anything comes from them. just thought i would let ya know that not everyone has problems.

 

Point taken racer.

 

racerf150man, not arguing but my 2003 screw 4x4 has only 42000km (26000miles) and like many many others on here, i have to have the rear end completely rebuilt. i have never hit, rubbed or ran over a curb. i don't understand how that would hurt a rear end (tires and rims yes) unless your hitting those curbs really hard and on a regular basis.


i have the parts coming to fix mine, hopefully i won't have to go back in again for the same thing like some others here have.

 

from what i have heard... i dont have this problem but others have talked about ford using too small of berrings... if you compare to chev or dodge ours are too small.. when you hit a curb or anything it puts pressure on the opposing sides berring. apparently they tend to damage easier then the larger. I dont know if this is true or not i just saw it in a couple of other posts and assumed that there must be some truth to it. it makes sense but i personally dont know if it is and havent had any experience with it happening to anyone i know. sorry for the confusion or if the statement was false. just going by what i heard.

 

Whether the truck is loaded up or not, the LS is hard to find. They're most common at rural dealerships because farmers and ranchers demand them. My personal choice is not to buy a truck unless it has one. I prefer it on dry pavement, offroad, and rain/snow/ice.

racerf150man- are you saying the LS and open rear ends use different bearing sizes? Where did you hear of these problems?

 

my '98 with LS always had a shudder and a noise when turning corners. it bugged me at first, tried the special additive, tried disassembling and cleaning, no dice. After a while I quit noticing it.

The combo of LS and 4wd makes for great traction, and allows you to run more "street" oriented tires (less road noise).

Since now I went with 2WD on my '01, I really wanted to have the LS dif and I got lucky and found one with that option.

A 2WD with good rear tires and some serious weight in the back will go through a lot of snow!

 

i believe it was just both open and ls.... ford makes smaller bearings.. just what i heard i dont know much about rear ends... im just saying what i heard from another thread on here, it was recent ill try to find it.

 

It is one of the recent threads, ford usues smaller bearing in their diffs compared to GM and chrysler, so they get screwed up easier if you do do some off roading, or hit a curb etc. However it doesnt always cause problems, but it can.

 

My 4x4 has TL and I woudn't have bought it if it didn't. It makes a big difference in the rain and snow. As far as spinning out easier, I haven't had any problems. You shouldn't be laying into the throttle anyway in a turn when it is wet or snowy. If you are going straight in the wet, you can go accelerate much faster.