Is there any reason (other than trying to make a few extra $) as to why Ford builds F150s without limited slip rear ends?

When I was shopping, I test drove a $43K 4WD King Ranch Screw that was beautiful! It had the Nav system, sunroof, all the bed system goodies. I took it for a test drive and punched it pulling out of the dealership and lit up the rear drive tire. Then, being a careful shopper, I read the sticker and realized why the truck was probably still on the lot... the darn 3.55 "straight axle" (plus the $2K extra for the Nav system probably). This was the only KR I saw at multiple dealers that didn't have limited slip.

So, are there any "straight axle" fans out there who can think of positives of not having limited slip?

 

to leave only one tire burn outs!!! lol i have limt slip and i have no idea as to why to have that rear end. my 94 grand maquis did all that did was when i punched it in the snow i didnt have to turn the wheel to make it drift to the right lol.

 

I'm still debating which is the best. My 07 fx4 has limited slip...my 05 Ranger didn't, my 01 Dakota did, my 93 Ranger didn't...

I know that if you're driving more carefully, the limited slip gets you out of stuff a lot better, and can help in the snow...but it can also hurt make the whole rear end lose traction...whereas on the non-limited slip, if you lose traction on one rear tire, the other rear tire can help maintain directional stability.

I don't know which is better...I guess on 4wd it doesn't matter all that much, but every 2wd should have limited slip.

 

I guess 1 "advantage" of a non ls rearend............No clutch pacs to replace.

 

Exactly. The Ford LSs need maintanence pretty early in the truck's life. With an open rearend, all somebody has to do is change the fluid every now and then and it'll last forever. A LS has clutch packs that wear out and are expensive to replace, and they also need friction modifier added to the fluid. To somebody who knows nothing about trucks, that probably seems like a whole bunch of extra crap that they'll have to pay somebody else to do. After upgrading my open to a LS, I'll never own another truck (4wd or not)(I take that back, I'll never own anything other than 4wd) without a LS.

 

There are people who don't need or want LS - and appreciate the savings. In my opinion, keeping the amount of standard equipment down and keeping prices in line is a good thing. I prefer LS myself, but I don't like it "forced" on me. It's just like the people that do not want A/C or a radio, they should have the ability to NOT have it.

 

Deaf dead people?

 

!

 

i prefer the LS, much better in the snow/offroad. It is terrible on the slick roads during rain, however. the backend seems to want to fly everywhere if you're not careful.

 

lol we have trucks no weght over the rear axle i just fish tail my truck every were rather than tryin not to slide i do it every were done it for about 3 years. every winter when it snows i go to a parking lot so i rember how to do it and control it then im set for winter! i < 3 SNOW! seeing 3 tons drift is the funnyest thing in the world! ill post vids when it snows!

 

Cost would be the biggest reason I can think of. The maintenance costs as mentioned in a previous post would be another, but not sure how many people think of that when buying a new truck.

A little trickery with the brake pedal on a non-LS axle can slow the spinning wheel enough to force the other side to take hold a bit more.

At least LS is still an option. On some cars nowadays, one gets 'traction control' - or as I call it - the poor man's limited slip. Uses the brakes individually to stop the spinning tire, in order to force the other wheel. It's OK I guess, just annoying - ca-chunk, ca-chunk.

 

trac control is no fun! i hate that feeling when the TC kicks on feels like 1000 lbs lands on the car and slows it way down. my truck doesnt have it just has LS

 

Not everyone needs limited-slip. If you live in a southern state and buy a 4x2, chances are you arent going to be doing any off-roading, so other than leaving 2 black marks when you do a burnout, whats the point in having a limited-slip?
Id personally rathar not have limited-slip. All it does is make you go sideways.
Id actually rathar have an open diff in the rear and limited-slip in the front because the front is where most of your weight is.

 

Are we now understanding that "choice" can be a GOOD thing?

 

EXACTLY shifty_85! This is why I asked the question to start off because I had a rice burner recently with traction control and stability control that I drove on some gravel roads with steep hills. Darn thing bogged itself down because the TC and VSC got "confused" so I had to manually "turn off" the vehicle stability assist to let just traction control work. The ironic thing is that TC spun tires, bucked and jerked itself up the hill. My LS screw on the other hands just goes up the hill at any speed with no spin.

So kids, what else have we learned today...

First, I think whoever bought that pricey 4WD KR I drove with the open axle is ticked off. Hopefully it spends it's existence off road and never driven on wet pavement is all I'll say. From my days with old Fords, I'll just say that a high output motor, single rear drive wheel and no traction in the rear end on a wet road is... well... interesting.

Second, LS is good. I'd also say locking differential is the ultimate, but it's another whole level more expensive than Ford's LS.

Last, if you look on the horizon, trucks are getting more car safety features all the time. I'm just hoping that by the time Ford goes to the "next level" with the traction system on the F150 that they do a better job than the TC/VSC options out there. I'd vote for a tough, smart all wheel drive system with an option that allows you to control locking the differentials for offroad. Think of it as the F150/Hummer H1 lovechild.