Hey guys, I was not planning on putting anything other than gears in the front differential until my cousin suggested it. The plan is to put 4:56 front and back, and detroit trutrac in rear. I am now wondering what the consequences would be if I were to put a trutrac in the front as well. Would I even notice it if 4x4 wasn't engaged?

 

wouldn't recommend it for a daily driver. the front wheels really need as much "slip" between wheels as they can get. no differential besides an open setup will be able to provide that.

the rest of your setup is probably the highest suggested on here though.

 

yes its a excelent idea. i cant tell ya how many times i wish i had one in my front diff. offroadin and only spinnin 3 wheels... fords 4x4s when you activate the 4x4 it locks in the TC and the hubs and ya got 4 wheel drive. ok. but when you disactivate the 4x4 the TC disconnects AND the hubs disconnect. the front wheels are no longer spinnin the CV axles (i believe thats the term for them 4wheeler type axles). the front wheels are spinnin like a true 2WD and have no connection to the front diff. also cuz the TC is unlocked the diff is gettin no movement from that either. its completely isolated when your out of 4x4. so it wouldnt make a lick of difference if you had a locker in your front diff when you disengage 4x4, but when you do engage it your completely locked in with true 4x4 preformance........... this is what ive come to understand how my trucks 4x4 works. if im wrong then somebody explain whats wrong and how it actually works.

 

This is true with 04 and up, because they use IWE. However, with your setup the wheels are spinning the axles all the time, the disconnects are in the front diff and your hubs are solid.

 

ok. i gotcha. but does that mean that it would still be disconnect from the diff in the same princpal of a way that would make a locker in the front out of the question when disengaged? i would like to tihnk so if its still disconecting from the diff. somewhere along the line..

 

These trucks do NOT have unlocking hubs... the front vacuum operated 4x4 engagement (on the diff) just disconnects the driveshaft from the transfercase. It does not disconnect the tires from the differential.

 

i thought the disconnect was a fork between the diff an passenger front tire/hub??

 

Interesting...So does anybody have concrete info about whether the half shaft disconnects at the diff, or if the drive shaft disconnects at the TC? For the 97-03 trucks. If when 4x4 is disengaged, the drive shaft is what disconnects from TC, then the half shafts and front pumpkin would always be spinning, right? That would certainly explain crap mpg.

 

97-03's front diff spins when disengaged, the front axle has no disconnect from the wheels.

A limited slip would be fine up front, as long as you have something that is smooth operating and does not LOCK into a position ( like a lunchbox cheapy locker or a full locker) for a daily driver. you will notice some resistance, but it will certainly be something you can live with.

 

what bout air lockers or selectable lockers for this application thatd make alotta sense

 

Anything that would be fully open under "normal" driving conditions will be the best.

 

im glad i caught this thread id thrown around the idea of welding the front up. i assumed it discoed the front axles from each other. that would have been a bad mistake.

 

97-03
Shift fork disconnects passenger side axle from the carrier, but both shafts are still spinning since there is no "hub" like the SD's or older trucks.
then the t-case disengages the front drive.

a smooth operating LS will be fine, as would a selectable locker.

smooth I mean pretty much anything but the "lock rights" or that style, and the eaton fully automatic lockers (they claim to have small amount of limited slip function). a clutch based, or the helical gear limited slip like the trutrac

 

If I could afford it, I would invest in the selectable ARB locker for the front 8.8 IFS axle...

Be aware that if you're not careful, you'll be snapping cv axles like twigs with a locker up front...

 

Wow...snapping joints on front? Totally not worth it if that's the case. I suppose I should just keep it simple and put an elocker in the rear and leave the front stock. At least then I would have a three wheeler instead of two.