I'm 2wd with an open diff. Therefore I'm 1wd and it's rather annoying. Looking to change out the rear with something that won't cost a crazy amount but will help in snow.

Does limited slip really help that much? I've heard good things about the Detroit truetrac.

Obviously an E locker would be the best. But I'm guessing it would cost a lot.

What do you recommend and will it be worth it? As in, I'd actually have an improvement with traction that would be noticeable. How well does a LS actually limit slip?

Thanks!

 

Any limited slip will help a lot. I would buy the trutrac. On stock trucks they're basically bulletproof. An E-Locker is a step up, since you can fully lock the axle if you want, but would be overkill on a stock truck

 

agree with everything said here. and I love my limited slip and hate the fact that ford is moving away from them. to me id rather have the rear end ready any time than have to push a button...

 

The stock Ford LS isn't bad either. Mine has served me very well.

 

Thanks guys.

Two more questions..

Would an oem LS vs a detriot make a huge difference? Detriot is like $460 and would to oe version be a lot cheaper?

Lastly, is this something a 30 year old dude that doesn't know too much about differentials could do myself? I have access to a garage full of tools. I've done coilovers, ball joins, suspension stuff, etc. with the help of a YouTube video, should I try to take it on myself?

 

If I had to buy one new, I would get a trutrac and not mess with the factory LS. Truetrac is stronger and will last forever.

I also WOULD NOT install this myself. If you don't get the ring/pinon gear mesh just right you can seize your rear end.

 

Thank you!

I'll go with the truetrac and I'm going to have a place called the 4x4 center do the installation. They should know what they're doing based on the name. Ha

 

What's the best place to buy from? For the truetrac, Summit racing is $480 and rock auto is $525. I'm guessing I have the 8.8 31 spline. But I'll have to check the code.

 

Whoever can get it cheapest for you. Summit, Jegs, Rockauto, 4wheelparts, and a bunch of others carry them. Amazon has one for $480 plus free shipping

 

Thanks man! I was mainly curious if $480 seemed like a decent price, guess it's about as low as I'm going to get. Surprised rock auto is over $40 more.

 

The 2000 F150,5.4,Scab4x4 I bought new had the Traction Lok and it worked fine for 170k miles that I know of.
My current 2002F150,5.4Scab4x4 has a Trac Lok and it is still working fine at 129k miles. I don't do offroading except for some riding in the sand on the beach and I take it easy there. It works great still because I can feel it locking up or trying to lock up on turns if I give it a little more than usual throttle.

 

So how big of a job is this? The one place I called said to have LS installed the ENTIRE rear end has to be completely taken apart and said it would like 8 hours of labor being $100 an hour.

Around $1300 just to add limited slip?

Any other input to help get me in the right direction? I'd like to add the truetrac, but I definitely don't want to spend $800 just for labor.

 

That sounds way to expensive. I'd call a couple other shops in your area. See if you have a 4wheel parts nearby and what kind of a deal they can get you

 

I'll keep checking around. What else needs to be removed, disassembled, and/or replaced when swapping out a non limited slip for a limited slip? The guy at this shop seemed to think everything needed to be taken apart and changed, from the axle seals, to the wheels taken off to the driveshaft. Is this true or did he not know what he was talking about?

I thought it was just the diff cover coming off, changing the actual mechanical part, sealing it back up and adding oil.

 

If the gear ratio is not being changed, the wheels have to be removed, the diff rear cover has to be removed, the axles have to be removed, and the center section minus the pinion has to be removed. The backlash should be checked before removing the center section so it can be reinstalled with the same backlash. Then with the center section out, remove the ring gear and install it on the new center section and put it all back together. For an experienced mechanic, it should be possible to do it in a couple of hours.