limited-slip for front and rear

Hi All,

I've a 1992 XJ 4.0 I-6 auto 4x4 and want to put limited slips into the rear (Dana 35) and front (Dana 30?) both of which are currently open.

There are several manufacturers of limited slip assemblies that can be installed.

Which is best?

Any major tricks to installation?

Thanks
Mike

In your situation as far as limit slips, I'd go with TrueTracs front and rear. These are gear driven limit slips, unlike the clutch type of the Trac Lok and Auburn variety.

I have a True Trac up front that works great. I had to go with an Auburn in the rear because of the limitations of the 8.25 axle (plus no True Trac available for the 8.25), but it does a great job too....

Ivan

mhead said:

Hi All,

I've a 1992 XJ 4.0 I-6 auto 4x4 and want to put limited slips into the rear (Dana 35) and front (Dana 30?) both of which are currently open.

There are several manufacturers of limited slip assemblies that can be installed.

Which is best?

Any major tricks to installation?

Thanks
Mike

Click to expand...

Most people here like True Tracs. I did a lot of research on this and choose Trac lok instead. I have one in my Jeep now and it still works and has over 130K miles on it. Most of the tech guys I talked to that sold both told me True Tracs were fine, but not worth the money do do the same job as a dana trac lok.

I am putting one in my rear of my d44 this week. I wouldn't put one up front due to lack of control on a side slop in snow. If I wanted to lock in up front I would have to get ARB or the like. You could put yourself in a bad situation if you can't control the front dif.

JMHO,
Curt

TT front, Trac Lok rear.

I was in the same situation as Ivan - had to put Detroit TT in front, and Dana TL in 8.25" rear due to limited options in the rear. I have to admit, that off road, nearly all of my traction is from the front TT. Once they make one for the 8.25" rear, I'll replace the trac loc with a new Detroit True Track. The dana's not bad, I can just tell that the front TT is more active than the clutch track lok. The detroit in front doesn't make any noise, either.

I have an Auburn in the rear, and a Torsen-Gleason in front. The Torsen's very similar to a Truetrac. The LSDs stick really well on the slickrock at Moab, and are tolerable in the bad weather.
That being said, I have a No-Slip locker going in the rear this weekend at the same time as my Dana 44.

limited slip for front & rear

mhead,
I was pondering the same thing that you are going thru now, plus adding a SYE and T.W. DS! What I ended-up convincing myself was: Why throw all this $$$ into a D35? So I found myself a Ford Exploder 8.8" axle ***it has rr discs, 4.10's, and LS diff already***. I bought this axle (w/14Kmiles) for $350 (had to drive 4 hours RT to get it....but worth the effort :thumbup: )
You can look at www.car-part.com for a directory for your area on what boneyard may have a similar axle. The rear LS diff alone will cost you ~$200 + install kit to ~$350 + install kit,...depending on whose diff you buy. Let's not forget labor too!
And when you're done,...you still have a D35
Good Luck,
BLUTO

I ran a True Trac in my MJ D30 and it was a good unit for 85% of the trails I ran. It was a PITA on the other 15% (mine seemed to balk at 'wheel up' situations and revert to open status)

I plan to swap it into my daily driver XJ as soon as I figure out if my (wifeys) other stock Jeep is trustworthy enough to drive for a few days while I do the work.

For the rear ax, if I swap in a 44 with a LSD, I can either use the low mile Track Lok I have or buy another True Trac. I don't see this Jeep seeing a lot of HD trail use, but it does have a NP 242 and it'd be nice to have the option of using the full time 4WD in bad road conditions.

If I didn't have a low-gear TL for the 44, I wouldn't dream of buying one new & hassle with the install... OTOH mine does have a 35 with working TL, so I may just leave it in but regear to match the front. (got 4.10s for the 35 and both 4.10 and 4.56 for the 30 and 44)

Consider the True Trac: it is silent, & gear driven...it needs no special additive, just add gear oil & go...Approx $350 USD

Then Consider the Track Lock, clutches/ springs to wear out...and they will if you use it off road or hard road use, it needs friction modifier in the oil... Approx $200 IIRC, plus add in the cost of an eventual rehab of the slippy parts + labor.

Both will require you (or someone) to set up the gears, so that $$$$ is a wash with either diff.

So I am a fan of the TT, based on front axle duty on the trail (lots) and on the road in the snow (once.) I have no idea how one would do in the rear, but I suspect pretty well.

If money was no object (and if the bugs were worked out) I think a Detroit Electrac is the hot ticket. (selectable gear-drive limited slip and 'spool') Big bux though at $800 IIRC and not what I really need for a DD that won't see hardcore 4x4 trails.

Re: TT front, Trac Lok rear.

Planetcat said:

I was in the same situation as Ivan - had to put Detroit TT in front, and Dana TL in 8.25" rear due to limited options in the rear. I have to admit, that off road, nearly all of my traction is from the front TT. Once they make one for the 8.25" rear, I'll replace the trac loc with a new Detroit True Track. The dana's not bad, I can just tell that the front TT is more active than the clutch track lok. The detroit in front doesn't make any noise, either.

Click to expand...

This is comparing apples and oranges. You can not compare a front axle with a rear when four wheeling. If you had a TT and then ran Trac loc in the rear after removal of the TT then that is a comparison. Front and rear are totally different and can not be compared like this.

Curt

Huh?

If I have all four wheels of my jeep in mud, snow, and loose rock/gravel and in 4WD, how is the fr/rr comparison not valid? I've been in all three. As the driver, I can feel the front wheels engage sooner and more solidly than the rears.

The True Trac may be a bit weak for a rear axle application, depending on what trails you drive. If they are truly moderate, then I agree, this is the best choice. Definitely a True Trac for the front. I have never had a problem in the snow with a front True Trac - they are exceptional in bad weather.

For more rear-end strength, the Auburn is a great choice. However, I am not sure if they have one for the D35 yet. Although, you could buy a 29 spline 8.25 and put an Auburn in that and have a very nice platform for moderate wheeling.

Nay

Re: limited slip for front & rear

BLUTO said:

mhead,
So I found myself a Ford Exploder 8.8" axle ***it has rr discs, 4.10's, and LS diff already***. I bought this axle (w/14Kmiles) for $350 BLUTO

Click to expand...

This seems like a really good idea! What exactly do I need to know to go try to find one of these? Do all have limited slip or if not how can I identify one that does? How do I match gear ratio in the Exploder to what I have in my D35? Is the axle comparable to the D35 or stronger? What mods must be made to bolt it on?

Thanks

Re: Huh?

Planetcat said:

If I have all four wheels of my jeep in mud, snow, and loose rock/gravel and in 4WD, how is the fr/rr comparison not valid? I've been in all three. As the driver, I can feel the front wheels engage sooner and more solidly than the rears.

Click to expand...

It isn't valid. You have a motor in front first of all. Secondly front and rear are in different locations on a vehicle.

Not sure if you ever drove in the snow in a rear wheel drive car and a front wheel drive car. If you have you will know a front wheel drive car goes better up the hills. It pulls you up and has the motor weight directly over the wheels.

You can compare front and rear, but it makes no sense to do so. They are totally different.

Curt

Re: Huh?

Planetcat said:

If I have all four wheels of my jeep in mud, snow, and loose rock/gravel and in 4WD, how is the fr/rr comparison not valid? I've been in all three. As the driver, I can feel the front wheels engage sooner and more solidly than the rears.

Click to expand...

I don't understand. The TrueTrac defaults to unlocked, and locks when there is torque differential. The Trac-Lok defaults to "locked" (clutches engaged), and only unlocks when the torque differential exceeds the capacity of the clutches. I have Trac-Loks in all the XJs and a TrueTrac in the MJ. The TrueTrac is definitely less transparent. With the Trac-Lok, you don't ever know it's there. The TrueTrac occasionally gives you hints.

All of which is academic, because the Trac-Lok is not available for the front Dana 30. TrieTrac is almost the only game in town for a front limited slip.

would a trac loc from a 96 grand cherokee fit in a 88xj (d35)

Re: TT front, Trac Lok rear.

h.curtis said:

This is comparing apples and oranges. You can not compare a front axle with a rear when four wheeling. If you had a TT and then ran Trac loc in the rear after removal of the TT then that is a comparison. Front and rear are totally different and can not be compared like this.

Curt

Click to expand...

This is BS.

Sorry.

If you can afford paying for gears and installing a full carrier locker, I wouldn't even think about doing it in a D35. Fork out a few more dollars for an XJ D44 or a Ford 8.8, then spend the money on gears and a locker and be done with it, and be reliable.

Oh, and forget the rear limited slip, if you're going to pay the money for a full carrier LSD, just go ahead and get a locker in the rear. Down the road you'll end up being much happier.

i ran a trutrac in my d-30 and a detroit in the 35 and hated it with my nv-3550. i now run a d-44 out back with a trutrac and it is a huge improvement. i can still feel the tt , but i'm not clunking around town and exploding around everycorner, scaring little old lady's in the safeway parking lot, the detroit was an animal offroad, but as my dd i'd go with trutrac front and rear.