detroit tru-trac?

Ive been looking at various threads and still havent made up my mind
I had one in my previous vehicle (97 s10 extracab) and it made all the difference in the world.. but what I seem to be getting is that putting such a device in my jeep will make it squirley... anyone out there have one and if so how does it work on snow ice? I live in wisconsin and my vehicles have to perform 5-6 months out of a year in snow and crud
oh
ive got a stock 88 cherokee chief with a set of bridgestone dueler at 30/9.5/15 manual tranny

Can't speak for the rear, but I have one in the front and it is very nice in snow. Almost unnoticeable, but somehow more traction. I do not drive much in snow though and when i do it is for pleasure, so I am never in a hurry or moving fast. I have no idea what it would do at highway speeds with a slight bend in the road. I would guess it wouldn't be too bad though. A trutrac is still considered a posi, not a locker. It does have some "give" to it, so I wouldn't worry about fishtailing all over...unless you want to.

true-trac by Design is Supposed to send the majority of torque to the wheel with the Most traction


i have one in the rear but only slippery drivin i do here is muddy roads and thats not that often so i can't speak of Slippery condition performance,

but it works well off-rd

Talking about the rear?

If Rear: It's a limited slip, lots of vehicles come factory w/ it. You could go full locker in the rear and it would still be fine.

If Front: It's a limited slip, should be fine driving.

Just curious but why spend all the money for a limited slip?

i had a powertrax in the rear of mine and it goes fine in the snow if u keep ur foot out of it. in the front how ever in 4wd its a different story. you get that snowplowing effect when turning an if both wheels are slipping you cant turn. they spin and u keep going straight. i woulding put one up front for the snow.

uncc civilengineer said:

Just curious but why spend all the money for a limited slip?

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a l/s diff is usually cheap than a full locker
-for ex. a factory type trac-lock ls can be had for most DC jeeps for <$200


a detroit true trac is more than a LS
- like i mentioned its design sends power to the wheel with the most traction,, but only after a small amount of slippage..

JLane99XJ said:

a detroit true trac is more than a LS
- like i mentioned its design sends power to the wheel with the most traction,, but only after a small amount of slippage..

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I have had my true trac in the front for a few years now and have not found this to be the case. It always sends more power to the wheel that has the least traction despite what the manufacturer claims. I can "force a lock" with the brakes but this has ended up in broken shafts twice and a broken ring gear. This diff is unnoticable in the front and rear, you just have less wheel slippage as long as both wheels have some traction. I would definately choose this diff If I were going to be operating in snow and or ice and was worried about handling.

Contrary to one of the posts above it does not cause plowing when in the front diff in the snow or mud, it is a limited slip diffirential not a locker like the powertrax.

I had a Trutrack in the rear of my YJ for while before I got the Locker.
On the street, in really slick stuff, I prefer open to anything, but a TT is the next best thing, probably even easier to handle than a factory Tracloc because it doesnt have clutches that can grab and release. Its predictable, it doesnt lock but will give you enough traction on the slipping tire to keep you moving, If you are in a black ice situation, it will act as close to invisable and controlable as anything.

Im not telling you anything new, you had one in your S10, why would a Jeep be any different.

xjwisconsin said:

...anyone out there have one and if so how does it work on snow ice? I live in wisconsin and my vehicles have to perform 5-6 months out of a year in snow and crud
oh
ive got a stock 88 cherokee chief with a set of bridgestone dueler at 30/9.5/15 manual tranny

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I ran a true-trac in my 89 with manual tranny & 31s The only times I noticed it was on icy roads. Stuff like when I first start out on an icy surface or an nicly fozen over pass. You could feel the spin and let up. Never had any problem. It will work great but if you get on ice anything that put torque to both tires can break both loose, just keep your foot out of it and it's fine.

yes i did have it in the truck and I realy liked that I no longer got stuck in completly flat parking lots... I guess I was just looking for feedback from those who might have them in their jeeps as to how they liked or didnt. I liked it in the truck cuase it was seemless. almost never knew it was there (noise, weird grip ect) got stuck in a witeout going to chicago last year and It (and the CB) were indispensible. Why not a full lock? I do alot of highway driving bc this is my daily driver and I figure full lock might not be as beneficial to me

I'm running a True-Trac in the front and a Detroit in the rear. Worked very well in the deep snow, hard packed snow, even did OK on some icy spots. Works alright on trails too. I think True-Tracs are fine for a daily driver/occasional trail use rig. However, my Jeep has evolved into a more serious trail rig, and I now regret having the limited slip in the front. Eventually I'll be changing it out for a locker.

I put my front in last summer and was currious about this Winter. I am going to put a D44 up front at some point and will put in another OX up front. Wanted to put a TT in my D30 just to help out for a couple of years and it is my DD. Off road it is better that open, but it isn't a locker. On road it is great. We have had a couple of deep snows and I am amazed where the TT and new MTRs take me. I have never got stuck just using Full time 4X4. I can notice a little bit of pushing around but nothing of any importance. Not even anything that has to be compensated for, just a little difference in steering. I am very happy with mine. Very good decision for the road.

Here is something to keep in mind though. TTs are gear driven like Torsens. They do not "slip" and then engage with clutches. Torque transfer is immediate. Also TTs transfer about 60% traction to the wheel whith less traction. Any higher a bias and it would start behaving like a locker. And last, limited slips transfer torque with a difference in traction. If both tires are on a slick patch of ice, the LS is not even working. Both wheels have no traction, or rather equal traction. If you are turning, and both wheels are spinning because you have it floored, and you are going straight, that has nothing to do with the LS. That's all you. Niether wheel has traction. You are causing the plowing, not the LS.

Mine DOES plow in the snow and ice. The tru-trac is basicly just a high tech posi or LS. But its pretty "tight" for an LS. When the road surface is slick the tires slip on the road before the Tru trac slips and this causes plowing just like a locker. Only problem bieng is you can't let off the throttle and have it unlock, its there, all the time and if your a non disco front axle it poses this problem in 2wd drive as well. Hindsight 20/20 i should have locked the front. However I bought this used and I feel I have gotten my moneys worth, if i dropped the coin for a new one I would really be pissed.

A guy that owns a local differential shop told me the older tru-tracs were alot better than the newer ones. He tells them apart by the bolts that hold it together, the older units have 3 large bolts holding them together where the newer ones use several smaller ones. Mine is an older unit and if indeed they are better or "tighter" than the newer ones it could explain some of the plowing issues in slick conditions. It has the turning radius of a school bus pulling a trailer when the roads are bad lol.

EDIT, it does work OK offroad, better than an open diff but it sure as hell isn't a locker. If there are times when you say "damn I wish I was locked in the front" the tru-trac will leave you saying the same thing in the same places.

BlueCuda said:

Mine DOES plow in the snow and ice. The tru-trac is basicly just a high tech posi or LS. But its pretty "tight" for an LS. When the road surface is slick the tires slip on the road before the Tru trac slips and this causes plowing just like a locker.

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A couple of weeks ago during heavy snow, my son's Ford had a timing belt slip and he got suck right in the middle of the expressway. I raced to the rescue at over 45mph in deep snow at 2:30 in the morning, before he gets rear ended, in my DD XJ with TT front and rear. As always I never knew I had them, but the traction was there. Steering control as good as it can possibly be under those conditions. No plowing, excellent response (FT 4X4).
When I got to my sons car, I started pushing him all the way home including uphill on the overpass. My XJ did a hell of a job. I am in the process of swapping my D35 for a D44 and I already have a TT in the D44.

Deep fresh snow isnt really an issue, its when it gets really slick like packed snow or ice that I prefer open over any traction aide. Still, The TT isnt bad at all.

falcon556 said:

A couple of weeks ago during heavy snow, my son's Ford had a timing belt slip and he got suck right in the middle of the expressway. I raced to the rescue at over 45mph in deep snow at 2:30 in the morning, before he gets rear ended, in my DD XJ with TT front and rear. As always I never knew I had them, but the traction was there. Steering control as good as it can possibly be under those conditions. No plowing, excellent response (FT 4X4).
When I got to my sons car, I started pushing him all the way home including uphill on the overpass. My XJ did a hell of a job. I am in the process of swapping my D35 for a D44 and I already have a TT in the D44.

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I haven't really had mine in deep fresh snow before so it may work awsome there. Everything we get here always has ice underneath it. Your Full time 4wd might help quite a bit as well, having no center diff surely doesn't help the plowing any no matter what the traction device is.

I don't feel that its dangerous at all, it just turns very wide its pretty good out on the road but I feel it is no better than being locked in the front when it comes to low speed cornering.

Its kind of embarassing to be in a 4wd and not be able to hit a parking spot because it doesn't turn sharp enough in the snow/ice.

thanks for all the write-ins guys and girls I think that when I get a little saved up I will go ahead and put a TT in the rear. just going to leave the front open for now, as I dont seem to use my 4hi or lo that much at this point and the rear just seems to make more sense to me. I know its not a true locker or even close but at this point it seems to make sense for the driving that I am doing

xjwisconsin said:

Ive been looking at various threads and still havent made up my mind
I had one in my previous vehicle (97 s10 extracab) and it made all the difference in the world.. but what I seem to be getting is that putting such a device in my jeep will make it squirley... anyone out there have one and if so how does it work on snow ice? I live in wisconsin and my vehicles have to perform 5-6 months out of a year in snow and crud
oh
ive got a stock 88 cherokee chief with a set of bridgestone dueler at 30/9.5/15 manual tranny

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selectable locker is going to be the safest option.. in my opinion.. Off when on icy roads unless needed, on when your in the muck...

I have them front & rear. I am really impressed with there operation, just need to use a little left foot braking sometimes if you have wheel in the air.

xjwisconsin said:

thanks for all the write-ins guys and girls I think that when I get a little saved up I will go ahead and put a TT in the rear. just going to leave the front open for now, as I dont seem to use my 4hi or lo that much at this point and the rear just seems to make more sense to me. I know its not a true locker or even close but at this point it seems to make sense for the driving that I am doing

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don't discredit the TT too much, I have been able to go places Locked/Locked vehicles couldn't make it. It's all driver style and ability.