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With a decent Limited Slip Diff, and if it loses traction in both tires, both tires spin, and in turn loss of control, if it is the front end... no steering !
If a 4x has a good Limited Slip or Locker in the rear and a standard Open Diff in the front, it should be able to go in a lot of places with out any trouble and without the fear of loss of steering.
It used to be that new car manufacturers wouldn't add a traction device in the front diff, open diff only !
If the vehicle is only for Off-Road Use... Lock away but keep the front end steering pointed in the direction you want to go because once you slip it in 4x that front end is going where IT wants to. Yes there are steering control devices, BUT that is more money.
Enjoy !
Ltr
The difference is that it's not actually a locker.
It doesn't work like a regular clutch limited slip slip either.
It's torque biasing so when there is slip it doesn't try to turn the wheel at same speeds but transfers torque to the wheel whith most traction.
Quote from the web:
"If your vechicle is stuck it is because you are generating no torque(Physics defines torque as force required to overcome resistance). If you are stuck spinning wheels you are generating no torque(force to overcome the resistance being applied to the truck). The bog hole you are in whatever you are generating no tractive effort.
Torque is generated at the tyre surface not the crown wheel, if a tyre is in the air on an open diff what happens you move no where cause all the engine power goes to that wheel and it free spins as a diff follows path of least resistance. If torque was generated at the crown wheel you would still move forward as the other tyre would have to turn.
So looking at a torsen with a bias ratio. If one tyre is getting some grip eg: largely spinning but still generating some torque if it has a bias ratio of 4:1 it will try and bias 4 times the torque generating at the some what slipping gripping wheel to the other tyre. Now this tyre starts to turn this may actually in off road cases be too much torque for this tyre to handle and may cause more slipping gripping wheel spin and it than becomes the weakest link and the diff will not bias 4 times that torque to the other tyre(This will continue to happen quickly and smoothly). This sensation is what can generate understeer in hard turn situation with low traction and make a torsens feel like it's a locked diff.
This is why torsen doesn't work with a wheel in the air or dropped completely into mud, If the low traction tyre is just spinning generating no torque with a 4:1 ratio 4x0=0... even 7:1 7x0=0. Torsen relies on the low traction tyre to have some tractive effort."
If it would behave so badly why did they developed that Ranger front torsen for race trucks. Also subaru sti's come with front and rear torsen and they're designed to go down snow covered roads... FAST.
So there's some drawbacks, like at full lock under power, but MUCH more manageable than a locker.
Edit: Also, both front tires spinning (as in slipping, not just rotating they have to rotate to go anywhere lol ) does not automatically mean no steering. BOTH wheels turning at exacty the SAME rpm would cause loss of steering. But that's not what the Torsen does.
(Still talking on loose/slippery surface)
Last edited on Mon Feb 17th, 2020 02:04 pm by Arthur
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2008 XLT 4x4 4.0 5Spd. Pretty much stock except 33's and Bilsteins: A bit broken for now.
2007 FX4 Level II auto: new project!