Thinking of doing Front and Rear Eaton Truetracs for Snow. Also snow tips?

I've looked around a bit and I think these are probably the best solution for my needs but I'd love some input. The truck is basically stock. It's my DD, 95 standard cab short bed, 2.7l, 5spd, 4wd w/o ADD, and sadly it's geared 3.58 (which is kinda where this started). I live deep in the Sierras, far enough out of the way that I worry about being able to get in/out during a bad storm, and I frequently am required to come and go during the winter for work. I'm already running 31" studded snow tires. Having more traction is probably more piece of mind than true need.

Also this is only my second winter living in the snow so there's definitely bits of ignorance. Mostly what I try to do is go slow and carry chains.

So here's my questions about truetracs

Will they improve my ability to find traction in the snow/ice?

Does having a rear LSD make the rear end more prone to sliding? How much more prone?

Does Having an LSD up front cause under steer? A lot, A little?

Will I loose some of my low speed turning radius in 4wd?

Are people's general concerns about LSDs causing problems in the snow because they are stupid? (complaining about suddenly sliding 'because of the truetrac' on an an icy road at 60mph seems to fall into this category, or maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about.)

Thanks.

 

The thing about snow is there are so many different kinds .

What is great for some sucks in others

Temperature plays a very important role

even welded axles are not much good once the wheels are lifted enough there is no weight on them

your talking snow over 24" deep in a blizzard on non maintained roads .

Having spent more then a few nights stuck in -50 temperatures have enough to be some what comfortable .

I never had problems running a selective locker in the rear only able to really get stuck better.

Never had one in the front axle

 

I just moved to Alaska from louisana. What I did that helped me was find an iced backroad and just find the limits of the traction on my truck and slide around for a little bit. When I did this I knew how much gas I could give it and the angles I could turn at before it broke loose. Also learning to stay calm and in control under a slide helps a lot. I wish I could help more but I’m still learning and figuring out myself. Good luck man!

 

In my experience with Sierra snow, a LSD in the rear will help. A full locker like a detroit or Elocker(when on) will definitely hurt on any off camber road.

But your main issue is your front end pushing snow. Tire height is needed. My FJ with full skids ends up like a turtle on its back once the snow gets high enough and gets packed under my belly skid, and that with atrac, elocker and crawl control. Even a move to just 34”s made a big difference when breaking trail.

 

The nice thing about truetracs is that they aren’t a friction disc type LSD, they’re gear driven. I used to run one in the front axle of my crawler and found that they engaged a lot harder if you lightly ride the brake. As far as running one in the rear, I doubt you’ll see any negatives, especially since they’re maintenance free. You don’t even have to worry about what ger oil you run the way you do with friction type LSD’s.

 

I can just add about a front Trutrac, not the rear.
I've had it 6 years and it handles exceptional on ice and light snow (under 4"). I try to stay out of deeper snow.

I don't see any understeer, if I'm completely sure of the definition. What is immediately noticable is the Trutrac has a pull straight forward characteristic. As in, while turning a corner the steering wheel will want to straighten and you can feel the steering wheel's pressure in your grip. If you took your hands off the wheel it would straighten completely and the SW would center.

It took a little getting used to. But it's fine now.

 

Background on me, I build differentials for a living professionally for years.
Have an 01 Taco with a Detroit Locker in the rear and a Trutrac in the front. I have driven many vehicles with many variations of Carriers.

1. Will they improve my ability to find traction in the snow/ice?

Yes, absolutely!

2. Does having a rear LSD make the rear end more prone to sliding? How much more prone?

Yes, but you will be moving forward, not stuck. This may take a bit of getting used to, but you need to know you vehicle and how it reacts before you’re in a “situation” Locker/LSD/Open regardless.
It’s not bad, just different.

3. Does Having an LSD up front cause under steer? A lot, A little?

It causes the truck to feel more like it’s pulling you not pushing. Similar to that of the sensation of sitting in the front of a roller coaster compared to the back.
That being said, if you are turned a bit to the right, when you accelerate, it will feel more dramatic pulling you that direction on a surface with Traction.
Without traction your truck will likely “plow” meaning it will continue to drive straight with the wheels turned. You have to accelerate to correct this. Again, not a problem, just different...


4. Will I loose some of my low speed turning radius in 4wd?

Yes, more so by adding a lsd/locker in the rear than in the front..

5. Are people's general concerns about LSDs causing problems in the snow because they are stupid? (complaining about suddenly sliding 'because of the truetrac' on an an icy road at 60mph seems to fall into this category, or maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about.)

Not stupid, just inexperienced...
Some also probably stupid lol.

Like the example I have above, if you start to slide sometimes you have to accelerate out of it, not brake like many may think.

If you are a confident well rounded driver, you will not have any problems. When road conditions are questionable I often lightly brake check my self or accelerate harder than usual to get a feel of the traction situation.
Snow at 32* is wet and slick, Snow at 15* is often dry. Both can be dangerous but fee completely different driving in them.

If you are one of those people who make a 4 point turn to get into a parking spot, it’d probably be in your best interest to stay open/open, it will keep you out of situations you shouldn’t be in.

 

Thank you everyone who replied. This has been extremely helpful. Unfortunately, my truck just snapped it's transfer case shifter when the dog fell on it. So I'm getting a new (used) truck first. It was the last straw in a long succession of major and minor failures cause by PO abuse/mind blowing hack work. Who cuts the shifter off at at the based and then only lightly tacks it back in?!

 

Personally, I would focus more on traction aids, like maxtrax, shovel, recovery (winch), and emergency preparedness (blankets, water, first aid,etc...). Sure, open diffs are not going to have as much traction as lockers, but which locker is "best" really comes down to driver experience and style.

As others have said, there isn't really a one size fits all differential type that will work for everything. If your tires don't have enough traction, it doesn't really matter if you have a selectable locker, open diff, LSD, etc... the tires will spin. So it's best to have a way out of that worst case scenario, no matter what you end up with. LSDs are nice because while they don't offer a "perfect" diff lock, you don't really need that most of the time anyway, and they are invisible to the driver, in that you don't have to remember to turn it on. I think the difference between friction or gear driven diffs are relatively minor, especially for the inexperienced driver.

I'd focus on what fits your budget, and what will give you piece of mind. For me, that would be recovery and safety gear.

 

I know the truck is now "gone" but a data point for those doing research;

A good friend had 5.29's, tru-tracs and 33x10.5s on his regular cab 94 toyota pickup and we did a few snow runs together. He said he noticed a very slight bit of pulling in the front end but in anything less than 2 feet of light-medium pack snow, it sure seemed like it went everywhere, and kept up with the locked vehicles no problem.

 

I have an extra shifter or 2...
Why was yours hacked? Body lift?