Advice on Limited Slip Differential

K3WE wrote:

JimM68 wrote:

Fulltimer50 wrote:
LSD is not turned on and off with a switch.

AGAIN, That is a totally false statement. Switchable axle lockers are made and available, both factory and aftermarket. I'm mostly familiar with them on Jeeps, but if they exist there, they could exist anywhere.

Punch the button on the dash, the axles lock. Standard on Rubicon model jeeps for many years. available from aftermarket companies such as ARB on almost any vehicle. Unknown by me on most else, but that means nothing as I am not an expert on everything.

Ok...perhaps there's a terminology battle of what Webster says words mean versus what "common terminology" means.

For almost all the trucks I've seen, 'a limited slip differential' is a self contained deal that senses big speed differences between the axles and automatically locks out the differential.

Now- a system where you flip a switch and lock the differential...yeah, I guess that's gonna limit the slip a little bit too ;)

...and just because I've never seen such a system on 'typical' trucks doens't mean it doesn't exist and whether the wording "limited slip" vs. "locking" is defined by some sort of standard...I can't say.

That's my understanding also and to me LSDs do not have switches to do anything, they are there as a designed built in capability. They use internal clutches that engage when the slip in one wheel exceeds the other and help engage both wheels. Things like ARBs, et al are lockable where both wheels are tied together in basically a solid manner. A HUGE difference is you can drive in very, very slippery conditions with an LSD, but to do so with a locked differential is a receipe for disaster since you can't control where to steer. Also, you can still get one wheel spinning in slippery conditions with an LSD if the fluid mix is not right or the clutch pack is worn out.

Finally, what is commonly called lockable differentials use clutch packs, but they are activated either by electric or air modes whereas LSD clutches are activated by centrifugal force from the spinning of one wheel like in an open differential.

Larry