Limited Slip or Open Differential?

transamz9 wrote:

Chuck_thehammer wrote:
OPEN differential is a single wheel drive.. or single axle drive in the duelly..

poor traction in rain,mud,snow,ice.

once THAT one wheel starts to slip.. only way to get the other wheel to power is using the parking brake..( this does not always work )...

OR have traction control.....

having three vehicles with traction control, I'd say they vary noticeably in how the react and how effective they are. the GMC is the least intrusive, but the downside is it is marginal in respect to stopping spinning. and of the 3 vehicles the least improvement in getting moving. I wish GM had at least given a mode of starting in 2nd gear along with traction control

another of our vehicles is so aggressive it barely will spin, then bogs noticeably. It's very effective but can have a annoying and somewhat unsafe bog when it engages.

the third couples with allowing a wet or standard operating mode. I call it wife and self. but in the wet mode it starts in second gear, ******* ignition timing, and short shifts under acceleration, shifts from 2nd to 3rd at maybe 15 mph. and couple that with traction control. In reverse it changes gearing as well to effectively have reverse like 2nd gear forward. And when sensing wheel slip it ******* timing more and reduces throttle at the same time it applies brake to the slipping wheel.

this rear wheel drive car with summer tires has gone around or got started on hills where those with awd and studded tires couldn't get moving.

IMHO traction control is better called poor man's posi and the first step in helping. Next step up is traction control and some form of posi, then an autolocker like the Eaton G-80 on GM vehicles, followed by a manual locker.