I installed an 08' aluminum diff cover from dieselmanor.com a couple of days ago. Didn't add any friction modifier just to see if it would give the useless OE LS clutches any more grip but it's still completely useless.
What a shocker... the price of 75w140 synthetic diff oil. 4 x 1 quart bottles Pennzoil... $21cdn EACH!! Man.. the damn oil cost more than the freakin diff cover. Wally Mart didn't have that grade oil in synthetic. Royal Purple was another buck a bottle more. Yikes.
I had a factory Trac Lok in the rear axle of my 89 Bronco ( Ford 8.8" axle) and then the axle that repalced it ( currently 96 Ford 10.25" Sterling Full Floater). They were fair under moderate conditions but when the going got tough, well, let's just say I knicknamed them " Un-limited slips"... They work OK with stock tires on the street but with oversize tires and offroad, they aren't too impressive... When I ordered my current '04 SD, I opted out of the factory LS and installed ARB's front and rear... I also have them in my 89 Bronco which runs a Dana 60 up front and Ford 10.25" rear... I wheel alot more than most so need the strongest locker(s) I can get... They might be more $$ than you are wanting to spend though... To each his own... I know several guys who run the Lock Right and they like them alot... They are easier on the street ( predictable ) than say a Detroit Locker ( pushes in corners, eats rear tires ) but a still very positive and strong... The fact that they aren't difficult to install is also a bonus for alot of guys who want a locker but not pay out the nose to have them installed...
Also, with repsect to the $ of Diff Oil, I feel your pain... However, if it makes you feel any better, diff oil doesn't have to be changed as often as engine oil and it takes a beating... Probalby not much comfort huh? If you are running an aluminum diff cover, you might want to look at a Purple Cranium Products Spider Rock Guard, Ford Sterling 10.25/10.50 Half Spider Differential Rock Guard ... I cracked an aluminum diff cover once on Holy Cross and lost all diff oil in about 30 seconds... Not good...! Check my pics to see what they look like installed...
Cool, thanks for the info. Ya, thought about ARB's but I want something more automatic. Don't want to have to flip a switch just because I want to have fun sideways in the rain, etc.
So the lock-right is more gentle than a detroit locker on the street... that's all I need to know. I installed an Eaton LS with carbon clutches in my 8.8 that was in my 98' F150. Worked great. Tons of kms on it and it grabbed really good, but I never did serious offroad with it.
You might also look at the Detroit Truetrac [see Randy's, ringpinion.com, popular source for diff. stuff, in yer general neighborhood] if you are looking primarily to improve on-road LS performance, though the install may be more complicated. Like mine; its a worm gear, no clutches to wear out; note the cautions on Randy's description for the lock-right for big tires and/or high HP.
Shoot...that aint no good! Cancel that then. :nono:
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