What's the deal w/ these ....I'm assuming that some are better for certain situations ...

Is this true:
Posi for mainly street use.
Lockers for off road.

What's the deal with limited slip?

-G

PS ...There are no such things as stupid questions ....just stupid people who ask questions.

 

as far as i can tell this is waht i know so far limited slip is a posi. a posi is still going to have some slip to allow for you wheels to turn at different speeds when turning but if your goin straight and hit the gas they will lock and you will spin both. the locker does not allow spin. when a wheel starts to spin faster than the other side the locker engages and turns both wheels. your right the locker is more for serious ofroading or drag racing use. the posi is good for al around street use. thats what i know so far... i think..lol im prolly goin to get a powertraxx no slip traction system at www.powertraxx.com
detroit lockers which are the best out there are just too expensive and just too much for me

 

lockers are for off road, as they copletely lock both sodes of the axle together, and do not letone tire turn faster than the other for going around turns. Can be a little tricky at gigh speed off road in the dirt though if you have one on the front axle. Limited slipgives traction to bothwheels on one axle unless one starts to slip, then it transfers more power to the slipping wheel, and may transfer all power to the siping wheel. You can get power to the wheel with traction by applying a little break pressure to make the wheel think it has traction and tranfer power back to the other wheel. Limited slip is good for on road and high speed off road. It is also good on ice,since if one wheel starts to slip the other holds still to keep you from sliding. Whereas with a locker both wheels will continue to keep moving. I don't know anything about posi as i have never had one. I know my truck has a locker in the rear that enguages in low range (I wish it wouldin high as well, and may find a way to make it) and a limited slip in the front. So you should have the same.

 

dont they have selectable lockers, where you can put it on or off? im thinking that would be a better option, especially for my 2wd, since having a full time locker would be a really bad idea

 

The posi is a clutch unit that has several springs to put pressure on the clutches to lock the axlestogether. A locker is locked until you go around a turn then it ratchets (through splined locking plates that are where your spider gears would normaly be) allowing the outside wheel to turn quicker. Which by the way is very dangerous in slick or icy conditions, when you let off of the gas going at highway speed itWILL tend to slide around on you. yes there are selectable lockers that by flipping a switch you can select locked or unlocked but they are expensive. hope that helped.

 

I'd assume that the stock GM trucks have limited slip?

 

Yes I believe most/all GM trucks do come stock with a LSD unless changed from the factory as a package.

 

I thought only the Z71's had limited slips? Mine is just a 4X4. I can't tell if it does or not cause I always thought the torque management thing was keeping me from "one legging it".

 

indont beleive that limited slip is the same thing you guys are thinking about... limited slip is just another name for posi... i beleive that chevy calls is limited slip and like chrysler or some other manufacturer called it positraction back in the 70's or something like that. and also a lot of newer cars dont have Limited slip or just a open dif they have what is called a fluid coupling which is better than a open diff and not as good as a limited slip. they have a bunch of plates with holes in them and when one tire is going it moves the fluid and pushes it thriugh the holes which causes the other axle to spin as well its kinda cool

 

chevy112488- yes they do have selectable lockers, and with a 2wd, that is probably what you want. Eaton makes the e-locker, then there are ones run mechanically on a cable and ones run by air. I can't remember the names of them right now for some reason. All seem to work really well.