Locking Rear Differential
 

I was talking to a salesman the other day at the Chevy dealership and he told me about the locking rear differential on the newer Chevys and how they get better traction than the Fords in 4WD. Anyone have experience with them? Could they take the place of getting 4WD on the truck if you only use 4WD once in a while for getting out of slippery situations?
Thanks!

No, it's not. I had to take my boat out at a boat ramp covered with acorns, leaves & sticks due to some recent high water. I tried to ease up the ramp in 2WD (I have the rear locker) but the rear just slid sideways. I put it in 4 hi & it drove out without slipping.

I had a salesman try to sell me on a locker being as good as 4WD too. But I'm glad I got the 4WD.

Thanks! That's a very good thing to know. I'd love to save the money and gas mileage by going with 2WD, but I guess there's no way around it when pulling a trailer.

No surprise that your wheels in the water and slime on the ramp slid even with the LSD and that adding power to the front wheels on the dry section did the trick. On ice with 4WD all you get is four wheels spinning instead of two.

A limited slip differential helps the 4WD work more effectively in a variety of situations. I have high centered trucks and then had both the rear and front wheels lose power without a limited slip differential in the vehicle.

I noticed with my first 4WD SUV with LSD that I had to put the car into 4WD a lot less and situations where previously I needed 4WD as in getting up a gravel road to the roadway from my house I could get by perfectly well in 2WD thanks to the limited slip differential.

After market locking and limited slip differentials have often been trouble prone and expensive to buy and install. Being able to get them as an option with the trailering package and have the LSD covered under the GM warranty for 5 years or 100,000 miles is terrific.

The Locker is a good set up, I have it on my 2WD truck. It's not meant to replace 4WD, and in a situation where 4WD is actually needed, nothing can replace it short of a set of tracks.

That said, I also agree with elkhornsun. I've found that with the locker in my 4wd truck, I use the 4wd far less often for occasional "gittin' in stuff". it's a definite plus whether you have 2wd or 4wd, and worth the extra bucks.

I was actually on dry pavement covered with acorns, sticks & leaves. A private ramp, not ideal conditions. But I was really happy that I didn't settle for less.

Another way the 4WD is superior is the low range 4WD. It's a stump pulling gear-splitter you can't get with a 2WD & LSD rear.

It's better to have the 4WD and not need it than not have it and get yourself in a bad situation. Resale is higher too so don't look at it as waisting money. Boat ramps can suck sometimes and the guys who invested in the 4WD are usually watching the 2WD guys spin tires and occassionally getting their trucks wet. We pulled our boat this past season with a 4WD Suburban. We went almost the whole season without needing the 4WD engaged although I would use it anyway every once in a while just to use it. The last weekend of the season we went to our normal ramp and it was closed for repairs. We ended up using a ramp that was seriously steep. I put it in 4 Low just because I had it and I was amazed at how it just pulled it out at almost an idle. Everyone in front of us with 2WD's were spinning and getting a little sideways. They all made it out, but not near as easy as we did. Our boat was almost too big for this ramp so I am not sure if a 2WD would have made it.
Long story short, I know too late, get the 4WD!

i have had several 2wd and 4wd trucks both with lockers and without no comparison 4wd lockers wins every time... a lot of what makes a big difference is in ones driving ability... im not saying that you don't know how to drive but there are lots of people that think that they do when they really don't and thats where the trouble starts.....

PLUS you can have all the 2WD locker in the world but if your at a slippery boat ramp your just going to have 2 tires spinning instead of one. You need that traction where the ramp isn't slick also the engine sitting over the front wheels gives them much better bite than the rear with just a light bed over them.

I like the guys with 2wd that think they can go anywhere a 4wd will go. I get to have fun pulling them out.

Having added two lockers to trucks that could not be bought with them as OEM I was delighted to see that Chevy was making them available as a relatively inexpensive option with the trailer package and covering them in the standard warranty.

A bad installation or a poorly designed locker can cause lots of problems and be expensive and time consuming. Much better to get it on day one with a new vehicle. Regardless of the salesperson's motivation, in this situation I would take the advice and get a truck with this option.

Boat ramps are a topic in and of themselves. Where I live a number of boat ramps have a one foot or greater instant drop off at the end from erosion and if the tow vehicle does not have good traction the trailer will keep on going into the ocean. I have seen two trucks go into the harbor at Santa Cruz along with the trailers and in one case the driver drowned.

It goes to what you need. I have several 2 wheel drive pickups, and I don't get them stuck. All have lockers, but I know what their capabilities are. I also have a drive pick up, for when I'm going to be in places that will most likely be more than simple two wheel drive can handle.

On the other side of the coin, I see no need to move all of the extra weight of a 4wd truck on a daily basis. My 2000 4.8L Reg cab Silverado will pull 22+ mpg all day long on the interstate, as a daily runner, it's an excellent truck. My 4wd Sierra and my 4wd Cummins won't touch that little Silverado when it comes to economy.

As I see it, you need to tailor your vehicle for your type of driving. I do a lot of long runs in my truck, as much as a thousand miles in a day. For that, I don't need 4wd. In reality, I don't even need a V8 most times, but the little 4.8L does a good job of delivering good economy and decent power. reliability is impeccable, too.

When I'm going up north during the winter months, or going off road, there's no doubt that I'm taking one of the 4 wheel drive truck. If I'm also doing a heavy haul, I'll use the Cummins. It's a Diesel, crewcab, dually, with 4 (6) wheel drive an 8'bed and a wheelbase about as long as a football field, so it rides like it's on a cushion. You can drive it for hours on end with no fatigue, or stiffness.

When I'm going off road for fun the 4wd Silverado is the truck of choice. It's strong, tough, nimble, and with it's short wheelbase it's very maneuverable.

My daily driver is a 2wd Crew cab 2008 Sierra. It's a 5.3 with AFM that shuts down 4 cylinders on the interstate. It's got plenty of power, it's loaded, it's extremely comfortable, and it gets excellent mileage for what it is. The only mods I've done to it was a reprogram and a K&N intake with a cold air box. Those two mods make about 18 HP, but also slightly better mpg's.


So, I don't think it's "Better" to own a 4wd truck, nor do I think it's "better" or a "bad choice" to own a 2 wd truck. I think you own what you're going to use. I have friends who have pickups but never had a need for 4wd. So, for them 2wd is perfect.

Personally I see the need to own both. lol

Your point is well taken Frankie. But I can tell you that from my experience, it's a whole lot cheaper to get 17 MPG than it is to own 5 or 6 vehicles. If I could only own one truck, and that is the case, for my money, it's the 4WD. The 4WD can replace the 2WD, but not vise versa.

Most of my trips are made with a Toyota Prius that gets at a minimum 45mpg. Lots of cargo space with the rear seats down. Once got 16 cases of wine in the back and drove 120 miles back home with no worries (wine helps with that).

I on occasion will use the truck to launch a boat or go somewhere that there is mud or sand or where I need the ground clearance of the truck. The truck is used 30% of the time and represents 50% of my yearly fuel bill. Keeping the mileage driven on the truck down helps with fuel, tire, and insurance costs. I would also feel a little stupid driving a 3/4 ton diesel truck to the hardware store to pick up a gallon of paint or a box of nails. I save the truck for the big stuff.

I agree with your logic regarding gas mileage and the number of vehicles a person owns. I think you missed my point, though. I wasn't advocating owning multiple vehicles. What I was trying to point out is that Owning a 4wd vehicle isn't a better idea than owning a 2wd vehicle if you don't have a use for them. Millions of people go through their who lives never owning 4wd. Yet they manage, and I'd venture to say that most never get into a situation where they would need it, either.

My point is that owning one over the other isn't a good or bad idea. What you should be doing if selecting a vehicle that best suits your driving style, your way of life, and the part of the country in which you live. If you're an urban dweller in the South, and don't go off road, your chances of ever needing or using 4wd are very slim, if at all. To spend the extra money for it, and drag that extra weight and have the extra moving parts to service is a waste of money.

On the other hand, if you're a sportsman or live in a part of the country that gets snow, you'll probably use it frequently or, at the very least need it at some point in time.

Own 4wd, and never needing it or using it isn't a "better idea" simply because you own 4wd.

I own both 2wd and 4wd vehicles because of my business. I need 4wd vehicles, but I also own 2wd vehicles because they get much better highway mileage, and in twenty five years have never been in a situation where 4wd was needed.

He'll I had a Chevy Luv pick up years ago that had 1 wheel drive, and I drove it home from NJ with out an issue. lol

Thing is, if you have a need, you can't beat 4wd, and there really is no substitute for it. If you don't have the need, then 2wd with a locker will work just fine. The "better idea' is having a vehicle that suits your needs.

With the newer 4WD trucks the mileage isn't much different from a 2WD. I got rid of a Yukon XL 2WD and bought a Tahoe 4WD and haven't noticed an increase in fuel comsumption at all. I was always under the impression they were noticeably worse and last year when we had a couple days of ice here and my wife called me crying because her Yukon was getting sideways everytime she touched the gas I decided it was time to upgrade. I know 4WD isn't a 100% solution - driving for the conditions has a lot to do with it, but if it helps even a little I am glad I made the switch. I got lucky and found a year newer Tahoe with less miles and came out of my pocket exactly $200 and we now have rear entertainment. I think it was $200 well spent!

I got your point. I just could not help noticing you own a used car lot. And I was having a little fun with that. That's why I gave you the smilie.

I agree completely that most 4x4 owners will never shift their vehicles into 4WD. I knew someone who had an expensive Rover with locking differentials who took it off road one time with me and he did not even know how to engage the locking mechanism. It is like all the trucks with the lift kits that if they were taken off road would like be rolled along with the driver and the unfortunate passengers who went along for the ride.

I view the need for 4WD along two lines, either someone intends to use it for off road use or goes where there is snow or deals with slippery boat ramps, or they buy it for insurance as they have a vehicle that would be difficult to tow or get unstuck. Where I live there are pullouts around the beaches with more than enough sand for a vehicle to get stuck and fisher folks find a 4x4 very convenient and it provides peace of mind.

The other advantage with 4WD that is usually overlooked is the advantage of a 2-speed gearbox. Having an ultra low gear range is great for added pulling power in certain situations and when traversing rocky ground or areas where due to water or snow you cannot see the ground, being able to crawl along at low speed and still have full engine torque is a decided advantage.

The extra 400-500 lbs. of weight with 4WD does reduce the overall load capacity of the truck by that amount, and if the truck has diesel it exacts a similar GVWR penalty of around 800 lbs, so these also may be important to consider when deciding whether to get a 4x4 vehicle.