THIS LSD is JUNK!!!!!!

[lil red cummins]

the Limited Slip Differential that is. i just got back from taking my dad home from the hospital. there was about 4" of wet snow in his driveway and side street, and when i backed out into the street, i could NOT get going forward. i tried rocking, and more rocking, i tried using the lowest gear and easing out the clutch, i tried a higher gear and easing out the clutch. i tried 5th gear and standing on it. i tried easing down on the parking brake to get the spinning wheel to transfer load to the stopped wheel. the only thing it seems i could do was go backwards, which was bad because it was towards the neighbors grass.



absolutely NOTHING WORKED!! i am so MAD i can't see straight. #@$%!



never once did i see BOTH wheels spinning!!!!!



did i mention i have 200 lbs of sand in the back for weight also?#@$%!



so PLEASE someone tell me WHEN if EVER this LSD is supposed to work. #@$%!



as far as i am concerned, i want my money back from Dodge for this totally worthless option!!!!



by the way, i finally shoveled the snow down to the asphalt, less than 2" packed, and got out. #@$%!



jim



i don't think i put in enough mad smileys!!!

 

[Bertram65]

Surprised the brake did not help. 200lbs of weight in the bed will not do much, you need at least 500lb-600lbs, to make any difference. Try adding more weight.

 

[Truckie]

the Limited Slip Differential that is. i just got back from taking my dad home from the hospital. there was about 4" of wet snow in his driveway and side street, and when i backed out into the street, i could NOT get going forward. i tried rocking, and more rocking, i tried using the lowest gear and easing out the clutch, i tried a higher gear and easing out the clutch. i tried 5th gear and standing on it. i tried easing down on the parking brake to get the spinning wheel to transfer load to the stopped wheel. the only thing it seems i could do was go backwards, which was bad because it was towards the neighbors grass.



absolutely NOTHING WORKED!! i am so MAD i can't see straight. #@$%!



never once did i see BOTH wheels spinning!!!!!



did i mention i have 200 lbs of sand in the back for weight also?#@$%!



so PLEASE someone tell me WHEN if EVER this LSD is supposed to work. #@$%!



as far as i am concerned, i want my money back from Dodge for this totally worthless option!!!!



by the way, i finally shoveled the snow down to the asphalt, less than 2" packed, and got out. #@$%!



jim



i don't think i put in enough mad smileys!!!

I don't have the answer your looking for but I can help ya on the smileys.

#@$%! #@$%! #@$%!



Mike

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

My Ram has open diffs. It does fine in snow. I did add a 74 gallon Transfer Flow tank to the bed, a piece of 1. 12" thick plywood, and a Line-X that adds more weight. It also helps to have a lot of tread on the tires.

Keep workin' on those smileys Oo.

 

[bpenrod]

I would think more weight would help. My Anti-Spin seems to be pretty tight and spins both wheels on just about everything but a tight dry corner, then the inside tire will break loose. I knwo how frustrating it is to be in that position as my old work trucks were 2 wheel drive. That is what convinced me to get a front axle in mine for winter driving.

 

[MichaelWright]

Lil Red,



I bet you have the factory tires. I hate to say it, but you might want to look at some all terrain type tires. I was stuck in my yard on wet grass last spring in 2 wheel drive with the factory tires. I had to lock in the 4x4 to get going, and I had a load of firewood in the bed. Went down and got the BFG AT's, I don't get stuck on wet grass anymore.



And I would add some more weight to the bed, just make sure it is secure. You wouldn't want to get hit in the back of the head, stranger things have happened.



Mike

 

[jwilliams3]

I have both 4x4 and 2wd trucks.

The 2wd is about useless on snow or wet grass.



4x4 and Pro Comp tires and you'll never be stuck again.

 

[EMathis]

My 1998. 5 was a 4x2 5sp. with the limited slip rearend (Dana 80 ). I had 800-900 in the box with studed snow's (it was hard to find a E-rated snow). The limited slip seemed to engage pretty quick on the 98 but on my 04 4x4 I haven't actually noticed yet. As long as the snow wasn't thick the 98 seemed to get around fairly well. I also noticed that the 98 was able to go in reverse better than forward when in thick snow or up a hill which I thought was very strange, must be easier to pull than push the weight of the CTD though the snow :-laf. I would suggest a narrower more aggressive tire with more weight in the box. I traded my 98 in for a 4x4 partially because of this due to moving to a house in a very hilly neighborhood and even it had trouble with making it up my driveway the other day when we got 14 inches. Good luck, I know what a hassle in can be!

 

[coobie]

the Limited Slip Differential that is. i just got back from taking my dad home from the hospital. there was about 4" of wet snow in his driveway and side street, and when i backed out into the street, i could NOT get going forward. i tried rocking, and more rocking, i tried using the lowest gear and easing out the clutch, i tried a higher gear and easing out the clutch. i tried 5th gear and standing on it. i tried easing down on the parking brake to get the spinning wheel to transfer load to the stopped wheel. the only thing it seems i could do was go backwards, which was bad because it was towards the neighbors grass.



absolutely NOTHING WORKED!! i am so MAD i can't see straight. #@$%!



never once did i see BOTH wheels spinning!!!!!



did i mention i have 200 lbs of sand in the back for weight also?#@$%!



so PLEASE someone tell me WHEN if EVER this LSD is supposed to work. #@$%!



as far as i am concerned, i want my money back from Dodge for this totally worthless option!!!!



by the way, i finally shoveled the snow down to the asphalt, less than 2" packed, and got out. #@$%!



jim



i don't think i put in enough mad smileys!!!

What tires did your truck come with?? I have the stock michelins on my 4X4,good wet and dry pavement tire,but not worth a HOOT in snow IMHO. I have to put my truck in 4 wheel drive to just get out of my driveway in 3 inches of snow. coobie

 

[RJOL]

... did i mention i have 200 lbs of sand in the back for weight also?#@$%!

Nothing sucks more than when your truck lets you down. You will definitely need more weight in the back end. Even with a good LSD a 2WD pickup is not going to get you there in the snow. Better tires and more weight is the only answer... unless you want to invest in a 4WD. Even with a 4WD these trucks can swap ends on you in frost and snow due to the weight over the front axle. On ice you better have studs and a lot of good luck... JMHO...

 

[mlockner]

Welcome to the world of a high performance 2wd diesel truck. All mine will do is go side ways.



Mike L.

 

[Patriot_RAM]

It takes a lot to push the weight of the mighty cummins with the rear wheels. But -- I know one member of the TDR that had a 2003 3500 with LSD that had the same problem. Upon further inspection, he realized that they put an open diff in the truck rather than the LSD that the sticker had on it. DC replaced it with the correct diff under warranty. Maybe he'll chime in here with additional information.

 

[lil red cummins]

well i am glad to know at least i am not alone. thanks guys.



yup, i could probably use about 1000 lbs in the bed. and yes i have the factory michelins.



mlockner: thats what my dad said, "all that power and you can't move an inch" :-laf



starting to think the extra cost of 4x4 might be worth it, especially if we get any more winters like this one.



emathis: you are right. mine went better in reverse also. only problem was it was toward the dead end part of the side street.



PATRIOT_Ram: i am thinking about taking a look at the diff. in spring time, just to see if it is LSD. sure doesn't seem to be.



so are BFG AT's a good choice for winter? i have a friend in the tire business that can get me a pair of anything to try. he can even take them back if i am unhappy and i have put less than 100 miles on them.



thanks again all,



jim



did i do better on smileys this time???

 

[DPKetchum]

Got stuck all the time even on wet grass with a open or limited slip diff. with or without trailer hooked up. (gooseneck)Most of the time could back somewhat. Once on a very,very slight incline & wet grass I was less then 60ft from dry payment and could not get to it. Cost $55 for a wrecker with cable. Last two trucks have been 4x4 and that stopped that.

 

[MichaelWright]

Lil Red,



I like the BFG AT's. Real thick sidewalls, and long life on my vehicles. Never had a problem with a set. As far as other brands, I have had trouble with the Kelly's, Good Years and Firestone on various 4x4's I have owned over the years. So, I stay with BFG's. Just a habit now.



Mike

 

[Patriot_RAM]

I like the BFGs so far. I had to replace one, but that was because I punctured it and ran it low.

 

[BHolm]

Lil Red, I have BFG AT KO's on two of my trucks, they are awesome. One unique feature is that they are rated like a dedicated snow tire. That means that the rubber compound and tread design meet traction requirements in cold temps on ice and snow. I live in the mountains and I would not be without these tires. The Michelins were swapped off of my new truck for the BFG's within days of buying it. With those tires and 1000 lbs in back I suspect you will have a lot fewer problems. I run with 600 lbs in the back of my 4x4 just for good measure. One nice thing about the 4x4 option is that you get most of the up front cost back when you sell or trade, especially in a climate that sees snow.

 

[bmoeller]

4x4 would help alot. That Cummins great for power, but is boat anchor (heavy). Get those front tires turning, then you won't near the trouble getting around.



I don't ever want a 2wd truck again, gas or diesel. Don't use the 4x4 for extra traction much. Mostly need it for low range to get a heavy load moving in soft conditions.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

For the life of me, *I* can't understand WHY some here are blaming the TIRES in a situation where the LSD is allowing ONE wheel to spin in slippery conditions! SURE, if BOTH were spinning and no traction, that's different - but ALL that LSD *needs* to know to begin to function properly, is that ONE wheel is slipping in relation to the other - the TIRE or it's tread hasn't anything to do with LSD engagement!

 

[CAgnoli]

Welcome to the world of a high performance 2wd diesel truck. All mine will do is go side ways.



Mike L.

THAT'S FUNNY!!! :-laf :-laf



My Limited Slip works perfect, I've never had an instance where just one wheel was going. I did however, learn real fast not to use the Cruise control when the roads are the least bit slippery... ... . or my truck goes sideways