Limited slip recommendations
- Thread starter ddscz
- Start date
If the driveshaft can not turn, because either the car is in gear or the transmission in park, then turning one wheel will spin the other wheel in the opposite direction. You have to overcome the grip of the limited slip differential though, which is around 100 ft*lbs before that will happen. That's only when the driveshaft is locked and won't rotate.
Huh?
I gotcha....I thought he was implying that when the vehicle was running and in gear that the wheels would turn in different directions.
...after I just finished explaining why it would not.
floor it and look at the marks left(traction control off)
To throw another curb ball at you. If you're in a strait line and weight distributed relatively evenly on both sides of the car, you're probably going to leave black marks with both tires whether you've got a T-Loc or not.
When you’ll really notice its not there is when one wheel is gaining more traction than the other, or when you’re trying hard to swing the back end around during a right hand turn.
Five Oh Brian
Member
OK, allow me to reiterate that ALL S197 GT's (and all V8 Mustangs since 1985) have come from the factory with an 8.8" Traction Lok axle.
If the original poster will give me his VIN, I'll pull an HVBOM report to show what equipment it left the factory with, including the differential info, to settle whether his car was a factory fluke (built with an open rear) or if it was built correctly.
If the original poster will give me his VIN, I'll pull an HVBOM report to show what equipment it left the factory with, including the differential info, to settle whether his car was a factory fluke (built with an open rear) or if it was built correctly.
Brian,
If I go to the Ford website and build a new 2009 Mustang, there is an exterior option called a 3.55 limited slip axle ratio for $252. So if the car has some sort of limited or locking differential standard, how is this different and is it needed? I still hope to get a 2008 or 2009 in the next couple weeks and these cars are getting scarce so I am trying to figure out which options I really need and which I can do without.
This limited slip thing has never made sense to me. I have always driven 4x4 trucks and every one of them has come with a factory version of limited slip. Ford, GM, Dodge and my current worst truck of all time, 2006 Frontier. With every truck I have owned, if I pull into traffic making a right turn on a wet road, the inside tire always spins. This tire is obviously the one with the least amount of traction. I thought limited slip transferred torque to the wheel with the most amount of traction which should prevent this from happening. This is one area I have never heard consistent information on.
Greg
Wet pavement + no weight in the rear end is going to do that. Remember, the clutches need to be tight in the diff in order for them to do their job. Slipping the tires on an inside turn during lower traction road conditions means its still doing its job. Keep in mind, its still a mechanical device and therefor its not going to be perfect for every situation. When you remove weight and traction from the equation, you're essentially changing the way the traction lock device is going to react.
Frankly, I'd be more worried if my rear end wasn't tight enough to break the inside tire loose on wet pavement on a tight turn, than the other way around.
in 2007 the stock diff ratio was 3.31 and you could pay a bit for the 3.55 upgrade
I too was under the impression that a limited slip diff would spin the opposite tire in the same direction with the car elevated.The car was in park at the time so maybe that made the difference.The body tag reads axle CG which I have been told indicates a traction-lok.My confusion was compounded by the fact that Ford's own 07 factory sales brochure states that traction-lok is standard on all GT deluxe and GT premium models,but in parenthesis it further states that it is optional on automatics....go figure.Thanks for the input.
If that is all it is I can just upgrade to a 3.55 at a later date. Anyone know if the numerical ratio is separate from the limited slip unit? Meaning would I only have to buy the different gear set or buy a new limited slip unit as well?
Greg
The ring and pinion gears are separate from the LSD. You do not have to buy a new t-lock.
pressed apart?
they are bolted together, but you do need to press on the new bearings.
Five Oh Brian
Member
The brochures and literature for 07 were confusing, but I absolutely guarantee that the Traction-Lok axle has been standard on every single V8-powered S197, regardless of transmission. 2005-6, Automatics got a 3.31 T-Lok standard, while the Manuals got a 3.55 T-Lok standard. No optional gearing was available from the factory. For 2007-9, Automatics & Manuals both got a 3.31 T-Lok standard, but 3.55's were optional only in the manuals. All V6 S197's got the 3.31 open rearend, with no factory option for different gears or a T-Lok.
Five Oh Brian
Member
Greg, most of us have changed the gears. The actual limited slip differential does not have to be changed, so you can reuse it with any gear ratio supported by the 8.8" rearend. For example, I swapped my 3.31's out for 4.10's.
Your question is valid, Greg, as there have been some rearends which required a different differential carrier depending on the gears being used. For example, I used to own a 1968 Pontiac GTO for many years. It came with 3.23 gears housed in a "3 series" carrier that was used for 3.08, 3.23, 3.55, and 3.73 gearing. I later switched to 3.90 gears for drag racing, but they required using a different "4 series" carrier which Pontiac used for 3.90, 4.11, 4.30, and 4.56 gears. Then, I switched to 2.56 highway gears for awhile when the car became a daily driver, but I had to get a completely seperate "2 series" carrier which Pontiac used for their 2.56 and 2.73 gearsets. It was a big hassle, so I'm quite pleased that Ford does not put us through the extra effort!
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