Thoughts on Detroit Tru Trac?

MellowYellow

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 10, 2017
Messages
141
Location
Boones Creek TN
Anybody running Tru Tracs on both ends? Seems to be a good idea for me. Daily driver that goes off road rarely. Selectables are not in the budget, lunchboxes can get scary on road. Dana 30/35 will have chromoly at least in the rear. Thanks.
 
True Tracs on both ends work well. The only time they don't is when you get a tire off the ground or close to it. The light application of the appropriate brake mitigates that to a degree. Not for true rock crawling, but what the heck. Use 1541H axles in the Dana 35. Not chromalloys. The axle bearings eat the shafts.
 
I run the TT on the rear only with a No-Slip up front. So far I have only done light trails and beat up, sloppy dirt roads. The TT has worked so well, I have not needed to put it in 4WD except when I've slipped into deep ruts. I've been very pleased with its performance so far.
 
Hey @MellowYellow, there's lots of groovy peeps in Tennessee - especially in Nashville:)

@JMT installed my new 1541H rear axle shafts and replaced my front 4.5" coils for me last week (photo of the fine, new coils, below).

I'm running the Detroit/Eaton TruTrac LSD's, both front and rear, on 35" KM2's, and to date they've out-performed my expectations. I've been in some very hairy stuff, including a fair amount of rock crawling (not by choice), and I've yet to get stuck.

If you're at all familiar with "iamjake" and his YouTube channel (Jake Wettern), you'll see him wheeling all over the country in all types of terrain (including MOAB, if I recall correctly), on 33" KM2's, with LSD's front and rear. His videos are a good sampling of the LSD performance.

I've yet to meet with the "one wheel in the air" situation. However, and like @StG58 said; if you find yourself in that position; you lightly apply the brake while also lightly accelerating at the same time, and this technique shifts power to the wheels with contact. Not sure if that's the best technical explanation. There's a few vids of that technique on YouTube, I believe.

On a lateral note; there is merit in mentioning (3) items which are wise to employ when entering "the bush", and which will give you maximum benefit of the TruTrac LSD's"

1) Sway Bar Disconnect's - for maximum articulation (reducing the potential for the "one wheel in the air").
2) Being properly aired-down.
3) Choosing your lines (vs closing your eyes, cranking the stereo, and flooring it).

I may ultimately install a PowerTrax locker up front, but only so'z I can scale skyscrapers in New York City--when the mood strikes:)

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I’m running tru-tracs both front dana30 and rear dana44 with 4.88 on 33 km2 on my 04 LJ. I’m really impressed with the way they are performing and very happy with this combination for now. Who knows what will happen in the future when you have the TJ/LJ virus.
 
Just to chime in here...

I really liked my TT in my other jeep. This one will get one too.
That said, I never thought about one up front instead of the lunchbox one that I had up there. The aussie never gave me fits on the road but, then, I never needed the 4wd on the road. (Sometimes you had to explain the "clicking" to people when turning)
So, more thoughts on the lunchbox vs TT up front?
 
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Just to chime in here...

I really liked my TT in my other jeep. This one will get one too.
That said, I never thought about one up front instead of the lunchbox one that I had up there. The aussie never gave me fits on the road but, then, I never needed the 4wd on the road. (Sometimes you had to explain the "clicking" to people when turning)
So, more thoughts on the lunchbox vs TT up front?
Obviously a lunchbox gives far more capability up front than a TT (incidentally we now have one acronym being used for two different mods, this should be even more confusing for newbies!). But if your living where there’s snow and ice you want to stay away from a lunchbox because they need traction to disengage when cornering.
 
This is just what I was looking for, as I am looking into a future upgrade addition of the Detroit/Eaton TruTrac LSD to my TJ's rear Dana 44. Thanks for the great insight and real world shared experiences!
 
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Having had front and rear Truetracs, my opinion is they're only useful for paved roads or smooth trails. If the trail is uneven enough to lift a tire up off the ground a Truetrac will be ineffective.

A front lunchbox locker absolutely 100% positively will NOT be "scary" on the road. Some advertisements warn against their use on the street but that's only true for some other vehicles. On a Wrangler TJ, you wouldn't notice any steering difference whatsoever on the street when you're in 2wd. A rear lunchbox locker would be horrible but a front lunchbox locker would be absolutely unnoticeable, steering-wise, on the street when you're in 2wd. Some click/ratchet a bit when making turns but that's it. The No-Slip lunchbox locker from Powertrax doesn't even do that, it's click-free.
 
Disconnects are planned, airing down is easy, still learning how to choose lines. My front lunchbox concern was for snow/ice covered roads. They are a non-issue when in 2wd. Tru Trac both ends looks like where I'm headed as soon as I sell my motersickle. Thanks for the input.
 
I have had TT front and rear for around 8 or 10 years now. Dana 30/35, 33" BFG Muds, 4-inch lift, disconnects and a Dana 35 c-clip eliminator. I have been to Moab, Colorado and locally (Iowa) on old reclaimed mine land and never had a single regret about going this route. My Jeep has decent articulation and the occasions I lift a tire I can keep going the vast majority of the time. On snow they are awesome as well. I have been impressed with the TT and have no plans on going after lockers.

Jeep 2.jpg
 
For me personally, not doing any crazy wheeling, TruTrac LSD's will fit the bill perfectly. I look at them as a very good general purpose option. Rock crawlers and extreme uneven terrain tacklers will probably want to go the locker route.
 
Why not a TT in the rear and Detroit locker in the front?
Detroit Lockers don't hold up long in a Dana 30, the axle flexes a bit too much for it. Plus any automatic locker like a lunchbox or Detroit Locker on icy roads or icy trails can be a problem. Selectable lockers are the way to go when you need lockers but have to contend with icy or snow-covered streets or trails.
 
Detroit Lockers don't hold up long in a Dana 30, the axle flexes a bit too much for it. Plus any automatic locker like a lunchbox or Detroit Locker on icy roads or icy trails can be a problem. Selectable lockers are the way to go when you need lockers but have to contend with icy or snow-covered streets or trails.

Jerry, what about a Detroit Locker in the rear Dana44 and an auto locker in the front Dana 30?
 
Jerry, what about a Detroit Locker in the rear Dana44 and an auto locker in the front Dana 30?
I loved that exact combination in my previous TJ here in SoCal but I sure wouldn't recommend it anywhere where the roads and trails get icy like they do there in Michigan where you live.
 
I loved that exact combination in my previous TJ here in SoCal but I sure wouldn't recommend it anywhere where the roads and trails get icy like they do there in Michigan where you live.
We are using it as a warm weather toy, stored winters. But of course the possibility is always there for it to see some snow. How does the rear locker behave on the pavement?

With all that being said, and the light duty trail riding it may see, probably better served with the TruTrac LSD. Most likely one on the rear will suffice my needs. What are your thoughts?