I had a Detroit Truetrac installed on my '06 DC 4.7

My only real dislike of my fairly new to me '06 DC with the 4.7 so far was pretty poor rear traction in the rain. I had been spoiled by several trucks with AWD or Auto 4W. I had read through quite a few threads in here about guys really liking the Truetrac so I decided to get one. The day after install we had our first rain in quite a while, so it was pretty slick, great day for a test. I'm super happy with it. HUGE improvement, very smooth, quick engagement, reliable traction. Now I know why this rear has so many fans. It still remains to be seen if it will cause hot women to be irresistibly attracted to me. According to the internet it will. Thanks for the great, reliable, information on this site.

 

I just got one installed too. I just picked up the truck this morning. I haven't driven it in rain yet.

 

You all really have traction issues in the rain? I take your word for it, but it must be a different kind of rain or road surfaces. Aside from large puddles and the risk of hydroplaning, "traction in the rain" is something I've never thought to consider.

 

Both worn asphalt and concrete surfaces when pulling away from a stop, especially if you are also doing a 90 degree turn as you're pulling out. Not talking at all about at speed or hydroplaning.

 

Crazy. Like I said I don't doubt you, it's just never something I've dealt with.

 

I don't have traction issues, I just want to do burnouts and stuff haha

 

You'd be surprised at how aggressive some people drive. I used to drive more "spirited" when i was younger. Hitting the throttle hard at a stop light to zoom away and be the first to go. Drag race anyone and everyone at every stop light just to feel big. I remember those days, and now that i have gotten older and slowed way down, i notice people doing it all the time. I notice guys and girls alike hammering the throttle at red lights, pulling out of stop signs, pulling trailers and hammering it WOT to get on an off-ramp onto the highway. Some people put their skinny pedal down a lot further than i do and i suspect OP is likely one of those folks running the base model truck with super skinny pizza cutter tires and one-wheel-peel and turning left and hammering the gas makes it spin easily in wet conditions.
I have had factory LSD or a TrueTrac in everything i have owned since 2005 and my driving style has gotten way less aggressive in the past 10 years. I dont even remember the last time i hammered either of my vehicles WOT. I know my tundra i have never put my foot to the floor and i would even venture to say i've never been past 50% throttle in it. I baby it and drive it like an old pawpaw vehicle.
My 2008 Tacoma TRD Sport with the TRD Supercharger and all the bolt-ons, i spent 30% of its life at WOT for the first few years of its life. I beat on it like a rental and had so much fun, i have grown up a bit since then and dont beat on my stuff like that anymore.

 

Normal rain, no. The first rain after a week or so of dry weather and the streets in portland, oregon are slicker than snake snot. Once all the oils get washed away (after about 4~5 days of rain) then you get decent traction again.

 

lol I have a OEM LSD and I always let the girl eat in the rain.

I just wanna be like KRANKY and LYNCHY from down under

https://youtube.com/shorts/nD7mcJ5eXH8?si=Q5-LL_qXyfE6i4-X

 

Wow, you make an awful lot of assumptions! So, I am basically a doofus driving around like an idiot because a fairly light pick up with no weight in the back spins it's inside tire really easy when you are pulling onto a highway from a dead stop with an open rear in the rain? My pizza cutter tires are 265/65 Wildpeaks with about 80% tread. Maybe that's skinny for you. What width would you recommend since you obviously have the special never slip tires. My truck is an SR5 with the 4.7, but why would that make a difference? An open diff doesn't work any differently in a Limited or a Base. It must be awesome where you live if you always have a half mile gap whenever you are entering a road so you can take a few minutes to get up to speed. I guess I need to move.

 

That's pretty awseome!

 

I was really in tune with my truck when it had the stock gears and LSD. I could really slide dat ass around on wet pavement, or slingshot into a burnout in a fast turn. (Like a u-turn merge lane) I haven't had enough time with it since this morning to really get aquatinted with the behaviors of the TrueTrac. I need to find an empty parking lot somewhere that I can get to know it better.

 

lol…you just described my truck exactly. My SR5 model has lil’ skinny tires (215/85/16). Add in my 4.10 ring and pinion, v8, no LSD, and i have to be fairly conscientious about not doing being a one wheeler peeler. I also drive like a grandpa 99.9% of the time.

 

I'm always cautious after the first rain in a while because I've heard the same - it brings up all the oil slicks. But never had an issue.

Probably some difference in road surface and the fact that it rarely rains around here accounts for the difference. I'll take it as "one less thing I need to worry about" and move on.

 

I debated doing this to my Tacoma with an open diff, as all my trucks with real limited slips were beasts in the snow.

Now that my 2006 Tundra has a factory limited slip, I'm curious if it makes any sense to go with a truetrac... OP, sounds like you had an open diff? Anybody else experience benefits from swapping from original LSD?

 

ACKSHUALLY, i do speed up quite slow and probably take about a mile to get to speed. Like i said i kinda drive like a paw paw in my Tundra. I didnt say all those other derogatory words you threw in there but if the shoe fits wear it. I can definitely say i have not had the rears spin or step out on me, somewhat confident its from the lack of skinny pedal but i certainly have not had it happen to me. I think the innernet likes Wildpeaks but i dont have any miles on them so i cant say if they are better or worse than anything else. The models with the LSD are definitely going to be different than one with an open diff so theres certainly a difference in one wheel peel and two tire pull models.

 

There isnt really any real difference going from a properly working OEM LSD to a TrueTrac.
However if your OEM LSD is going out and giving you one wheel peel, the TrueTrac will be a huge improvement.
I typically judge how well mine is working by doing a steep hill climb in dirt or gravel. If its one wheel peel its not working. When its working properly if you have your drivers window down and do a slow speed full lock turn to the left you should hear the left rear tire squawking a bit on the pavement. You should also notice both rear tires spinning any time you ask for it. If the OEM LSD is working properly i would leave it in till it doesnt work right.

 

Yup it's absolutely working correctly, and it has smoother and faster engagement than the tired G80 in my Silverado

 

Welp... I scared the shit outta myself with the TrueTrac. It works, but it's not predictably linear like the OEM LSD was.
I'll have to keep playing with it to build confidence like I had before.
Its fun, but holy shit... Got the adrenaline pumping when i floored it around a u-turn merge onto the highway and it didn't behave the way I was used to. I had to take corrective actions and almost lost control.

 

Yup, you now have a learning curve for driving again. I have a reeeeal tight Power Lock a rear Dana 60 in my 77 ford f250 (“lowboy” 4x4). It’s way way tighter than the True Track that’s in the front axle. It will sometimes chirp a tire when just turning sharp in a dry parking lot. I have to remember to not hotrod the truck around wet corners.

All my trucks (except for my tundra) have some sort of locker or LSD. I run full spools in the back of both of my CJ jeeps, Detroit No-Spins front and rear in my 71 ford highboy (which actually work awesome in urban snow driving). No doubt you’ll have to relearn how your vehicle handles after installing a tight LSD in the rear.

 

I’m glad to have my factory lsd but a true trac would be a huge improvement over the factory clutch based unit. The true trac is worlds better than a clutch based unit.

 

I wish I had realized this before I bought this thing. I'd have stuck with a clutch based LSD honestly for my driving style.

"No, a Truetrac differential does not spin both tires at the same time; instead, it transfers power to the wheel with more traction, meaning if one tire loses grip, the Truetrac will send more torque to the tire with better traction, preventing excessive spinning on the wheel with less grip."

That explains why it doesn't behave the way I expected it to and almost put me in a ditch after sliding from side to side, instead of sliding the ass around to one side.

 

That's just going to be the nature of the beast when it comes to any semi-aggressive LSD that is worth a lick. It's going to be a whole lot worse in snow and ice, so you just have to change your driving habits accordingly.

 

I just don't like it doesn't lock the tires like a clutch LSD does. I bought it to drift and it can't drift. I wanted torsen style because 0 maintenance. I didn't realize it was not a real LSD

 

Why do you need to drift your truck? Are you 16?

 

Yes

Because racetruck

 

Nuff said

 

Going to run the TT and 4.10's till they piss me off enough to buy a new LSD and 4.30's.

"We do it right because we do it twice."
-Jakejake

 

Shoulda bought the 4.30's when I did lol.

 

Yeah but I already had the truck in the shop getting the stuff I got now installed when those deals hit