Tru-trac experiences

[Funmobile]

Hello everyone,
I am looking at adding a Tru-Trac diff to my TJ (the funmobile) and am wondering if folks here could offer their experiences with them. I am leaning toward these over an air or E locker, for their full time operation and low expense. I could install one front and rear, for the price of an air set-up and I already have an onboard compressor for tire inflation.

Thanks much for your insight and experience
Andre

 

[Tyler.W]

When I re-geared my axles I installed a TruTrac in the rear and an Aussie lunchbox locker in the front. I have 31" tires and a 2" lift and I can go rock crawling and get to some pretty impressive places with this setup. I would recommend looking at a similar setup UNLESS you encounter snow frequently. The lunchbox locker in the front would not be good on icy roads in 4wd as you will just push through the turn if you are not careful.

Overall the TTs are a great differential. While they won't do you any good if you lift a tire, they provide one of the best bias ratios of limited slips and don't require any special maintenance.

 

[Kent R]

Here is a demo of the TruTrac with a tire lifted off the ground. So if you will never have one or opposing tires off the ground it looks like a good deal.

 

[The Ocular Engineer]

I have them in both the rear and front of my F150. My experience so far is limited but very positive. After the first snow this year, that started as rain, the roads were covered in about 2" of cake ice with some breaks to the pavement. I left the house in 2wd to feel how it handled, made a left onto a 4 lane road, got a little loose but gathered it up easily. Switch to 4wd and it was like the ice went away. After that, I had to make an effort to lose traction. Transitions from ice to pavement we nothing more than a bump in the road with no pull from the steering wheel.

While it is true that with a wheel in the air, the Truetrac will spin the wheel, you can apply the brake and gas at the same time to help send traction to the wheel on the ground. For my application, this is a very small percentage event.

Overall, I am very happy with the performance of the Truetracs.

 

[Funmobile]

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like a great system.

 

[Tyler.W]

If you don't really crawl rocks or obstacles that would lift a tire then the TruTracs would be a great choice. If you overland and wheel then an Aussie in the front axle could be good (that's what I have), but only if you don't need 4wd for your regular winter commutes.

 

[WE ROME]

I looked at the video and the TruTrac seems very limited when in situations like pictured in the video, IMO. 'cause I've been there and it is not inspiring, after all THAT is when you need traction to keep moving!
There are SO many options; I have an ARB in the rear of my FJ60 and a limited slip in the front and that works well for me. BUT sometimes I wish for an ARB in the front axle as well!

 

[TerryD]

I have a friend who's run them front and rear in two vehicles now. A 90s Bronco and a JKU. They take a different driving style than lockers but work exceptionally well. A light touch of brake to bias them and they'll pull all four almost as good as a locker will. Once you learn how to drive with them, you'll be impressed with what they're capable of. However, I'm planning on going with ARB lockers in my Xterra since the Truetrack isn't available for the front diff.

 

[jeepnjeff]

I run a TrueTrac up front and a Detroit Soft-Locker in the rear. It was the go-to setup back in the 80's and early 90's. Did the Rubicon Trail this summer and have no complaints offroad. The problem I've had with it is on road, the TT will continue to bias while in 2WD. This causes the front to understeer. I can live with it on my YJ since I still have the axle disconnect but when the axle is locked, the Jeep wants to understeer. I'd imagine it would do the same on a TJ since it has no disconnect.

From my experiences, I'd rather have one locker than two TrueTrac's. Although, If I ever re-axle my Jeep, I'll probably switch to Elockers.

 

[MazeVX]

Take a look at the wavetrac diffs. Awesome stuff, would like to have one in the rear but it is not available for the jk wrangler.
I would go for a truetrac in the rear and e-locker front if it gets tough... This matches my driving style and the type of terrain. Truetrac is there for you every time on any terrain.
A full locker doesn't help in rain and snow...
My jeep is my daily driver