TrakLok vs. Rubicon Limited Slip

hi ryan, the rubicon limited slip is by far the best limited slip unit ive ever seen for full size vehicles (as in, compared to ATV's). it wouldnt replace a real locker for rock crawling because it does require _some_ slippage to engage, but for mud/sand it locks just like its supposed to every time. i had traklok in my '00 sahara and its "ok". certainly its better than an open differential, but its not as dependable as the rubicons limited slip.

The Rubicon Tru-Lok built by Tochigi Fuji Sangyo. It is a helical (worm) gear torque sensing limited slip:

The Trac-Lok is a friction sensing limited slip that uses springs and clutch packs:

The clutch packs wear out at 50-75K miles - bad. The clutch system has a fixed amount of torque transfer. It will bind if both tires have no friction such as on ice - bad.

The helical gear system is much more durable. Instead of relying on friction to break the bind, it 'senses' torque difference between the wheels for differentiation. This does mean that an airborne wheel will get all the drive but carefully applying brakes can split the torque enough to get the other wheel pulling again.

The real bonus with the Rubicon's Tochigi Fuji Sangyo Tru-Lok is that in addition to being a great limited slip, it is also a true manual locker. Flick a switch in the cab to apply 5 psi of air, and it locks up 100%. It's like a Detroit Truetrac and ARB air locker combined in one unit.

Steve

90 XJ

Ryan wrote:

hi steve, i dont claim to fully understand how my limited slip works in my rubi, but fwiw ive had a rear tire off the ground at my sons school (ran out of parking spaces during the christmas play so i parked in the ditch) and never had to touch the brake to get the other wheel to pull me out (never put it in 4x4).

.....i bet i sold several jeeps that night to on lookers. :-)

Similar to a Detroit Truetrac...

* * * Matt Macchiarolo

Hi Nathan,

I've never actually driven one, so I'd trust your experience more than my understanding. However, assuming the Tru-Lok behaves like a Truetrac, others claim different experiences with a free-spinning wheel:

Maybe the Tru-Lok works a little differently. Maybe your brake caliper is dragging a bit. Either way, I like your Tru-Lok story. I've got a lightly used one in the basement lined up for my imminent D44 rear end swap.

And I like parking in ditches too, full lot or not.

Steve

Nathan Collier wrote:

there was no need to. the way it was parked it had one rear wheel off the ground. we got in, cranked up, and drove off. all the boys watching sure thought it was really cool......and i guess i did too. :-)