Auburn LSD Mechanism: Cone-type clutch Rebuildable: Yes-by Auburn on an exchange program Horsepower: 400 to 450 Cost: $420 Description: Side gears have conical faces that wedge into the housing. They can be upgraded by adding extra shims and can emit a clicking sound when cornering.Auburn LSD Mechanism: Cone-type clutch Rebuildable: Yes-by Auburn on an exchange ECTED Mechanism: Electronically applied clutch pack Rebuildable: Yes-by Auburn Horsepower: 350 Cost: $700 Description: This unit offers some limited-slip characteristics even when not activated. When on, it acts as a spool, locking both axles together.ECTED Mechanism: Electronically applied clutch pack Rebuildable: Yes-by Auburn Ho Dana/Spicer Power Lock Mechanism: Metal-on-metal clutches Rebuildable: Yes Horsepower: 500 Cost: $500 Description: This was the factory limited-slip differential in Dana axles until the late '90s. They are very strong because they are made with a forged case and gears. The locking characteristics are very progressive, but the metal-to-metal clutches tend to chatter. These are easily rebuilt.Dana/Spicer Power Lock Mechanism: Metal-on-metal clutches Rebuildable: Yes Hor Ford Racing Traction-Lok Mechanism: Clutch pack Rebuildable: Yes Horsepower: 250 Cost: $275 Description: This is Ford's factory limited-slip differential. It is inexpensive and therefore a popular upgrade to a factory open rearend. They do not support big horsepower numbers and can wear out more quickly than some of the other types included in this article.Ford Racing Traction-Lok Mechanism: Clutch pack Rebuildable: Yes Horsepower: ARB Air Locker Mechanism: Air pressure locks side gear to case Rebuildable: Yes Horsepower: 1,500 Cost: $900 Description: These are popular in off-road trucks and act as open differentials until air pressure wedges one of the side gears to the case, locking the teeth. You need an on-board air compressor capable of delivering 800 psi. They can fail if not installed carefully.ARB Air Locker Mechanism: Air pressure locks side gear to case Rebuildable: Yes For an all-out racing application, or in a car with a transbrake, get a spool. Before installing a new differential, decide if you want to keep your final drive ratio or change the gears. You don't want to do this job twice. This is also a good time to inspect your axles and replace your axle bearings and seals. For our Monte Carlo, we had to upgrade to 28-spline axles to match the spline count in our new Auburn carrier. Moore also rebuilt the rear, replacing the pinion bearings and seal. We did keep the car's stock 3.73:1 gears, though.Before installing a new differential, decide if you want to keep your final drive ratio or We were also happy with the 3.27:1 ring-and-pinion in our Crown Victoria, so we just swapped it onto our new Traction-Lok unit. We also replaced the axle bearings and seals. Though the car is relatively new, police duty is hard on drivetrain parts.We were also happy with the 3.27:1 ring-and-pinion in our Crown Victoria, so we just swapp Most clutch-type LSDs will require some sort of friction modifier to allow the clutches to work properly. You can buy this as a separate additive to add to a bottle of gear lube, or you can buy gear oil with friction modifiers already added to the formula. Check the specs of your differential to see what the manufacturer recommends. It probably sells its own formulations. Here, Moore adds Auburn's friction modifier to gear lube destined for the Monte Carlo. Our Crown Victoria was treated with the Ford limited-slip additive we bought from our local dealership.Most clutch-type LSDs will require some sort of friction modifier to allow the clutches to « | 1 | 2 | View Full Article By John McGann Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
