How bad is the open diff in the snow?

[Floyd]

Ford should have offered a limited slip differential.

When it comes to on-road driving....
The locker is really nothing more than a check-off point to satisfy the off road magazines,
Supposedly, the electronic controls are a good substitute for a real LS but I am at least skeptical.

On 2WD applications, Limited Slip is the right answer.
Nobody at Ford could even answer the questions concerning its availability even several months after production had begun.
We now know that no LS was offered.
A locker is just plain useless when it comes to street driving or towing.

Anybody know a part # for a LS to fit this Dana rear end?

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[MT19RANGER]

Forget adding weight, that's not a good option, and can make the ride even more unsafe. Why not just install a better diff?

During the winter adding weight in the back has always worked for me when having a 2 wheel drive and even better w/ a 4x4.
Snow tires are a good addition too even with 2 wheel drive vehicles.

 

[chuck stein]

During the winter adding weight in the back has always worked for me when having a 2 wheel drive and even better w/ a 4x4.
Snow tires are a good addition too even with 2 wheel drive vehicles.

Loose weight in back of bed will make things worse when/if the rear starts to slide. More weight (mass) will be harder to control when it starts to slide. Yes, things are ok when you are not sliding, but it's really false sense of "it's good".

I stand by my statement. Skip weights, get a better diff.

 

[chuck stein]

Ford should have offered a limited slip differential.

When it comes to on-road driving....
The locker is really nothing more than a check-off point to satisfy the off road magazines,
Supposedly, the electronic controls are a good substitute for a real LS but I am at least skeptical.

On 2WD applications, Limited Slip is the right answer.
Nobody at Ford could even answer the questions concerning its availability even several months after production had begun.
We now know that no LS was offered.
A locker is just plain useless when it comes to street driving or towing.

Anybody know a part # for a LS to fit this Dana rear end?

Very true, good info. Not sure what Ford was thinking.
https://www.powertrax.com has LS for 2018 F150's, and hopefully soon for the new Ranger. Maybe contact them and inquire.

Another Q I have, does 4x4 Ranger allow you to get into a 2x RWD LOW mode? This was a sore spot for me with Tacoma.

 

[Dokkenmire]

Loose weight in back of bed will make things worse when/if the rear starts to slide. More weight (mass) will be harder to control when it starts to slide. Yes, things are ok when you are not sliding, but it's really false sense of "it's good".

I stand by my statement. Skip weights, get a better diff.

Couple problems here. We can't find an aftermarket limited slip diff for sale. And after 15 years of driving truck in the Northeast I can tell you...weight is essential for better traction in snow and ice. It doesn't have to be "loose weight", there's 6 tie downs in the bed.

 

[doug910]

Very true, good info. Not sure what Ford was thinking.
https://www.powertrax.com has LS for 2018 F150's, and hopefully soon for the new Ranger. Maybe contact them and inquire.

Another Q I have, does 4x4 Ranger allow you to get into a 2x RWD LOW mode? This was a sore spot for me with Tacoma.

No it does not allow you to get into 2LO. I can't think of any modern-ish 4x4 that let's you do that.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Loose weight in back of bed will make things worse when/if the rear starts to slide. More weight (mass) will be harder to control when it starts to slide. Yes, things are ok when you are not sliding, but it's really false sense of "it's good".

I stand by my statement. Skip weights, get a better diff.

I don't think anyone is saying just throw some loose mass in the bed of the truck, drive like an ape, and hope for the best. And adding 150-200lbs of weight in the bed is a small percentage (~4%) of the overall weight of the truck and no different than adding another passenger. So it'll have very little affect on the momentum of the truck during uncontrollable scenarios (braking, sliding, fishtailing, etc.).

Also, a few $4 70lb sand bags from Home Depot strapped down in the bed of the truck is a heck of a lot cheaper than a new rear diff, and will add some additional rear traction. Whether it's noticeable or not is up to the driver and how they drive. Plus, if you get stuck, having some sand on hand doesn't hurt. And if it doesn't work, now you have $16 of sand to throw on the driveway ice to get some more traction.

 

[MT19RANGER]

Loose weight in back of bed will make things worse when/if the rear starts to slide. More weight (mass) will be harder to control when it starts to slide. Yes, things are ok when you are not sliding, but it's really false sense of "it's good".

I stand by my statement. Skip weights, get a better diff.

I've never had loose weight in the back of a vehicle.
My 4-60# sandbags are all properly secured with the tie-downs and straps.
Every one of our company vehicles has 6 of them in there and even my guys from Texas do a lot better in the winter here up north with the extra 360# of weight in our 2500HD vehicles, they are also secured with tie-downs and straps.
I've worked for major oilfield service companies and the extra weight is standard practice across the board.

 

[Rp930]

I don't think anyone is saying just throw some loose mass in the bed of the truck, drive like an ape, and hope for the best. And adding 150-200lbs of weight in the bed is a small percentage (~4%) of the overall weight of the truck and no different than adding another passenger. So it'll have very little affect on the momentum of the truck during uncontrollable scenarios (braking, sliding, fishtailing, etc.).

Also, a few $4 70lb sand bags from Home Depot strapped down in the bed of the truck is a heck of a lot cheaper than a new rear diff, and will add some additional rear traction. Whether it's noticeable or not is up to the driver and how they drive. Plus, if you get stuck, having some sand on hand doesn't hurt. And if it doesn't work, now you have $16 of sand to throw on the driveway ice to get some more traction.

Exactly. 140 lbs will make a big difference in traction. The sand bags are cheap and easy.

 

[chuck stein]

Well, I guess in retrospect, if the 2wd Ranger is only a road queen that sees occasional snow or mud, have at it with the sand bags in bed.
The better option is, a better diff.

 

[Rviator]

And if you do get stuck the sand makes a good tractive surface on the snow. Toss a shovel in the truck too. 150 lbs will make no perceptible difference in handling or stopping distance.

 

[Dokkenmire]

Well, I guess in retrospect, if the 2wd Ranger is only a road queen that sees occasional snow or mud, have at it with the sand bags in bed.
The better option is, a better diff.

Show me an aftermarket diff...
I can’t find confirmation that the Jeep rears work in our trucks. The rears are both Dana 44 220mm 8.66 inch and 3.73 ratios but no one markets them for us.

 

[MTB-BRUH]

Well, I guess in retrospect, if the 2wd Ranger is only a road queen that sees occasional snow or mud, have at it with the sand bags in bed.
The better option is, a better diff.

Interesting fella you are

 

[Cali_Ranger]

And if you do get stuck the sand makes a good tractive surface on the snow. Toss a shovel in the truck too. 150 lbs will make no perceptible difference in handling or stopping distance.

Exactly. And lets be honest, the key is don't drive like a maniac when its snowy or icy. Accelerate nice and easy and give yourself distance between other drivers. Remember, the type of tire matters also. It doesn't matter if you have 4WD, AWD, LSD rear-end, etc.. if you have the cheap $60 budget tire, you'll get $60 worth of traction....

 

[chuck stein]

Show me an aftermarket diff...
I can’t find confirmation that the Jeep rears work in our trucks. The rears are both Dana 44 220mm 8.66 inch and 3.73 ratios but no one markets them for us.

You called PowerTrax?
https://www.powertrax.com/contact-powertrax-traction-system/

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