So I just swapped in a new LT230 from Ashcroft with 1.003 ratio to balance out my 4.43 diffs, and I also went with the sleeved casing and ATB (limited-slip) Center Diff.
Haven't seen too much around on the interwebs about feedback from folks who had used them before besides a few lines here and here about high speed dirt road manners. Figured I'd start up this thread to start a kind of review/ list of pluses and minuses for other people considering it.
So far the main thing I've noticed is smoother shifting and little to no drivetrain slip during shifting and power changes...part of this may also be due to the the box being newly built.
My '94 D90 also has Trutrac in the front and Detroit Lockers in the rear, and if anything, I feel like there is less of that Truetrac-pull under hard acceleration. It's still there...but maybe 30-40% of what it was before.
All pavement so far... and dry SoCal pavement at that, but I'm very pleased with the TC and the center diff.
Thought I'd share. Will add more notes once i get her on a trail. Hope it helps someone.
looking at this option right now for my LS swap 110. I read on your other post you were concerned about the trutrac winding up . Did you have any issues with that? Did you find any info on whats diffs you should NOT use with the ATB?
No issues with the Truetrac winding up. No issues with the Detroit locker in the rear either. Overall, I would say it is an improvement over the stock open diff. I notice much less pull under heavy acceleration with the Truetrac than I did with the stock open center diff.
I had emailed Dave Ashcroft about whether or not I should go with the ATB center diff with the Truetrac/ Detroit combo and he said it wasn't a problem and it would be better than stock.
After almost 6 months on it, I would have to agree.
I have not heard of any diffs that you should NOT use with the ATB. I think if I was doing the whole project over again, I'd probably do ATB center and Truetrac front and rear, since the Detroit seems like a little overkill 95% of the time, but I'm happy with it.
I have not heard of any diffs that you should NOT use with the ATB. I think if I was doing the whole project over again, I'd probably do ATB center and Truetrac front and rear, since the Detroit seems like a little overkill 95% of the time, but I'm happy with it.
This is exactly what I was thinking. I dont do extream 4 wheeling, just dirt roads, mud and snow 95%. Did you consider the Ashcroft trutrac? It specs out better than the detroit, but of course theres shipping to add to the cost. I am mostly concerned with the fact I will be insatlling 430 hp lS , I dont want to blow everything up. Thanks
I considered the Ashcroft LSD a little bit, but in the end, I had Bill Davis build me up a drivetrain with his HD 4.43 R/P, HD half-shafts, and HD DC driveshafts... he suggested the Detroit, so I deferred to him. I've got the stock 3.9, and even though it is a healthy one, I'm not too worried about blowing through a truetrac... I'm not abusing it to that extent. So I figured even if it was a bit stronger, they would probably both meet my needs.
A disadvantage to the Detroit (and any mechanical locker, or on-demand when locked) is on an off-camber slippery situation in mud or snow, the back end will tend to want to swing around a bit on you... a truetrac front/rear should have an easier time keeping a line. Definitely saw this back in Vermont a lot where locked up Jeeps and Rovers would slide to the outside of an off-camber slick turn and the LSD guys could maintain a higher/cleaner line.
I know a couple of guys who have the truetrac front/rear setup and they swear by it, especially in mud/snow.
To answer your question, I got the entirely new 1.003 LT230 from Ashcroft in the UK directly. It had the sleeved casing and ATB center diff preinstalled. Only thing is that the rear of the LT230 was not drilled for the parking brake, so I swapped out the rear of my old LT230.
It shipped out to my door in a cardboard box strapped down to a pallet.
Works fantastic... the 1.003 combined with the 4.43 R/P and I'm back within a few percentages of stock RPM on 33s. 75mph doesn't feel like I'm redlining it anymore.
------ Follow up post added January 2nd, 2019 05:37 PM ------
If anyone wants a used LT230 with relatively low miles and no drilled holes in the rear for a parking brake, let me know... I've got a deal for you... It's been garaged since I removed it
1.003 ATB with trutrac's front and rear. I have 3.9 gears so my RPM at 80 is 2100. No issues other than a very small leak - actually more sweat on the bolts but the level stays fine when inspected. I do think it works well with the trutracs.
I just had the ashcroft lt230 with the atb installed. Been driving with it for almost two weeks now and what a difference! There is no more clunking or slack or whatever in the drivetrain. It is very smooth and the handling feels so much more confident in "spirited" driving. I have 110 with ls3 with 6l80e transmission. I'm so happy with it that I took the time to write my first post about it....
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