[berto07T]

Specs on my truck are in my sig. So we were out by some farm area for a large family friend party, when we headed out I was headed towards the street an decided to go the hard way where its rutted. made it okay till I got to the end where there is a turn you take to get back on the street and it involves a large hill where it flexes the suspension. And I ended up getting stuck. Lol when I had just gone through worse stuff 5 minutes before that. I have an open diff since only one tire got buried and the other had traction. I tried everything I knew from lowering pressure to digging a little bit to sticking pieces of wood and rocks in front and behind and no go. Ended up calling tow truck to winch me which was pretty embarrassing cause I was like 15 ft from the street lol I was pretty upset even though I know I have open diff. My silverado I had before also had an open diff and I always took that way out and always made it with no hiccup. And it had a smaller lift and tires. Any other titans owners with open diffs feel the same? I expected a little more from her lol and lockers are damn expensive. Any tricks or tips for open diffs? Even loose rocks/gravel trails I took in my open diff chevy, in my titan I can feel it slipping and spinning the tires but still makes it. Is it cause its heavier?

 

[Scottyb52]

Many dads bridge was out and I went up and down the bank out was pretty steep. Didn't even go in 4x4 I have pro comp mts there was even water at the bottom. I was impressed.

 

[Blackbeauty]

The tires are key. I had Badyear Duraslicks (Goodyear Duratracs for those who aren't proficient in the language of sarcasm) and those POS garbage super expensive crappyass tires couldn't drive across wet grass without getting stuck...

Scorpion ATR's and this thing is a beast... goes anywhere, in all conditions. Lesson learned.

 

[AZPRO4X]

The tires are key. I had Badyear Duraslicks (Goodyear Duratracs for those who aren't proficient in the language of sarcasm) and those POS garbage super expensive crappyass tires couldn't drive across wet grass without getting stuck...

Scorpion ATR's and this thing is a beast... goes anywhere, in all conditions. Lesson learned.

You must of bought cheap knock off's or something

 

[TheHops]

The tires are key. I had Badyear Duraslicks (Goodyear Duratracs for those who aren't proficient in the language of sarcasm) and those POS garbage super expensive crappyass tires couldn't drive across wet grass without getting stuck...

Scorpion ATR's and this thing is a beast... goes anywhere, in all conditions. Lesson learned.

Tires are absolutely where it's at. I haven't gotten stuck once yet since changing tires, and I haven't exactly been being cautious.

 

[CVTitan05]

As they all said, tires are everything!

 

[LaxDfns15]

2WD. Why go mudding in a lifted 2WD truck and be upset when you get stuck?

 

[Blackbeauty]

You must of bought cheap knock off's or something

No. Badyears just suck... very simple.:big_grin:

 

[dubyam]

Tires can make a huge difference.

Open diffs are a hindrance, especially in a 2wd. You become a 1wd if you lose traction on one side, and that's no good. Something you can try in the future if you run into this problem again, and can't back out of it (always the first option - reverse out) is to lightly apply the brakes so you create some resistance on the "free" wheel. Once you get some resistance, your open diff will then apply torque in a more balanced way (because, hey, the laws of physics!) and you might get unstuck. You might not. In most trucks, I'd argue to engage the e-brake a click or two at a time to create this resistance, but in our trucks you run the risk of overheating the e-brake and having it grenade, compounding your problem. So just lightly apply your brakes and see if that helps. The best option, of course, is a TruTrac or Spartan Locker (like the Lok-Right). You might see what someone would charge to install a Spartan in your diff, since it goes in the existing open carrier. Some folks install them by grinding the corners off a couple of teeth on the ring gear so they don't have to remove the carrier, but I'm not a fan of grinding hardened ring gear teeth, even just a little bit. It's too easy to just remove the carrier and install the locker and put it all back in. A competent diff shop should be able to do it pretty quickly and economically. Might be worth replacing the bearings while in there, just because you don't want to reopen the diff any time soon. Kind of like always replacing the throwout bearing when you do a clutch. Cheap enough parts compared to the labor to remove and replace, that you just do it while you're in there.

Beyond that, avoid ruts when you can, as they're not your friend.

 

[berto07T]

Most of you guys are 4x4's no? Don't all of those come with the e locker? I live in California and just couldn't see the extra money they were asking for a 4x4's when Im 90% street. The other 10% are just trails for fun or getting to campsites, riding spots or my shooting spots.

The weird thing about tires is I had the federal MT's on my open diff chevy only in 285/70/17 with 4" lift. The same tires came with my titan only in 35x12.50.20 which is even a bigger footprint. Both with open diffs and I take the same trails and I can feel the titan slip more than the Chevy did. Weird.

 

[berto07T]

Tires can make a huge difference.

Open diffs are a hindrance, especially in a 2wd. You become a 1wd if you lose traction on one side, and that's no good. Something you can try in the future if you run into this problem again, and can't back out of it (always the first option - reverse out) is to lightly apply the brakes so you create some resistance on the "free" wheel. Once you get some resistance, your open diff will then apply torque in a more balanced way (because, hey, the laws of physics!) and you might get unstuck. You might not. In most trucks, I'd argue to engage the e-brake a click or two at a time to create this resistance, but in our trucks you run the risk of overheating the e-brake and having it grenade, compounding your problem. So just lightly apply your brakes and see if that helps. The best option, of course, is a TruTrac or Spartan Locker (like the Lok-Right). You might see what someone would charge to install a Spartan in your diff, since it goes in the existing open carrier. Some folks install them by grinding the corners off a couple of teeth on the ring gear so they don't have to remove the carrier, but I'm not a fan of grinding hardened ring gear teeth, even just a little bit. It's too easy to just remove the carrier and install the locker and put it all back in. A competent diff shop should be able to do it pretty quickly and economically. Might be worth replacing the bearings while in there, just because you don't want to reopen the diff any time soon. Kind of like always replacing the throwout bearing when you do a clutch. Cheap enough parts compared to the labor to remove and replace, that you just do it while you're in there.

Beyond that, avoid ruts when you can, as they're not your friend.

Hmm I've read about the brake thing and tried the night I got stuck but it didn't help. But I'm sure there's a specific way to do it.

That spartan locker sounds like a good idea since there isnt alot of modification don't to the diff. Is it hard to come by the oem e locker? Would they be cheaper than aftermarket options? And does anyone know how you can see what gears your truck comes with? Like certain letters in the Vin or something?

 

[LaxDfns15]

With mud you want tall, thin tires. You want to get through the mud into the harder clay/rock. Wide tires are not good for mud.

Normally the easiest way to tell your gearing is to drive 70 and check RPM's, but you're on 35's. Don't know how much that changes your RPM's.

 

[berto07T]

2WD. Why go mudding in a lifted 2WD truck and be upset when you get stuck?

Not sure if you're referring to me but I never said anything about mudding. To me when I say ruts or rutted trails I mean where for sure you need ground clearance to get through like the trails that arent used often that have large dips or holes where the suspension flexes pretty good. Basically jeep stuff. Trust if I had the money to afford a 4x4 I would but the same truck same year around same mileage they wanted almost 4 more grand which I couldn't do since I was paying all cash upfront. Plus with all the front diff problems I read it pushed me away.

 

[berto07T]

With mud you want tall, thin tires. You want to get through the mud into the harder clay/rock. Wide tires are not good for mud.

Yeah I know what you mean I've read that also. But on the west coast, in cali we barely get rain as it is so mud is not really a common thing. Plus I would never try mud with a 2wd I know for sure I'll get stuck if I'm getting stuck in lose dirt No question about it lol

 

[LaxDfns15]

Sorry, when you say ruts I automatically think dirt road that's been run through when it's muddy.

 

[princelake]

I find the titan alot more snappy and it's to easy to spin out on lose dirt or gravel. I hammer though everything with momentum in 2wheel. 4x4 sure is nice though. Where I live I have to have it and would never even consider a truck without it. The next vehicle I get I'm hoping will have at least a rear locker for that much more traction.

 

[dubyam]

The reason you're getting more slippage with the Titan is probably two things. First, it has more torque to the wheels than the Chevy, I'm betting. Second, wider footprint means less pressure per square inch of contact, so the tires spin more easily in loose dirt and gravel, as you don't get as much downforce on the tread, so to speak. Wider tires will actually sometimes spin more easily on pavement because they don't have as much downforce, too, but you also face more friction with the wider footprint which can balance it a bit. But the real culprit is the power, I suspect. Chevy just isn't as responsive to the throttle as the T.

The only place wider tires are good is sand, where you want the flotation.

 

[JayJay283]

You should prerunner your truck, 30k later you will fly over that stuff at 65mph. If you had a Hi Lift (jack) you could have gotten it out with a few more sticks. Be prepared

 

[FishnAlaska]

All 4wd Titans do not have the locker, only the Pro 4x and some LE's. I rarely put my truck in 4wd, usually deep snow and ice, run around fine in 2wd with the Duratracs and my open diff.

 

[SuperTighty5.6]

I tore through red sands in el paso, Tx . A mini version of glamis after it rained some with my setup. I was also goin alot faster than most would consider safe and there was no one out there that day.