[militia_man]

I live in southern New England where snow and ice are a problem to deal with from late November to late March. I ordered a Titan 4x4 with off-road package and the dealer will be submitting their vehicle order in the first week of February which means an April delivery. I was thinking of asking the dealer to request that my truck be built on or after April 4th so that it will have the rear locking diff. which means a May delivery at the earliest. In either case the snow and ice will be gone and I will have to wait until next winter to try out the truck in a winter wonder land. With that being said...

1. Is the rear locking diff worth the wait of 1-2 more months for delivery?

2. Will the rear locking diff be much of a help in snow and ice?

3. Would the active brake limited slip be adequate without the rear locking diff to propel me through snow and ice?

 

[Doghouse]

1. Is the rear locking diff worth the wait of 1-2 more months for delivery?

In a word, NO. What you are doing is not the correct application for the locking diff.


2. Will the rear locking diff be much of a help in snow and ice?

Have you seen the recent snow in VA, I have avoided the idiots who cannot drive in the snow down here. I used to live in MA, and VT. The locking diff forces both tires to spin at exactly the same speed. This is good when you are in the dirt and something can slip. If you are in partially paved roads, you will tear up the rear end and tires every turn on pavement. Plus I will bet that you have to come to a complete stop in order to lock and unlock. (don't know)


3. Would the active brake limited slip be adequate without the rear locking diff to propel me through snow and ice?

The 4X4 and slip will work wonders! If you do slip the VDC will fight you back so fast you almost get whiplash. I tried it in a parking lot.

 

[militia_man]

Doghouse thank you for your response, I understand that I would not be able to drive around with the locking diff engaged especially when turning corners but I was wondering if the locking diff would be much of a help in situations such as the truck being bogged down in heavy snow such as in my driveway or a parking lot. We don't usually get huge amounts of snow in Massachusetts at one time, but a few snowstorms per year of 6-12 inches can be expected along with about one or two big storms per year of 2-3 feet. The plows do a good job keeping up but getting out of parking lots and my driveway can sometimes be a problem. If anyone has experience with using either the locking diff, a limited slip, or both in snow and ice let me know what your experiences have been and what your opinions are.

This is a great web site, love those Titans!

 

[Doghouse]

You may have misunderstood me. Until 3 years ago, I lived in Western Mass., and before that North of Burlington, Vermont. I know the conditions you are talking about. Western MA does not know how to plow roads to save their lives. The back roads are horrible. I quit chopping the 6" of ice and packed snow out from in front of my driveway. I have driven in it, and IMHO can tell you you do not need the locker. If you do off-road, or go on the National Seashore in Cape Cod, get the locker it will be useful. If you want an excuse to wait a little longer remember you will be the only person who has to be happy with the truck. If you are like my father, you will kick yourself in the arse for the next 6 - 10 years for not waiting to have that toy available.

The only thing I am concerned about them it that they will be like 4WD. If you do not use 4WD once a month it will not last. The grease needs to be moved around. If the locker is not used, could it freeze up? I do not know.

 

[got_titan]

hey guys i have been informed on the locking diff that the option will only be able to be activated in 4 wheel low only. no other setting will it activate. and since its electronic it will partially be controlled by the computer. hope this helps because i personally dont go off road enough and that vdc option on the tow package is awsome.i used it when it snowed in tn and drove to work in 2 wheel with the vdc, its great you definately will want that.

 

[pluckyew]

locking diff

i'd use the locking diff. in hash off road trails needing 4w-Lo to craw out of a steep hole or slippery rock face or mud basin or sand dunes or snow banks; not for any bad (as in "icy" road conditions)

 

[outahere]

hey guys i have been informed on the locking diff that the option will only be able to be activated in 4 wheel low only. no other setting will it activate.

Makes good sense to me!

 

[Doghouse]

Why would you ever want to use it out of 4Lo? He77 it is the last thing you use b4 the winch!

 

[pluckyew]

no winch yet so i wenched it

i do not yet have a winch on the Titan (where would i install it on?) so when we got stuck i had a suv (pathfinder) pull and my good wench push the 5200# truck
that helped

she din't want to be in the driver seat..was concerned aobut suddenly backing into the helping suv and crushing it. she hasn't figured out how to tame to throttle gently...yet.

 

[Doghouse]

Currently there are no bull bars that support the winch for the titan. I beleive that a FMR will be out soon, and be able to have FMR/removeable winch platform that way.

FMR - Front Mounted Receiver. The easy way to launch a boat!

 

[outahere]

hey guys i have been informed on the locking diff that the option will only be able to be activated in 4 wheel low only. no other setting will it activate. and since its electronic it will partially be controlled by the computer.

Hmmmmm, wonder if the computer shuts off the ABLS on the rear axle if you are in 4-Lo with the locker engaged, but leaves the front ABLS activated?

 

[SigArms226]

Hmmmmm, wonder if the computer shuts off the ABLS on the rear axle if you are in 4-Lo with the locker engaged, but leaves the front ABLS activated?

As it happens, I just got this email from Nissan today, needless to say I will without a doubt be waiting for the Elock - there are many situations where some wheelspin is required (not on snow and ice, though):

Thank you for taking the time to personally contact us about your interest in Nissan products.

Activating the electronic rear locking differential will deactivate the rear ABLS, however, the front ABLS will continue to remain activated. We apologize for the delayed information and thank you for your interest and patience in this matter.

We hope that this information answers your question, but if you need any additional information or have further questions, please let us know by reply e-mail or by calling 1-800-647-7263 and pressing "0" for a live operator.

Also, make sure to take a look at our website, www.NissanUSA.com, for the most up-to-date product information.

At Nissan, we are committed to a high level of customer service.

Sincerely,

Nissan North America

 

[outahere]

As it happens, I just got this email from Nissan today, needless to say I will without a doubt be waiting for the Elock - there are many situations where some wheelspin is required (not on snow and ice, though):

Activating the electronic rear locking differential will deactivate the rear ABLS, however, the front ABLS will continue to remain activated. We apologize for the delayed information and thank you for your interest and patience in this matter.

This is pretty good then for offroad use. Under the worst conditons you will always have power to 3 wheels in 4-Lo. The only thing superior to the factory setup would be to have an e-locker in the front axle also, for hardcore offroad use. :cheers:

 

[pluckyew]

e-lockers in BOTH axles!

can't wait to have e-lockers in BOTH axles for some serious 4 wheelin.

so real off-road mountain trail use may drop the milage to 6 mpg (thats' what i got on th wrangler) :smoke:

i don't craw over big boulders (which can wreck a $32,000 machine real fast) so titan's longer wheelbase won't slow me down, but the titan's fat width might make for some scary manevering on some narrow cliff trails (where i've only seen wranglers abut 70% of times, then the rest were nissan & toyo mini-trucks and min-suvs, hardly ever see a full size pickup)

 

[outahere]

Well, after looking at the numerous threads on ABLS VDC and 2WD and 4WD and the e-locker, it is my impression that ABLS and VDC operate somewhat differently depending on whether you are in 2 or 4wd. VDC is a stability control system (and not a traction control system) available only with the tow package in 2WD or 4WD, and will operate only at higher speeds, and in 2WD only. ABLS is a traction control system that operates in 4-Hi and 4-Lo, (and in 2WD???) and utilizes the brakes only to modulate traction (whereas VDC can use both the brakes and throttle to modulate vehicle stability at speed). Engaging the e-locker will disable the ABSL on the rear axle, and leave it engaged on the front axle. Since VDC is presumably not active in 4WD mode, it is not affected by the e-locker.

That's my take on it, and I freely admit that I may be mistaken about some of the features. I just wish Nissan would post a thorough description on their website describing how ABLS, VDC, and the e-locker interact on the 2WD truck, and on the 4WD truck in its 2WD or 4WD mode. That would certainly clear up the confusion.