sand&stone

Sorry, it's long
As I understand it and in order applied as conditions worsen off-road…
If the wheels are just beginning to slip in light mud, soft sand, wet rock, ice, or snow the true limited slip (if installed) would kick in. It feels seamless and is not noticed. It saves the brakes because you are not always using the brake lock slip system.
If a wheel is spinning even more freely in very slippery mud, steep rock, etc. or there is a wheel in the air, the brake lock slip system starts. You may notice it kicking in. It can brake the spinning wheel enough to put a lot of power to the non-spinning wheel.
Under the worse conditions full lockers are used. With lockers, you don’t have the true limited slip for light slipping conditions. You can’t have both components, but that could be ok since you still have the brake lock slip system that can kick in when lockers aren’t really needed. There was a locker with a true limited slip but from what I understand it isn’t made anymore.
Ok, now I want to talk about bad condition highway driving, like light ice and snow, and I’m from Houston, so this is just what I’ve read…
Lockers=bad idea, period.
Brake Lock Slip System would work, but only in 4 wheel drive which you wouldn’t do except in heavy snow/ice situations (again, from what I’ve read.)
If in 2 wheel drive, a true limited slip would be a great safety feature for ice patches, but if you have a locker in the rear, you don’t have the limited slip.
OK, but you do have the Electronic Stability Program/Traction Control System that is designed for these situations on the road and works in 2 wheel drive, which is great, except… I have read that many people turn these systems off when they install lifts and larger tires because the electronics are not calibrated for the changes and it acts up in inappropriate times. If they are off, you have lockers instead of a limited slip, and you are in 2 wheel drive which means the brake lock slip system isn’t on, then you don’t have any protection in mixed winter driving other than your own skill and experience, right?
So would not getting a Rubi and not installing lockers on a Sport, and getting instead the Limited Slip be better for a daily driver/weekend warrior in winter conditions when concerned about on road safety?
Can the Electronic Stability Program/Traction Control System be recalibrated for the larger tires?
I did read this someplace, “A feature of the TCS system functions similar to a limited slip differential and controls the wheel spin across a driven axle. If one wheel on a driven axle is spinning faster than the other, the system will apply the brake of the spinning wheel. This will allow more engine torque to be applied to the wheel that is not spinning. This feature remains active even if TCS and ESP are in either the “Partial Off” or “Full Off” modes.”
So does this mean that you would have some protection on winter highways even if you have permanently turned off the TCS/ESP system, or does the process you use to turn it off stop this too?

slider_68

By true limited slip I'll assume what you mean is the True Trac LSD.

Yes it'll engage when it senses a wheel slipping, it's seamless and mostly not noticeable, there's no spin up like a clutch type LSD

The BDL will aid it when there's a wheel in the air, but you can still over power it with to much skinny pedal

On snow and ice, it works very well without the squirrelly handling that a locked front axle can give you in slippery conditions

If your not hanging wheels in the air on a regular basis , it's not a bad setup for a DD that's also the occasional weekend warrior, it's not a locker but its vastly superior to an open diff

sand&stone

Yeah, I understand the merits of lockers and would like them, but I haven't needed then for the mountain trails I do, like Imogene Pass and Black Bear Pass. My main concern is the other traction systems. We're thinking about moving from Houston where we have ice and snow one day every THREE years to Colorado, and we are also trading in our two stock JK Sports for new JKs that we will lift at put on 35s. I'd like lockers for the trails but I'm worried about them and the lift/tires leaving us without any traction system help on icy roads.

jk_sea

If I understand your quip correctly, you're concerned about on-road snow-driving in Colorado. With a Rubicon, you will not have a limited-slip rear, whereas with a Sport or other non-Rubi model, that is an option.

You can keep the electronic traction programs in either model with a lift and tires. That shouldn't be a concern.

Let's focus on the LSD as that's the main concern between a non-Rubi and a Rubi in this scenario, for on-road traction.
Having BLD or not isn't really a concern on the open-diff non-Rubis on-road traction, as it's really only useful for offroad, i.e. not an asset over a Rubi for on-road driving, lockers are for offroad use only, so it boils down to the LSD since all models have all of the other electronic nannies (ESP, traction control, ABS, etc). The BLD is nice to have in a non-locking diff Jeep, though. It was an ingenious use of electronically controlled traction programs.

So, let's say you opt for a Rubi, which does not have LSD. Is not having a LSD rear a liability in slick conditions? Yes. It's less about traction and more about control...You'll be able to get going fine in 4wd. Your real concern is maintaining control and navigating corners, etc with open differentials. But I think the driver's skill and sense of due-caution is much, MUCH more important than any single piece of traction equipment you can buy in a Jeep. Even without it, you've still got all the electronic stability and traction programs, plus part time 4wd for use on compact snow/ice. I've driven in snow with open-diff vehicles plenty and it really comes down to just being careful.

Also understand in Colorado, "snow-response" is much better (and likely much quicker) than in Texas. They'll salt/sand/melt the roads bare, immediately following a storm whereas in Texas, I imagine someone has to call and ask where the snow equipment is, or was, and who saw it last, and how to operate it.

I don't think the Rubi/non-rubi decision is as dire as you're imagining. It might be worth taking a "snow-day" on the first real bad storm and going out to understand how your Jeep behaves in snow, in a controlled environment. If you're really worried, I'm sure there are snow-driving instructors or classes in CO that can teach you and your significant other all the in's and out's of driving safely in the snow...

I hope that helps...

kh202

I think the BLD on these JK's works pretty well. Definitely noticed my JK moving forward a lot better than open open TJ's, YJ's ect. XJ guy i wheeled with last weekend was pretty impressed watching it kick in on some obstacles. You'd be hard pressed to find a more capable vehicle with no lockers or limited slip

rob_engineer

Didn't get much snow in NJ this year, but I did get to take my 2012 JKU with open diffs out for some driving in about 6" of snow. It did fantastic, and I didn't even put it in 4wd. The "nanny's" in the design worked incredibly well. I even tried spinning out when accelerating and it wouldn't do it. I think it is very important to test the limits in a safe area when driving in snow. I've taught my son and Daughter this. When we get snow I have them go to a deserted road so the know how their vehicle will react.

metaldemon

I have a Auburn LSD on my XJ, and am very happy with its performance. I have to drive in the snow because both rear wheels spin at the same time.
I do not like the nanny system on my JK. If it starts to drift in 2 wheel drive with it on, the Jeep gets real squirrelly. I couldn't even do donuts in mud.
I will install either a LSD or electric locker when I regear. For now I installed the switch that shuts off all the nanny systems. I have been driving our thirty years, and don't need help.

RedRockJeeper

They need to come out with a gear driven lsd that can be pneumatically, or electrically locked at the push of a button. Personally that would be ideal, as i have watched the Tru-Trac in action and it is an awesome limited slip ALMOST as good as a locker off road, without the detrimental road manners. So Detroit listen up and all I ask for the idea is to get the first 2 installed in my JK, lol!