With tax refunds on the way, I can't help but worry about having all that extra money lying around. My solution seemed easy, dump it into the Ram!

That was the easy part, now i'm just not sure what route I'm taking. I'm thinking of either putting money into a lift kit or differentital upgrades. Currently I'm not sure what was done with the suspension by previous owners. There are some aftermarket shocks, but I believe I'm at stock ride height for a 4x4.

Axel Ratio is 3.5, and I've got open diffs (or a rear LS that doesn't work right anymore. Not too sure). I do like to off road and play, but this is my daily driver.

So what do you guys think? lift for now and save for the diffs? Or Diffs and save for the lift?

 

You'll get more enjoyment out of different gear ratios and lockers than you will with some lift.

 

I will second this motion.

 

+3. damn a lift.

 

ya i cant wait to gear my truck ! so much money look to spend 2300 or more for parts and install on both front and back

 

So it sounds like you think i should regear

I was looking through complete offroad and found there kit for the D44 and chrysler 925. Anyone mess with this? is it all inclusive or would I need other parts as well?

What about lockers vs say a positrac? I know i'd do better offroad with the locker, but will I still be able to drive on road fine? And will i lose control in snowy/icey conditions? Do brands matter a whole lot or all they are pretty much equal? i hear a lot of you talk about the Detriot lockers as being best, What makes them superior?

 

Limiting myself to what I know from first-hand experience: Any locker is going to make packed snow/ice interesting when taking off from a dead stop or accelerating from low speed. The rear end will want to move toward the passenger side all other things being equal, or to the downhill side otherwise. Ya gotta learn to control this with the throttle when in 2WD. It's true that the truck will go better than it would without the locker, but every now and then a stuck with an open diff is better than the stick you can get into with a locker.

On dry pavement, you'll notice any locker more than an open diff. They tend to ratchet in turns and the more aggressive the design the more perceptible the ratcheting and the more rear tire wear you'll see. Friction clutch (posi-traction) units don't ratchet, but often the first indication they're failing is when you're stuck. Street racers notice when they leave peg-leg trails, but off-roaders notice when they get stuck. Pick yer poison: better street manners or more reliable locking action. Me, I kinda like clunky ratcheting rear diffs. Maybe I'm overcompensating for some other shortcoming?

Selectable (air or electric) lockers give you the option of open or locked operation, at a higher initial price and with more moving parts to fail. I really liked my ARB air locker in the front end with a Detroit Locker in the rear on my old ('78, pre-Chrysler buyout) Cherokee with a part-time conversion (manual hubs, mainly). Couldn't fick that stucker anywhere and gawd knows I tried and ate some expensive tires getting unstuck every now and then. It also ate more knuckles the more often I locked the fronts... mighta been a correlation there. On the other hand I got better fuel economy with the fronts free-wheeling and probably came out ahead because of it. Our Rams don't have quite so much of that particular worry with their part time transfer cases/central axle disconnects, but I've been given to understand can benefit from manual hubs to reduce the rotating mass. Not that I know from first-hand experience.

Brands? I dunno. I've only ever used Eaton and ARB parts, and was well served by both. Someone else will have to weight in on that question. When I put my Jeep together it was widely regarded that the setup I chose was the nuts, but the times they have a-changed since then.

 

Detroit Lockers are the best because they are the toughest. But you must know they are a true automatic locker. The truck will drive differently with one in the rear, but honestly as long as you don't get on the throttle big time turning corners you are fine. You will spin tires a lot more but as long as you don't drive like a 16 year old you will enjoy. The extra traction is amazing! I've had mine in for over 5 years and it is the best investment I've made and my truck was a daily driver until about a year ago. I got a kit with 4.10 gears front and back and complete install kits from Rick's Ring and pinion and a Detroit locker and Detroit Truetrac for a little over a $1300. Now that was almost 6 years ago.

 

Hahns5.2 has lockers in both axles, and likes it. Because of the way the lockers work, when in 2wd, the front will do what it always does, act like an open diff. An LSD up front would have everything turning all the time, whether in 4wd or not.

Something else you need to keep in mind is, depending on what gear ratio you want to go to, you might be required to change the front carrier in any event, or, use thick cut gears, if you don't wanna replace it. I believe the break point for those is 4.10s, that and below, will bolt right in, numerically higher, and you need to do something different. (not quite sure that is the correct break point... something to verify.)

 

An LSD up front has everything turning all the time in our trucks? You have forgot more than I know about these trucks, but since we have a Central Disconnect the LSD only turns one axle in 2WD, right? Ok, well it turns both but since 4WD isn't engaged the one that is disconnected, AKA the right front axle, isn't connected to the wheel, thus you don't get wheel lock up or wear on you LSD which lets you steer as if you had an open diff. I have a Detroit TrueTrac and it drives exactly the same up front in 2WD as it did with an Open Diff. It has gears that actuate inside it as opposed to clutch packs like an Auburn LSD. When it is engage its breaking point, point at which it delivers the power to less tractioned wheel, is 3:1. All that said to mean when in 4WD it likes to go straight and not much else.