i have been reading about the 3.55 open diff and hearing how bad an open is. i just looked at the 4x4 selector and it says 4x4 lock, so them is this an actual locking differential option? and if so why would i be worried about having a 2wd locking or lsd option.

 

No, no locking diff.

 

All that means is that you are engaging the front two tires. You still only have 1 wheel peel in the back.

 

4x4 lock= lock front and rear wheels,LSD lock right and left rear wheels.

 

so if I understand this correctly, it only means it locks pwer to the driveshafts then however the power goes to the tires takes effect, in turn if it is open it is still open on both ends if it is lsd it functions the same.

Thanks!!

 

LSD is the rear differential "posi traction" feature, as opposed to the open "one wheel wonder" standard differentials.

4X4 lock refers to the transfer case. Some transfer cases merely connect the front and rear drive shafts solidly when you engage four wheel drive, hence 4X4 "lock"; the front and rear are locked together. This is also sometimes referred to as part-time four wheel drive. Part time because you shouldn't use this type of 4x4 for normal driving on non-slippery surfaces because the front and rear driveshafts are locked together and it created unnecessary wear/stress/binding when the wheels can't slip.

Some transfer cases essentially have another differential in them which allows slip between the front and rear driveshafts so that there isn't a solid bind on things when driving on dry roads, etc. This is called full-time four wheel drive and usually there isn't a selection for it, it's in four wheel drive all the time.

 

so far but then the last part of the equation is the ESP, since it is open when one wheel slips it adds pressure to that tire to stop it and cause the other wheel to spin, is that correct?

problem is I now want to but a lsd and 4.10 gears......though since I have a lifetime warranty it seems like a waste.

 

Thats correct, and the ESP works pretty well on these. I have the dreaded 3.55 open diff and was in the mountains going through some pretty good snow a while back and seemed to work surprisingly well in 2wd, I have 4wd but didnt even put it in 4wd until it got real bad.

Another thing with LSD in slippery conditions is its way easier for the rear to kick out when accelerating in 2wd. Open diff will just spin one tire while an LSD will spin both, its a toss up between going nowhere and sliding sideways sometimes.

 

it is just my opinion:LSD is a must on a 4x4 or any rear whells drive car.i own a 96 and 01 ram with LSD and now a 09 with open diff, it is day and night,i live in canada (quebec).wen i buy my 09 i forget to ask for LSD because in my mind i was shure that all 4x4 come with it and my saleman did not say a word about that because the truck i am looking for was in the parking lot of an other dealer not to far and i can get it the nex day.now i am not so happy with the truck just because NO LSD.in canada the LSD option with 3.92 is 575$,it is about nothing on a + 40000$ truck.i will instal an aftermarket LSD on my 3.55 but it is lot more $ and i will loose my rear end warranty.

 

I thought the same thing, I just ASSumed a loaded 4x4 Laramie would come with an LSD no matter what the stock ratio is. I was wrong, but I'm not doing any off roading so its not that big of a deal. A slippery boat ramp will be its biggest challenge, along with some on-road snow so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I think some decent tires would help my truck more than a factory LSD diff.