fatpete

.boB Thanks for the info, very helpful. What do you mean by "In the winter I use POD to reduce available power." What's POD?
Thanks again. The times I've gotten stuck I've found it very hard to apply so little throttle to not spin either side if the rear tires (and I'm no lead foot!)

.boB

I have a Smary Jr. One of the features is POD - Power On Demand. On dry pavement, I love stepping on the throttle and using all available torque.

But in the winter, all that torque in an empty truck will make it really easy to break the tires loose; especially when making a turn. By turning down the power, the throttle is much easier to control.

NE frmhnd

By checking the build sheet/window sticker, or by dropping the diff cover?

fatpete

May have to look into a Smarty Jr now, .boB! These trucks are so torquey it's hard not to spin the tires.

fatpete

Ok, just looked at the Smarty Jr. I know theres a bazillion posts out there about these things, but to keep it within this thread- is it worth it for the POD feature? I do not want any additional power for my truck, and if anything, would like to "tune down" my motor for around town driving. Is it worth $500 if I'm only going to use to decrease HP/torque? Any long term ramifications from down tuning my motor?
Thanks

.boB

Yes, it is absolutely worth it. I bought my truck for towing, but it has become my primary daily driver. Stock, it makes somewhere around 600 ft/lbs of torque. That's a lot, even for something this heavy and un-aerodynamic.

I really don't need all that power all the time. I use the POD to turn the power down a little, to about 85. It doesn't really save any fuel. Maybe a small amount, but not enough to really matter. It's still fun to drive, and definatly gets up out of it's own way.

By turning the power down, I hope to make the rest of the driveline last longer. At 86K miles, the Drive shaft and differential are still in good shape, FWTW.

When the weather is really bad, I'll turn the POD down to about 60. The truck becomes a bit of a slug, and not much fun to drive. But it sure is easier to drive in ice and snow. It works kind of like traction control.

The other advantage to an ECU tune is that the vehicle just feels better. Throttle response, acceleration, trans shifting - it all just feels better. When I put the stock tune back in, I can really feel the difference.

fatpete

Going to get my rear diff oil changed and checked to see if this "anti-spin" works right. Does the 2006 need an additive or no? Seems there's conflicting reports over whether it needs additive

fatpete

Nevermind, per the service manual CD-ROM, the 11.50 Rear Track Rite Does NOT require an additive.

barttly

Same here, put the passenger side on ice and that side will spin and the driver side will not. My buddy's does he same thing. I think calling the AAM rear a limited slip is a stretch.

pronstar

If one rear wheel has zero traction, it will get all the power. In these cases, lightly apply the brakes and you'll get power transferred to the heel with traction.

If one wheel has even a little bit of traction, the LSD will work as advertised.

Once you understand how a worm-gear setup works, it's actually a great unit IMHO.

.boB

I think this is pretty accurate. A worm gear is very smooth, and an excellent LSD. I have something similar in my race car.

The key to almost any piece of machinery is that you need to understand how it works if you're going to get the most out of it.

This is not a locker; it's a limited slip. IMO, it's better than a locker for general driving and towing. Especially on snow and ice.

jughead

i agree on apiece of junk. my sons 04 will not spin both wheels going forward with one in grass and one on pavement. same place in reverse it will move and leave black mark on pavement. we have tried all of the above suggestions to no avail. 40 years experience working on this stuff and chrysler tells me if it moves at all nothing wrong with anti-spin.