xjsport95

im looking to get some better traction. the past couple winters have brought alot of snow and i wont be surprised to see alot again this year so i want to be ready. i have a stock 95 cherokee right now so the open diff in back isnt helping much in deep snow and last winter it was too patchy to use part time 4x4.

alright so whos got what out their? how good is the np242 in snow? how bout truetrac? i just want info on how well each will perform in the snow. how well they handle on turns. i had a couple times when it was snowing while going around turns and had the back end kick out. managed to get it under control but just want a little more control in the future. thanks for any info

also feel free to give anything else that you think works better. any other lsd what tires work best year round. im really looking for something that wont need changed for winter so snow tires are kinda put aside in my opinion

93gc40

242 Transfer case is great for snowy and wet roads when in 4FT. Through a LSD in the back even better. Is this a street only Jeep or does it also go off-road?

xjsport95

i like off roading but it mostly sees streets. its pretty stock.

excess650

For a mostly street driven vehicle, I'm a believer that you should run GOOD tires, and not just whatever is on sale or cheap. My '96 is on its 4th set of tires, and each of the previous sets, including the OEM Goodyear Wranglers went 50K+. If you're in an area with longish winters with lots of snow, you might want to consider an extra set of wheels and tires and switch depending upon season.

I've had tires that were great when they were new, but got hard and lost grip(even slipped on just wet roads) after about a year despite having lots of tread. The Uniroyal Laredos were the worst I've ever had in this regard (on my long gone '86 F150) and were replaced with BFG AT TAs. The BFGs werestill on the truck when I sold it, still had good tread and excellent traction despite being more than 5 years old.

AFAIK, my '96 XJ has open differentials front and rear, but still works very well on slick surfaces. Even it 2H it seems to have better traction than a lot of other vehicles that I've driven.

SHANE 87

I have the 242 and it is awsome in the snow with my bfg mt's. I go offroading about once or twice a month and i have hand no problems with the tcase.

jcwclm

A "traction enhancing" differential will make the rear kick out more, but you just need to lay of the pedal. Going from a 99 f150 open rear to a 07 f150 lsd rear in northern indiana winters was like NIGHT AND DAY. The 07 was hardly put in 4wd. When it comes to taking off in slick conditions, open diffs are horrible compared to lsd's and lockers.

TheJerm

I miss my 242 in winter, just put it in full-time 4x4 and you dont even know its there. For street driving i would recommend the 242.

xjsport95

Excess. i agree about having good tires but i have brand new wranglers which suck to the used and dry rotted tires i had last winter but after the money i spent on them im not replacing them til their ready to go (wish i had gotten their name before throwing them away they rocked!)

and looks like we got 3 votes for the np242 from 93gc, shane, and jerm.

and jc. are you saying that lsd are good as long as your keeping off the gas around turns but will be WORSE if you are on the gas?

TheJerm

What he is saying is lsd (and lockers too) put power to both wheels which with a little throttle will put you in the running for toyko drift II. Its rather fun when you want to drift but can suck in normal driving.

my 96 had the 242 and lsd, it was a nice jeep to drive in winter

cdawall

depends what the LS is in open diffs are nice on ice. LSD at times will spin you alot faster than an open will. i would keep the stock tcase it wont make a huge difference just put yours in 4hi when its slipping.

jcwclm

Yes it will be worse, but like I said stay off the gas. It is WONDERFUL when taking off though. I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a long shot.

Grayguy

I personally find open diffs more annoying/ dangerous in wet conditions than LSDs or lockers. Open diffs are to unpredictable, over steering some times an under steering some times. With a locker I know it's going to over steer every time I throttle through a corner, nice and predictable handling.

Also, I drive around in 2wd 90% of the time all winter, unless there's more than 4-5 inches on the road I don't use it. Keep this in mind, if you are always in 4wd, when you get stuck you are done, if you stay in 2wd when you don't need it, if you do get stuck, you can still lock it in 4x4 and get your self out.