Adding a Trutrac and 410 Gears - 2016 RAM 2500

[SyN]

Come across this (A bit dated) but the TracRite GT has not changed since this was released.

TRAC-RITE DIFFERENTIAL.....

The following is a S. T. A. R. Center Case Report:
Report created Jan 6 2004
Updated Jan 13 2004

Customer says his trac-rite rear diff is not working?
GCK1: 01/06/2004
Recommendation/Solution
Review AAM Trac-rite diff characteristics. Rear diff is working or truck wouldn't move. It will overrun like standard diff if operating on extreme differernces in surfaces. (Ice under one rear tire with other tire on dry pavement. ) No further action.
:GCKI:01/06/2004

The 2003 heavy-duty Ram uses and American Axle helical differential or Trac-Rite. The Trac_Rite differential is different then Trac-Lok in that it uses helical gears (Trac-Lok uses clutches) to transfer power to the opposite wheel when slippage occurs. The transfer of power from wheel to wheel is torque sensitive and must have both wheels spinning (not stationary) to function. It is possible for the Trac-Rite differential to not send power to a wheel if is not spinning. Example: Accelerating from as stop and one wheel is on ice and the other on dry pavement. If accelerating to fast, the wheel on the ice may spin and never send power to the whell on the pavement side. A slower start may be necessary to start the vehicle's momentum.

A written test procedure for Trac-Rite is not listed in the repair manual and the following points should be noted: Testing the Trac-Rite differential while the vehicle is lifted and turning one wheel by hand, the opposite wheel will turn in the opposite direction. This is normal.
If the Trac-Rite assembly has and internal failure it will lock axles 100% side to side.

To test the Trac-Rite process, raise vehicle on appropriate lift, place into gear and accelerate quickly (hard launch). A second technician will witness both wheels turning at the same speed at the start of the acceleration.
Another test for Trac-Rite is to slowly drive vehicle in an open area and completely turn wheels to one direction and accelerate hard. . The vehicle will experience tire hop or shudder. This is normal. Trac-Rite differentials do not require friction modifier and should be used only with SAE75W-90 GL-5 synthetic fluid PN 05102232AA.

The Trac-Rite differential found in the American Axles may look like the helical gears have ground away the case. Six small half circles are noticeable on the side of the differential opposite of the ring gear. These openings are designed for oil flow and are not the result of the helical gears grinding through the differential. Please do not replace the differential case or any other part of the axle due to these openings.

Note: All American Axles require Mopar lube part# 05102232AA synthetic and does not use a friction modifier.
RAB40: 01/13/2004


I will attempt to look for another option for my 11.5" - I'll sleep on this!

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[SyN]

Ok - Patrick got back with me very early this morning - with a short but confusing answer.
By saying (STANDARD) - I’m assuming he meant conventional or synthetic without the LS Friction Modifiers.

I did come across more info stating that Eaton is the designer/creator of the TracRite GT & AAM just installs it in their axles.

I still might at some point next summer - drain the TRIAX & refill with Hot Shots Secret S11 80W-110 - data sheets say nothing about (Containing LS Friction Modifiers).

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[SyN]

Ok - My last post on this matter - I personally found what I was mainly looking for.
These are 2 Copy & Pasted Posts.

Discussion Starter • #1 • Jun 25, 2015

I have seen alot of comments about "make sure you add limited slip additive" for the diffs. I have done research and found that the 11.5 AAM axle is a Eaton Detroit Truetrac. Eaton states:

"Detroit Truetrac
High quality mineral or synthetic gear lubes are required for use in Detroit Truetrac differentials. Regardless of the lube type, always use a GL5 rated lube with the least amount of friction modifier. Mineral lubes lacking friction modifiers (limited-slip additives) were historically recommended for all Truetrac applications because friction modifiers can slightly reduce the bias ratio (limited-slip aggressiveness) of Truetrac differentials.

However, to address the continually increasing power outputs of modern
powertrains, many vehicle manufacturers have switched to synthetic lubricants as a counter measure for increased axle temperatures and prolonged service intervals. In general, consult the vehicle owner's manual for the manufacturer's recommendations for lubrication type, weight and fill volume. This will ensure lube compatibility with the seal materials and bearings used in the axle. Eaton Performance technical support is aavailable for any concerns in lube selection."

Owners manual states:

Front and Rear Axle – 2500/3500 Models-
We recommend you use Synthetic, GL-5 SAE, 75W-90. Limited slip additive is not required for Limited-Slip Rear Axles.

2500/3500 Model axles DO NOT REQUIRE any limited slip oil additive (friction modifiers).

Do yourself a favor and read your owners manual. This is the internet, dont forget it.

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Talked to Eaton about fluid preferences, brand, conventional/synthetic. Here is what I was told.

-Stay away from valvoine and Napa gear oil.
-works better with conventional but syn just has a little delay in engagment. He stated follow manufactures guidelines.
-The amount of limited slip already in the 75w90 doesn't effect anything.

Take it for what it's worth.

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Discussion Starter • #5 • Jun 26, 2015

RamTech said:
Did they say why they don't like Valvoline/Napa fluids? Do they not meet specs?

All he said is he would stay away from them, that was enough for me.

Also the AAM Tracrite Gt is the Eaton.

https://www.eaton.com/us/en-us/products/differentials-traction-control/aftermarket-differentials/detroit-truetrac-faqs.html

EDIT (2-15-21)
Even though my Anti-Slip seems to be preforming perfect with the TRIAX Synergy PAO combo of 75W-90/140 (Both contain a Limited/Anti-Slip additive) in the rear.

After doing some searching & finding some solid data & a couple of phone calls & having a chat with Levi @ Hot Shots Secret - who instructed me their Blue Diamond PAO GL-5 Gear Oils contain NO LS/AS additives.

So Next Spring I will drain the TRIAX & refill with HSS BD S11 GL-5 80W-110 in the Rear Differential & BD S9 75W-90 in the Front Differential.
My OCD (Which is Beyond Stupid) will not allow me to refill with a Conventional Gear Oil

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[317millhand]

So, I finally did this swap a few months ago and now have almost 10k miles on the gears. As stated in the original post, my truck was an open differential. Adding the trutrac was a huge improvement compared to that. No more getting stuck in the wet grass or spining going uphill on wet pavement.

as for swapping the gears from 342 to 411, I honestly can’t tell much difference. It still feels the same to me going uphill or on the highway. My truck is on 35s and is automatic, so I assume it’s just shifting into a higher gear earlier. I have not towed anything heavy since the gearswap, so that may be where it shines best. I did get about 2mpg better fuel economy since the gear swap, so that’s a plus.

my main gripe with how the truck shifts is when I’m going uphill. It lugs so much and always feels like it is in 1 or 2 gears above where it should be. Exactly the same as it felt with the 342. I can manually shift down and of course that makes it better, but I wish it would rev a few more rpms on its own before shifting. Even with my truck being deleted and having a lot more power than it did stock, it’s still slow to take fuel and lags horribly going uphill. On flat ground, the throttle response is fantastic before and after the regear, and I can’t feel that it has any more “ass” than it did before

I wish I’d have bought a truck with a manul trans. LOL

fwiw, I used Lucas 80/90 on the front and rear differentials after the swap. No other additives. It’s quiet and no problems so far

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[T1H5TA3]

I'm seldom on here.

Glad the info helped.

We use Phillips 76 oil simply because that's what we have local, and out of all the tests we have done, we did not find enough advantage in 99% of applications to run anything else.

The 1% of the time, it's guys grossly overloaded running hotshot seeing sustained 250°+ fluid temps.

In those applications, we recommend redline shockproof or Sheaffer oil.

FWIW: The OEM finned rear diff cover is a better product than ANY other cover ( yes, I'll include Banks's overpriced, over-marketed priced of hype )

Glad to hear the fuel economy improved. What happens when the motor isn't lugging.

It sounds like if it's lugging on hills, it probably would be better off with the 4.56 that I usually recommend on an auto trans with 35's.

Even running empty, I wish I had 4.56 instead of the 4.10s, but the truck only had 33s when it was regeared. So I'll jump to 4.88s when the 37s go on.

68-456.jpg

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