been a long time since I visited, but there was always great info here, so I will give it a shot:

I am in the process of moving from Houston to Portland and am interested in a limited slip diff to help getting to and from Mt. Hood (I have a season ski pass and want to get there most weekends, have tire chains).

I have a '97 F150 long bed with the 3.55 open diff and the original stick shift, about 112,000 miles.

Can anyone recommend a LS kit for something that will remain on road (want help in rain and snow/ice) and a gear shop around Portland to install it? I live in a high rise downtown so no amount of DIY is in the cards here. I'm also going to swap out the bearings in the drivetrain while they're in there - would like to have the truck another ten years or so if I can, maybe longer if it will hold up. It's been a real winner so far.

 

Eaton Tru-Trac LS..its gear driven so no clutch packs to wear out or repair. You can find them at summit or jegs or tons of other places.

 

Jegs has the best prices I found. Just ordered one about a week ago. Not in yet so I don't know too much about it's performance.

 

True tracs are great! I've been running one for about a year in my 2008 Screw. Acts like an open diff on the road, but locks up immediately when there is tire slippage. You don't even feel it lock up, there is just more traction suddenly available. These units are perfect for guys like me who drive mostly on the street, but find themselves off road or on unimproved roads and trails during hunting and fishing ventures.

HYPO

 

The least expensive option is the Ford OE traction lok and it works very well for normal use. If you are a performance enthusiast or rock climber, you need something tougher. My 2000 F150 5.4L 4x4 that was sold to a friend has 150k on it and the traction lock works great still. My current truck has 82k on it and the tl works perfect.

 

Thanks to those that responded here, I ordered a TrueTrac and it should be installed tomorrow at Paden Drivetrain here in Portland. They are right there with the online numbers for the part ($450), and are charging me less than $800 for it installed with new pinion bearings and so on. Sure appreciate the help, and I know this will make it a lot easier for me to get around Mt. Hood and other ski areas.

 

Thanks again to all who recommended and showed me some links to other reviews for the Detroit TrueTrac - my old pickup behaves like a completely different vehicle in the near-constant rain here and I have had to pull out the tire chains only once (briefly) going up and down Mt. Hood each weekend - it snowed about 8 inches during a day where I had it in the lot at the ski area and there was no getting out of there without chains since I don't have snow tires on. However - this unit is unnoticeable to me having driven it for many years around corners and in everyday driving, but I can cut it loose on a rainy left turn or starting my stick up a steep hill and there is no slippage in rain or light snow. Great stuff!

 

Yeah, I understand. After having 2 trucks with a traction lok rear, I would not want one that didn't have it, even a 4x4.