Limited Slip is a limited slip rear differential (LSD)...its a traction aid, but the Nissan version is a bit anemic.

The rear locker does what the LSD is supposed to do, and difference in performance is HUGE.



The emphasis on the locker probably was a surprise to you, but members with pre-'05's are PAYING BIG BUCKS to have our LSD's REPLACED with lockers when we can afford it....

The X has a live rear axle, meaning that the two tires are essentially at the ends connected by the big shaft between them....an unlocked rear axle, for street based driving, is set up to go around paved corners....the outside tire has to go further around the same curve than the inside tire...a difference...

The rear differential is designed to transfer the engine torque to the tire going faster (The outside tire, as it has the best leverage to push the rig around the curve...and the inside of the turn tire, with the shortest distance to go in the same time, is just along for the ride...

Off road...if you lose traction on one side, either a mud hole, loose gravel, or one tire is hanging in the air going over something, etc......the tire with no resistance goes faster than the one with traction...its spinning, but not pushing the truck...

and you are stuck...sitting there with one tire on perfectly good ground, watching the retarded tire spin helplessly.

A locked diff MAKES both tires turn at the same speed....no matter what...so even if one tire has no traction, the other tire has all the go go juice it needs to keep you going.

The electric locker in the '05 lets you turn the locker on for rough going off road....and off again for paved roads and normal conditions...plus, it works as a better LSD differential when not locked, a nice touch.

No downside, HUGE offroad advantage...a factory locker is also covered by the factory warranty....the ones we do ourself are covered for 12 months or so, etc.



So - anyway, that's why we're all ga ga over the locker issue.