rear differential locker

[skillitqueso]

what is it? i keep heairng about it and that its a good thing to have but i dont know what it is or why its so great.

[2tacomas]

It is a feature that locks your rear diff. and causes your rear wheels to spin at exactly the same rate. It is useful when you get stuck in mud/snow/sand because it prevents one wheel from spinning faster than the other which would cause you sink even deeper and get bogged down in whatever you are stuck in.

[texasjava]

You've obviously never been sittin' on one wheel before!!! lockers are where it's at!

[hillbilly]

carefull with em, lockers have the tendency to chew up your tires on the roads. not really worth it unless you're serious about wheelin, if you're just tearin up gravel roads in the mountains, I wouldnt worry about it.

[greasyjeep]

or lockers can get you even more stuck
i am the stuckest and am locked front and rear
i actually went i to get the other guys out

You have a couple different types of traction controls

and open rear - found on most cars/trucks from factory - allows the wheels to spin at different rates which is great for going around corners (free - any junk yard)

a posi or limmited slip rear - found on quite a few factory cars/trucks (usually a performance upgrade) - uses a friction pad to "lock the wheels" but allow them to break free when they need to (a few buck)

a locker - locks the axles together, detroit is the most famous, but even here is a ratcheting effect that will cause a clicking (expensive)

Hybrid - ARB is the most famous - open rear and then locks when the driver wants it to with the flick of a switch. - ARB uses air, so does the Jeep rubicon, toyota uses an electric selonid to do the same thing (These are very Pricey) - great for frint axles or for trucks that do dual duty of daily driver and weekend wheeler

Then there is a spool - this will actually LOCK the rear axles together - there will never be any slip in the rear axles both splined shafts are locked by the same piece of steel (very cheep and very hash on the tires)

[brad l]

Lockers are great for the right application. I would not use a full time locker on a vehicle that I drive on a daily basis or on the rain/snow. I have 1970 Ford Bronco with a detroit and it's great for running around off road. It rarely comes out in the winter. Driving on dry pavement can be a bit exciting and wet or snowy roads are worse. But you can go a lot more places with a locker. In fact I'd say I can go just about as many places in 2wd with the rear locker as I could in 4wd with both diffs open.

Selectable lockers are very nice. ARB's are the way to go if you use the vehicle on a daily basis. They are pricey though.

[cjstang]

Having had vehicles with all of the above, I'd agree with the previous posts. 'Spools' should never be driven on solid ground - unless in a straight line (like 1/4 mile runs )! I would not suggest a 'Detroit Locker' setup for the average Joe, the clicking is not a big deal (at least for me), potential serious wheel hop while cornering is!! There are newer designs that reduce or eliminate the rachet effect, but even these will typically yield less than desireable results during any kind of spritied cornering (when will the tire engage and disengage - not something you want to be considering when approaching a corner at speed). These apply to on-road driving, off-road is not my expertise, I'll leave for others. . .
Which leads to a question about the new Tundras (I'm full of 'em tonight - just trying to learn as much as I can before purchase):
The Tundra is available with a 'conventional-type' limited slip, or this 'auto' limited slip (which is grouped with the VSC and TRAC systems). Anyone have recommendations for either? My use would be for snowy/slippery conditions, not off-roading per se. Being a strong KISS disciple, I'd pick the conventional type, but I do not know about this 'auto' system.
[The Titan uses an open diff and the brakes are used to apparently simulate 'limited-slip' - huh??!!]
Thanks again!

[greasyjeep]

Originally Posted by cjstang

Being a strong KISS disciple, I'd pick the conventional type, but I do not know about this 'auto' system.
[The Titan uses an open diff and the brakes are used to apparently simulate 'limited-slip' - huh??!!]
Thanks again!

I have the Tacoma and went withthe LSD becasue the truck really won't see hard core off roading - i have 2 jeeps for that and the LSD should be able to do what i need it to do for the towing and hauling I plan on.

As for the Titan, they may use a Soft Locker that is a lot like a LSD and when you allpy the brakes to the rear tire that is slipping it will act as a locker and cause both sides to re-engage.
Some folks use thier e-brake do do the same thing off road when the friction pads in there LSDs are wearing thin.

I am a big fan of selectables though. I have ARBs front and rear in my little jeep (Lincoln locker in the cherokee). They work great on and off road and even when off road i find myself switching off the rear and fronts depending on my situation.

If the truck is only going to see gravel roads LSD is fine, if you plan on back woods stuff or deep snow, go with the selectable, you will love being able to just flick the switch and go.

[snowboarder4lif]

i've been thinking about putting a spool in the front end of my yota, with manual hubs. that way it won't be full time except for when i've got the hubs locked in right? makes sense that way to me. i'm wondering how this will handle off road tho, does it make steering a lot harder? or just a little bit heavier?

[greasyjeep]

That will depend on what you wheel in and what size tires you have, but I would not recommend it unless you have hydro assist at the very least
I ran a lunch box up front and in the rocks with 37s it was almost impossible to turn the wheels.
Since going to an e-locker 100 times easier.
unless you only wheel in mud and snow weld and save for a selectable

EDIT: btw - since the last post I sold the jeep and bought a 4runner (still have the tacoma)
http://www.simbur.com/toyota4runner.htm

[87yotaGOD]

Umm, if you put a spool in the front end you will not be able to turn.

[snowboarder4lif]

ha ha, good to know, that i won't be able to turn, maybe i will decide against the spool then. I'm not running a huge rig tho, just 31's, possibly 32's this summer.... thanks for the info tho

[87yotaGOD]

Good luck.