No way I can justify the money for air lockers on my 00’ Tundra right now. A LSD or even a drop in locker (Lockright) seem like a good solution for the price. I’ve read a lot about this and after all the research, I’ve found the feelings are so mixed I’m really no closer to knowing whether it’s worth it. It seems to me that without being able to lock up ,at least the rear end, it doesn’t take much to stop your forward progress. Does one of these cheaper solutions offer enough of a traction boost to be worth it? Any negatives with either of these? What does the Overland bound community think?
Lockers
- Thread starter Eabmoto
- Start date
It all depends where you're driving.
Did u ever find yourself in a situation where u needed lockers? If not, then you don't need them.
I found the tires being a very important item in the offroad kit. I was in a rocky situation where the jeep in front of me went over an obstacle with knobby mud tires (did not check model) and lsd whereas I had to put the lockers on with my duratracs.
Did u ever find yourself in a situation where u needed lockers? If not, then you don't need them.
I found the tires being a very important item in the offroad kit. I was in a rocky situation where the jeep in front of me went over an obstacle with knobby mud tires (did not check model) and lsd whereas I had to put the lockers on with my duratracs.
Thanks for the response. It sounds like your saying an LSD can ad a fair amount of traction, with the right tires. I imagine tire size comes into play as well. I only plan on 32-33” tires. I would guess an LSD Would always be better then an open diff , especially for the relatively small amount of money.
Influencer II
I've just begun the build of my rig and definitely can't afford any locker so I went out to some wheeling to find out what I can handle without a locker and was pretty impressed ... So I decided to get good mt tires, as long as it's not rock crawling you probably can handle a lot by choosing the right line and keep the momentum with the right tires.
I would go with a Eaton true trac or another maintenance free torsen style diff, it's always there, you don't need to activate it, you benefit on every surface and under every condition and so on...
Maybe there's a wavetrac diff available for your rig, just Google it
Ps: my dream combo would be a auburn ected max for the rear and a Eaton elocker in front.
Bigger tires are good if you want more clearance under axles/pumpkin. If you do not plan to go into trials with big rocks then 32s are good.
Mud knobby tires are good for mud/rocks/sand, great all around. But if you are in snow areas then AT may be the ticket. That's why I use Duratracs, I'm in Canada. You can't have it all..
What I am saying is go out with what you have and you'll find out you truck's limits. Then you add things as needed.
My style is to add what I need when I need it. It is easy to get pumped up on forums to go buy things that you mat not need.
Go out and see. But never go alone.
Mud knobby tires are good for mud/rocks/sand, great all around. But if you are in snow areas then AT may be the ticket. That's why I use Duratracs, I'm in Canada. You can't have it all..
What I am saying is go out with what you have and you'll find out you truck's limits. Then you add things as needed.
My style is to add what I need when I need it. It is easy to get pumped up on forums to go buy things that you mat not need.
Go out and see. But never go alone.
Do you daily drive your truck in the winter at highway speeds?
I'm not a fan of LS and auto locking differentials if you are in an area with snow. I've had more than one truck with a LS that tried to kill me in the winter at speed due to the back end wanting to walk out in slippery conditions. . I found Limited slip diffs to only add marginal traction off road. These days I'll take an open diff or a selectable locker.
I'm not a fan of LS and auto locking differentials if you are in an area with snow. I've had more than one truck with a LS that tried to kill me in the winter at speed due to the back end wanting to walk out in slippery conditions. . I found Limited slip diffs to only add marginal traction off road. These days I'll take an open diff or a selectable locker.
A good limited slip with run at least a third of the price of most selectable lockers. Save the money and install time for when you can get the one that you want. If you drive on snow and ice in the winter selectable is very handy.
This. I have a full-time locker in the rear (a Detroit) and, while I like having it when I'm off-road (the thing just crawls over everything), I'll probably never put a full-time locker in my vehicle again. My Jeep is fine in the snow, as long as 4wd is activated, but it isn't nearly as stable as 4wd + open diffs. Keep in mind that my Jeep is my daily driver and we do a lot of trips up through the mountains in the wintertime so this is a major factor for me (same reason I would never put mud tires on my Jeep again).
At the time that I installed the Detroit, the only selectable option on the market for my Jeep were ARBs and they were significantly more expensive. If I were to do it now, I'd go the selectable Eaton E-Locker. If I were in your position, I'd just keep running the open diffs until you start to hit your limits (good tire placement and driver skill will take you very far). At that point, you could considering getting a winch or lockers.
That sounds like great advise and it also sounds like open diffs will be good enough for now. I definitely need to spend my money on tires for now. Thanks again.
Pathfinder I
I'd never had a selectable locker before my FJ. I had a Lockright in an '87 Silverado and an Aussie locker in an '00 XJ. I think I prefer a full-time locker. Then the traction is there, always on tap, not waiting for you to shift into 4-low, push a button, and allow the system to engage. A locker is a fantastic addition. The better your traction, the less you have to rely on momentum, so you can approach obstacles slower and more carefully, causing less stress on your components and likely less wear on the trails themselves.
Pathfinder I
My f350 has cable ox lockers front and rear which I can leave engaged full time on the trail which turns them in to spools, off trail and disengaged they turn back into and open dif for road manners. The u.s. army put torsen lsd in the front and rear of the h1 humvee and they work very good. My xj and disco2 have Detroit truetrac front and rear. They are great on and off road.
I’ve had Air lockers and electric lockers. I’ll never go back to Air lockers. Too many things to go wrong.
As for your truck, if you have a limited slip diff now, all you really need is a little left foot brake to get the diff to lock up quicker and not spin so much.
But back to what you’re asking, e lockers are awesome. No air compressor needed, no air lines to fail.
As for your truck, if you have a limited slip diff now, all you really need is a little left foot brake to get the diff to lock up quicker and not spin so much.
But back to what you’re asking, e lockers are awesome. No air compressor needed, no air lines to fail.
Pathfinder I
Air and electric lockers can not be left ingauged all the time on the trail. The cable ox locker can,it go from and open dif to a spool. A lsd or posi dif will go back to a open dif at about 25000 mile (the internal clutches wareout. A Detroit truetrac, Eaton truetrac or a torsen limited slip are great because they don't ware out. If my research is correct.
Yep, the Ox locker is a great fool proof piece. No electrical or air to go wrong.
I wouldn’t drive around all day long with an ox or any locker locked 24/7.
Especially if it’s daily driven or a non aggressive rock crawler.
As for the LSD, it really depends. I had a rwd car with an r160 and factory clutch type lsd and it lasted well over 150k miles of 3 times the stock hp and me driving like a hooligan.
Another was a ford that had their factory lsd and it was going strong at 90k when I decided to replace it with an arb. The plates looked great when they came out and that’s a vehicle I used the left foot brake to engage the lsd when having wheel spin.
Factory lsd’s have so much play before lock up, the discs are hard to burn out unless your beating on it.
But for off-road there is no replacement for a good selectable locker!
I wouldn’t drive around all day long with an ox or any locker locked 24/7.
Especially if it’s daily driven or a non aggressive rock crawler.
As for the LSD, it really depends. I had a rwd car with an r160 and factory clutch type lsd and it lasted well over 150k miles of 3 times the stock hp and me driving like a hooligan.
Another was a ford that had their factory lsd and it was going strong at 90k when I decided to replace it with an arb. The plates looked great when they came out and that’s a vehicle I used the left foot brake to engage the lsd when having wheel spin.
Factory lsd’s have so much play before lock up, the discs are hard to burn out unless your beating on it.
But for off-road there is no replacement for a good selectable locker!
Member III
