Traction control vs diff locks

[EugeJK]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but the way I see it is that TC is part of ESP and doesn't allow for wheels to spin; you don't want it on icy surface. TC cuts down throttle. You can just switch off TC. Now you can spin the wheels as much as you want and BLD comes into play. It monitors the wheel spin and compensate by applying lightly brakes as long as both wheel spin equally; the same applies if one wheel spins, the other doesn’t. You can shut down ESP in 4HI by holding down the ESP button for 5 sec. But BLD is always on regardless.

[Chopper in Oz]

Originally Posted by OIIIO

You answered your own question... well at least to the way I think.

I suggest that you get out and wheel it as much as you can. Work out the type of wheeling you like/want to do.

I reckon the best drivers are the ones that start with a stock car, learn to drive it to the limit and then make improvements to suit the terrain or shortfalls of the car.

If you find that the JK does what you want without lockers, doesn't make sense to spend all that $$$$, when the money could have been spend elsewhere.

IMHO the first thing to consider would be a quality set of muddies, BFG KM2's, Goodyear Wranglers or PRO COMP extremes would be a good choice for a car that sees road duties. Then sway bar discos and maybe a budget boost with better/longer shocks.

Spend your coin on a decent winch/recovery gear. (gonna save your arse more than lockers)

A ratio change with bigger rubber also has a major difference in off road performance. Once again, no good fitting lockers if you're going to change ratios later on (unless the lockers are with in the ratio range).

I'm with him. Learn to drive your new Jeep first, learn what it can and can't do and decide if these 'shortcomings' are actually that important to your style of driving.

[Crackles]

People that need lockers rarely have to ask as they would already know if they did Coupled with upgraded suspension & tyres the brake traction control system on a Wrangler will serve you more than well. In the wet it takes me alot further than my double locked Cruiser will ever go. Just remember there are some pretty extreme drivers on this site & it's unlikely you will be following them for a while at least.

[TassieMav]

I may just wade into this one...........

Just had a day back in the Tassie mud yesterday, and IMHO I need a Locker or Two!

I have a Manual CRD and there were often occasions (yesterday many of them) where the JK would sit and spin ONE wheel readily while the wheel which could have had traction had no drive (this was in 4L). This is an obvious issue with the BLD function within the ESP System. Even a good LSD (such as those found in Patrols) would at minimum transfer 20% of the drive to the wheel with traction and wouldn't have caused the vehicle to stick (or for excessive amounts of Loud Pedal to be applied to actually get through it).

I am now pricing up a Detriot Softlocker for the Rear of my JK...........

[BrisNut]

I have owned a twin LSD Patrol and in my opinion the TC/BLD system is better than that combination there were many things my Patrol negotiaed that stock Patrols with one LSD couldn't some of them did require use of the secondaries, the at low speeds the Patrol came to a halt at times and it was game over, and I needed to backup and get more momentum.

The difference with the Jeep is it comes to a halt at low speeds, I just push the foot to the floor and nothing happens for about a second or so till the computer kicks in and brakes the spinning wheels, then magically and smoothly the Jeep starts to proceed forward again if it's possible.

If a couple of seconds don't produce a result I activate the Locker/s. Sometimes I will activate the rear locker in advance. And other guys have commented how they could see the traction control working on the front unlocked wheels. In mud and sand though I suspect any throttle control is a bad thing so am going to do the ESP switch mod after the next service.

I have also noticed on the beach lockers or not the throttle control prevents any wheelspin, donuts or fun stuff even in full off mode.

[Pete_m]

I think works really well,

It's not lockers but seems to work a lot better than a LSD

Just last time I was out I felt the car lift the front right and back left, only took a split second or so and felt the power go to the other wheels and drive out of it

[tdwrangler]

Originally Posted by TassieMav

I may just wade into this one...........

Just had a day back in the Tassie mud yesterday, and IMHO I need a Locker or Two!

I have a Manual CRD and there were often occasions (yesterday many of them) where the JK would sit and spin ONE wheel readily while the wheel which could have had traction had no drive (this was in 4L). This is an obvious issue with the BLD function within the ESP System. Even a good LSD (such as those found in Patrols) would at minimum transfer 20% of the drive to the wheel with traction and wouldn't have caused the vehicle to stick (or for excessive amounts of Loud Pedal to be applied to actually get through it).

I am now pricing up a Detriot Softlocker for the Rear of my JK...........

This surprises me a bit. I have been in some pretty hairy situations with wheels off the ground etc and I can't speak highly enough of the brake-lock differential feature. The closest thing to lockers I have experienced and has always got me out of tricky situations (albeit with a few more berries than I would have needed with lockers). Certainly have never been in a situation where a raised wheel has just spun freely. Sounds to me like your brake-lock differential was not activated (which is weird because I thought it was something you couldn't turn off).