Poll: Lockers

[schalky]

Any opinions on detroit f&r?

[wranglertj]

only thing for me that when engaged in 4wd they would always be on, that i wouldnt like. Personally i like to choose when the lockers are to be used as there are some situations when use of a locker is more dangerous than with it is disengaged

[Steve F]

I run a detroit in the rear of the XJ, it's a reasonable comparision to the JK being a longer wheelbase than the TJ and an auto. I wouldn;t run anything else, you'd barely know it was there on road no noise or anything. The big avantage they have offroad is they will disengage on turns if they are not needed, unlike an air locker where you'd have to keep switching the thing off and on all the time.

For the front I'd run an ARB.

Cheers
Steve

[dhard]

Factory Lockers are a thumbs up from me. Probably the best thing on the Rubi. As far as rear or front goes it is 6 of one half a dozen of the other for some vehicles. But in the case of the Jk I'd always go rear first as the brake lock differentials will do the job up front. Only downside of a rear locker in my experience is that sometimes they can tend to pull you back down into ruts that you are trying to climb out of but this is only in pretty bad situations. Where as front lockers effect steering and do nasty things to front axles when on full lock.

[Banshee]

I would have thought that was the point? You engage them when YOU want them in and then off otherwise. Are there some that decide when they want to cut in & out on their own? (Deliberately, I mean, not through defect.) That strikes be as being dangerous if it un/locks when you aren't expecting it.

[rodxj]

The poll's starting to look interesting, time to explain my choice. I chose a front locker for the following reasons.

My son purchased a TJ with some considerable mods: big lift, 33's, 4.56 ratios, brand name bars (front and rear) and a ARB air locker in the rear. Obviously, someone has spent a fair bit of coin putting together this beast, that should be a very capable weapon off road, yeah? WRONG!! His previous TJ had a lift, 4.10's, 33's and a True Trac detroit in the front (rear was a rebuilt factory LSD) and would go anywhere you pointed it!!

So the young bloke has shelled out the dough for this weapon, only to realise it's nowhere as capable as his previous ride.
To be honest, it was painful watching the damn thing trying to climb mildly challenging obstacles spinning wheels and getting nowhere.......
The rear locker was working, but was digging holes as the front wasn't climbing.
So.... time to put in a order for a front locker.
Do we go with the tried and proven Detroit, or give a ARB or E locker a whirl??
The only issue with the detroit was on road manners. On occasions it would engage whilst powering around a corner or braking. Apart from these issues, It worked brilliantly off road.
Time to get something more selectable...
ARB or Eaton??
I convinced him to go with a Eaton E locker. IMHO a fit and forget item....
Since fitting the front locker, it's has transformed this mall crawler into a absolute beast....I can't follow him on some trails in the Rubi......
Now IMHO the jeeps weight bias is different to the jap jobbies, TJ's have more weight over the front so this might explain why the front locker works so well.
Now the JK's are nose heavy also, but I haven't had the chance to select the front locker only ( might have to fiddle with the OEM wiring) so I don't rightly know if the front does most of the work.
But since the JK's have BLD why not fit a locker in the front, you have (almost) a OEM locker in the rear.
Good luck with what ever you choose,
Rod

[Steve F]

Originally Posted by Banshee

I would have thought that was the point? You engage them when YOU want them in and then off otherwise. Are there some that decide when they want to cut in & out on their own? (Deliberately, I mean, not through defect.) That strikes be as being dangerous if it un/locks when you aren't expecting it.

auto lockers are auto unlockers, they are locked all the time and unlock when not needed. Its not dangerous at all if there is no load and you're turning they unlock to let the diff work, an air locker wont and you have to do it.

There are a lot of myths about auto lockers.

Cheers
Steve