Locker Choice Help

ncsutj

ncsutj

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Concord
I need help deciding which lockers to put in my TJ on 35s 4.0 5 speed. D30 front stock and D44 rear with cromo shafts currently geared 4.10 and open. I would eventually like to regear to 4.56 or 4.88. I only drive it on the street around town or to work occasionally and trailer it to trails.

1) Spartan locker front and rear. Cheap and easy and don't have to mess with gear setup.

2) Detroit in the rear and leave front open

3) ARB or elocker in the rear and leave front open

If I go with option 2 or 3 I feel like I should go ahead and regear while it's apart. Which means regearing both axles and putting lockers in both =$$$$$.

I know everyone has their own favorite locker option and reading the Detroit vs ARB thread is what has me undecided.
 
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I'd go with the spartan and mini spool if you don't drive it often. Then never worry about rear on trail. Buddy broke the pins on his in the rear and it was hell getting him out. I'm so cheap so that's why I went the way I did the Spartans are tough, broke one cross pin and bent another that caused the case to break. Your cases will be the weak point if you go with spartans
 
I started the "Detroit vs ARB" thread and I decided to go with the Detroit in the rear based solely on cost.

Just a question, why are you not locking the front?
 
ncsutj said:
I need help deciding which lockers to put in my TJ on 35s 4.0 5 speed. D30 front stock and D44 rear with cromo shafts currently geared 4.10 and open. I would eventually like to regear to 4.56 or 4.88. I only drive it on the street around town or to work occasionally and trailer it to trails.

1) Spartan locker front and rear. Cheap and easy and don't have to mess with gear setup.
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#1, For exactly the reasons you stated. Especially since you plan on going back in to regear later, you could always revisit your choice and drop in a selectable front or Detroit rear.
You might want to consider a 2lo kit for wheeling easy stuff, instead of the selectable front.
 
Of all those options. 2 or 3 and regear it at the same time. Throw a spartan or something cheap up front while you do it, won't cost much at all extra.
 
BigClay said:
I started the "Detroit vs ARB" thread and I decided to go with the Detroit in the rear based solely on cost.

Just a question, why are you not locking the front?
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Not that I don't want to lock the front just don't know if I want to spend that much to do both.

Have you installed the Detroit yet? What is your jeep geared?
 
I probably posted all this in the other thread, so you know what I think already. But I'll say it again.

Auto lockers suck on the street. They chew up tires, they understeer if you're on the gas and oversteer if you're not. They buck and kick when you're trying to navigate in tight places. They tear up your yard or gravel driveway.

They're fine on the trail, except maybe for the steering pump getting hot from fighting the locker. We put that big PSC cooler kit on Cyd's and it's been fine in that respect since.

Tradarcher said:
You don't have to regear just because you install a detroit. Often times the backlash is still within spec after you do.
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It's probably 3.08 or 3.73 or something right now.
 
ncsutj said:
Not that I don't want to lock the front just don't know if I want to spend that much to do both.

Have you installed the Detroit yet? What is your jeep geared?
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I am geared 4.10 now but have 4.88s going in when I get the Detroit installed.
 
Is there a ratio # on Detroit or others, where you have to get a different one? Like Carrier's that only go to 3.73, and a 4.56 would need a different case? I'm using those numbers as an example.
 
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with an ARB rear and Spartan front and regear.

So now the question is 4.56 or 4.88?
 
I'd suggest 4.56 if you drive it much on the road, which I don't think you do. 4.88 if it's mainly for the trails.
I've driven TJs with 4.88 and 35s, it ain't bad at all but some people may think it's a bit too low.
 
I loved mine with 4.56 gears and 35s. With the stroker you never had to get out of 5th gear. When I went to 36" Iroks (37" actual height), 4.56s were mostly fine but a little lacking in the higher gears. Assuming yours is a manual and youre not going bigger than 35s, I'd say go 4.56. But if you're already on 4.10s, I might not even regear, haha.
 
Yes it's a manual and no it's not driven on the street much. Just around town or when we get snow once every couple of years.

The reason I want to regear is for better crawl ratio. I feel like now it's not low enough. A new np231 4 to 1 kit is $1200. Regearing is cheaper. Are there other options?
 
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I'd re-gear. You'll be lessening the torque load on the driveshaft, output shaft, & axles. I twisted a couple driveshafts, & output shafts, breaking one, while turning 3.54 gears. Now I'm 4.56.
 
ncsutj said:
Yes it's a manual and no it's not driven on the street much. Just around town or when we get snow once every couple of years.

The reason I want to regear is for better crawl ratio. I feel like now it's not low enough. A new np231 4 to 1 kit is $1200. Regearing is cheaper. Are there other options?
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Go 4.88s then. Or you could probably do a doubler, but then you need to do a D300 to gain driveline length back, so it's not worth it.
 
Or.... hold out until a pair that's already geared and locked comes up for sale, then buy those for half price, swap the good stuff off of your current ones, and sell the rest.

Then complain frequently on the board about how you really wish your axles had different lockers or a different gear ratio.... er... um...


Nevermind.
 
I've had a Lock Right in the front of my Samurai for about 8 years. It has surprised me with the amount of abuse it has taken. It has survived a broken chromo shaft and two sets of lockout mounting bolts shearing off. A few years ago it started a weird behavior though. The locker will intermittently lock for about the first hour on cold (below freezing) mornings. After about an hour of trail riding it warms up and starts working like normal and is fine for the rest of the day. A Lock Right is also awesome when coupled with a 2 low kit in the TC since it unlocks when no power is to it which makes steering MUCH easier.
 
Full spool rear when you regear and selectable in the front.

I have a full spool in the rear of mine and a lockright in the front. I DD mine almost every day (only 5 miles to work).
 
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