Locker dilemma (daily driver)

maulcruiser

maulcruiser

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Location
Bladenboro/Wilmington, NC
I'm going to order some re-geared thirds from ECGS soon, and I'm wanting to add a locker to the rear while they're assembling it. I've not owned a vehicle with an automatic locker before to fully know the handling characteristics and other side effects, but I have owned vehicles that were either selectable or spooled. I have driven a truck with automatic lockers to know they're noisy and such, but it was only twice.

The trucks with spools were SUVs and trail toys, so I accepted the handling characteristics. The truck I have driven with an automatic locker was also an SUV, so the weight was well distributed and didn't cause that many driving quirks. My previous Tacoma had the e-locker that I hadn't modified, so I could only use it in 4-low.

What I currently have is a daily driver '96 extended cab V6 Tacoma with the 8.4" rear axle.

My questions are these:

Which style locker would you be more likely to run (lunchbox, Detroit, ARB)? I have a quote from ECGS for the ARB, but I'm feeling cheap. I also have excluded the factory e-locker as I don't want to downgrade carrier strength nor modify my existing housing.

Snow and ice aren't a large concern here on the coast, but it is a 5-speed, which I understand creates a lot of the bangs and quirky handling with automatic lockers, especially going from drive/coast/drive in turns.

With an automatic locker in such a light truck, would tire wear be noticeably higher?

Is there anything I'm overlooking?
 
I am running a lockrite in the rear of my xj, daily driver. tires wear fine, does unload at times giving a bit of a jerk. I have no complaints.
 
I have a Detroit in one truck and a Grizzly in the other. No real complaints about either one. Sometimes they unlock between gears (both trucks are 5 speed) , but it's nothing annoying.
 
I had a 96 Bronco 5.0 with a 5-speed on 35s that I added Detroits too.

I use to LOVE that bronco. Daily drove it and occasionally trailed it. made it up Daniel open/open but determined I really needed lockers to have real fun in it.

Had magnum44 in pilot put the Detroits in and on the ride back to winston damn near crashed it a dozen times. To say detroits/lunchbox lockers make a manual transmission DD "quirky" is a true understatement.

I sold the Bronco a few months after...it was just way too much work on the streets, and I at the time didn't have a tow rig or trailer.

This time around I decided to go Electric instead of auto. life is SO much easier
 
Funny you mention that story about your Bronco. The only vehicle that I've driven with an automatic locker was also a Bronco with an NP435 on 36" tires. It was a very soft suspension with no swaybars. It was...interesting.
 
I think the wheelbase has a lot to do with how they act.
 
I'm on my 3rd vehicle with Detroit in the rear! Maybe I've grown accustomed to them, or been lucky, but I Wont complain. Rarely does it unload or jerk. The BANG scares you more than the jerk! I'm running e-locker in the front, but cost is the same as ARB. Just Electric vs. tha air. Maybe you need the Detroit Easy locker, or Auburn.
 
I'd go ARB.
 
I had a Detroit in the factory Nissan axle and kept one when I went to one-tons. The only place I get annoyed with it is tight parking lot maneuvers. It bangs just every once in a while. Keep the tires inflated so the rolling radius is as equal as possible and the handling quirks should be minimized. I also have a Lock-Right in my Blazer and it drives on the street just fine.
 
I've been hemming and hawing over this question for a few days. We've had several vehicles with rear Detroits, and have put ... fuck if I know how many miles on them, but it's in the tens of thousands of miles. In fact, I drove one of them to work this morning. They drive just fine, but they definitely come with a few drawbacks.

1. Rear tire wear. Every one we've ever had would burn the shit out of some rear tires, especially the right rear. The pickup was the worst. If you're on the gas in a corner, you're spinning a tire. If you're planning on putting a lot of miles on the vehicle, the tire wear alone would probably pay for an ARB after the first set of rubber.
2. Snow and ice. If the snow is 6" deep or more, it's fine. If the snow is 1" or less, you might as well be driving a Vette with summer tires. That bitch isn't going anywhere in a straight line.

You can adjust to the locking/unlocking quirks (and as evidenced by the folks that have had them for years and have "no problems" driving them, that's certainly true). The quirks are worse with stick shifts and shorter WB, but they never go away, and the two points above don't change whether you have a manual or auto, a 130" WB or an 85" WB.

If it were me, I'd spend whatever extra to get an Eaton or ARB or whatever that's selectable. Then upgrade the onboard air.... because once you have it, you'll use it all the time, and you'll hate that it's so damned slow.
 
With it being a daily driver, and I could afford it, I would go with a Limited slip on both ends. They will work great in the sand, or in the snow, so so on the trails, but more like an open on the harder stuff.
Smooth, quiet, and I am happy with the limited in just the rear of my DD.
 
I'd go selectable, I've had times when my rear locker wouldn't disengage for about 500ft or so on asphalt... yeah my JK with a stock wheelbase and 38.5s doesn't turn worth a shit. I did at least a 5 point turn in a parking lot then realized my rear locker wouldn't disengage. It was annoying as hell.

My k5 that's got a 4spd and will be 108-110 wheel base on 40s, that experience with my jeep has let me to say screw it and put an ARB back there.


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I'm getting about the same responses that I have read on other boards. It's mostly 50/50 on auto vs. selectable and a vote here and there for limited slip. I feel I'm going to have to ante-up and put the ARB in the rear to give myself the best of both worlds. Thanks for all the insight, guys!
 
I've never heard anyone regret ARB/electric and wish they'd have gone automatic....but I'm not hard core enough to really be any good
 
My last 2 rigs had lockrights in them. 1 was an 89 Toyota Pickup and the other was an 87 4runner. Both were 5 speed. I just got used to holding in the clutch while making turns. I DDd them a bunch. Rig now has a full spool and I like that so much more even for DD duty. People look at you weird when you are in the grocery store parking lot rolling around at idle chirping a tire when turning.

My vote would be either full spool and keep the tires rotated or selectable. After driving the full spool, Ill probably never go back to an automatic locker.
 
frankenyoter said:
Since the vehicle in question is a Toyota, why not get an e locker from a trd? Or even easier, swap complete axle.
Click to expand...

E-locker rear is weaker than my 8.4". How much weaker? Probably marginal. That, and I didn't want to buy an axle only to swap the gears in it, so I've ordered the ARB with new gears from ECGS.
 
I beat on my 83 yota on 38's with stock axles I broke the spider gears and did have any axle failure

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maulcruiser said:
E-locker rear is weaker than my 8.4". How much weaker? Probably marginal. That, and I didn't want to buy an axle only to swap the gears in it, so I've ordered the ARB with new gears from ECGS.
Click to expand...
I have never heard of anyone actually having problems w/ "weakness" from the e-locker carrier.
If it was me I have had ECGS source a rear axle housing from the same '96-99 4Runner that they bought the selectable locker from, and swap it all out together.

I did the mod to retrofit the E-locker into my '89 rear end. It really was not so bad, but come to think of it I'd bet the bill to just have ECGS do that mod to yours would be less than the cost of buying and replacing the matching housing.
 
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