Who has an opinion on running spools on the street?

KrawlDaddy520

KrawlDaddy520

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Dec 2, 2007
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China grove
I've got an 88XJ 4.0 5speed thats my daily driver. I've got a Waggy 44 front and a Isuzu 44 rear that I am trying to find parts for but need advice on what to buy. I want to keep it as cheap as possible. The rear is geared 430 so I got a set of gears for the front to match. I'm going to spool the front and run lockouts but the rear is the real question. I want something to put in the stock case like a Lockrite but the mini spools are so cheap. I'm just looking for help deciding what to get.
 
Mini spools are just that....cheep. I've seen too many of them break the center pin with not a lot of abuse. If you want cheep and reliable get a full spool......less $$ than the lock- rite. Just my 2 cents.:beer:
 
The spool is going to put extra stress on your whole drive train. Its going to chew tires up quickly but I assume you know that.
At one point when I was younger I had a spool in my rig and I did drive it on the street and this is what I know. It is very predictable once you get use to it when its dry. No popping and kicking the back end out or anything crazy like a locker sometimes does. In the rain is a different story. The back end will slide quite a bit when turning if you give it too much throttle, so you'll have to creep around turns. Be careful when its wet and know it not going to handle well, it is a 4wd. Other than the obvious that's about it. I will add that if it was my rig, I'd put a lock right in the front and a spool in the rear and sacrifice tires for steering offroad. Its a pain to get out and lock and un lock the hubs cause you can't steer.
 
I'd run locker in rear, spool in front with hubs to disengage on street so you can still steer . This will save tires and you can get all locked up on the trail. Moldman05.
 
A spool on the street in the rear is fine. The big problem is your axles. If you had 60's or 9" rear I'd say go for it. I don't know about the isuzu 44, but I think they have small shafts and an aluminum pumpkin so might break it like a D35. Also if I remember right you can't easily install a lockright in it because it's different from a normal 44.
 
I'm running a rear spool (9") w/ no problems.....but it is tough on lighter axles.
 
i had a rull spool on a tj 44 and boggers and drove it serval times to ure w/ no issues. it was my daily driver for about 8mths too. rough ride but its what i wanted. its very predictable, it didnt kill the boggers like i thought it would. the shorter the wheel base the better i belive. if it were me id go spool.
 
The Isuzu 44 is basically a D44 with dis brakes. No alumn housing or anything.
I drive my YJ on the road quite a bit with a spool and do not notice any different road manners except the chirping of the tires when turning. I vote for a rear spool and a front lockright as well. ( Cperry has good deals on them) Trying to turn while wheeling will suck with a spooled front.
 
I've run my minispool in my 8.8 and really didn't mind the manners of it. I just knew it would destroy my tires in short time if left in there for too long. The one great thing about it was the 3 wheel turns. I got some strange looks from other drivers.
 
my vote is for rear full spool, and front lockrite. Having mine setup this way is 100x more predictable driving on the street than w/ the detroit. It actually comes off the corner easier now, than with the detroit. The only concerns are, chirping of tires around turns, and too much throttle in the rain....well lets just say, pay close attention to what you are doing.
 
spool

Thanks for the info. It does concern me about the 44 axle shafts with the spool. I also left out on small detail. I'm running 36x12.50 SX's. So if this changes anything LMK. Thanks
 
I ran a spool on my FSB with 36" sx tires on the street. It was very predictive, unlike a locker, especially around corners. On snow and icy roads, it was crap, so if you plan to run it on any roads like that at anytime, you may want to consider the locker.

I ran shulls mill road shortcut on a ski trip and that road is poorly plowed. I am glad I had a winch on the bronco as I used it 7 times because the spool always broke traction around the turns. Something to consider if you are using it on a snowy/icy road.
 
my rear Detroit made for sloppy shifts with manual trans, spool is tight. I would never run a mini spool
 
Be watchful with the Isuzu 44, I've heard that the wheel studs tend to either spin in the hub, or break when installing, or removing wheels. My understanding was that people picked these up for the rear disc brake assembly or to score on a quick ring & pinion.
Anyway, full spool rear, lockrite front.
Later, T.J.
 
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