Quote:
Originally Posted by melkor
so can you install aussies front and rear on a dd with no ill effects? from the explanation of the aussies, it makes it sound like they would be fine.
|
There will be a negative change in handling, but it's something that can be lived with.
I had a '94 Mazda Navajo 4wd (same as a same year 2 door Explorer) as a daily driver for many years, first with a rear Lock Right locker, then with front and rear No Slip lockers (the No Slip is smoother and quieter than the Aussie).
I had the Lock Right for about 37,000 miles until it wore out, and then had the rear No Slip for about 80,000 miles until I totalled the vehicle. In the meantime, I took 2 trips from Florida to Washington State and back, 4 to Kentucky and back while towing my motorcycle on a trailer, and a few other long trips.
I managed just fine.
By the way, in the quote that you quoted, it's not locking that makes the tires squeal. It's the fact that, while the vehicle is turning right or left, only the inside tire is accelerating or decelerating the vehicle.
Since only the inside tire is moving the vehicle, and since this tire has less weight because the vehicle leans toward the outside of the turn, the tire squeals easily.
When this happens, the inside tire is rotating the same speed as the ring gear, while the outside tire is rotating faster than the ring gear.
This is also why the handling changes when you install a rear locker. When the vehicle accelerates, the inside rear tire tries to push the vehicle in a straight line. When the vehicle decelerates due to the throttle being released, the inside rear tire tries to make the vehicle pull in the direction the vehicle is turning.
The key is, when you are turning, keep steady throttle and don't change speed. Or if you have a manual transmission, push in the clutch.
If you have an automatic transmission, the torque converter will absorb some of the shock load created by a locker, and the action of a locker won't be as jerky.