leroybrown

ok, finally installed the spartan in the front diff. if you didn't read my first post i drive with the hubs locked... always. i drive a 4-door hilux and i have to say i can't notice it's there in 2wd. this may be due to my longer wheelbase. there is no clicking in 2wd. i just drove home in the rain and it doesn't do anything funny. hard to steer in 4wd. the truck wants to go in a straight line but it's well worth it. works just like a spool in 4wd. awesome flip your truck over traction. installation was easy after taking off the wheels, brakes, brake lines, bearings and axles. what a long job. i can't begin to tell you how many beers you're going to need. by the time you're done you'll probably be too loaded to drive.

skatemn

been looking into putting a spartan in my rear diff.
With a locker in the rear will i see adverse effects in the snow? kinda new to this but seeing as i live in Wa most of my wheeling spots are around mt rainer so they are covered in snow during the winter

leroybrown

well, had the locker in the front for a few months now. initially i kept the front hubs locked all the time and it worked great. that was until my front left wheel came off. the lock nut on the bearing assembly came off and the wheel traveled sideways heating up my brake disc. note to others; if this happens to you, stop! i tried to make it home and it ended up costing me a bunch of money. i don't know if it was the extra strain from the locker or i screwed up the bearing installation somehow. this locker does work great in 2wd with the front hubs locked. now i just lock up on the morning of offroad days.
i would like to hear from somebody how the rear tire wear is with the spartan in the back.

Sensei

I'm sure others will chime in so in reference to your question regarding rear tire wear; I run Spartans front and back on my 85 truck. They have been in for about 16 months, daily driven. No abnormal or increased rear tire wear.
You have to learn how to drive around corners and slow manuvering. It's an adjustment to driving style but a minor one. It'll pop once in while under certain conditions.

I'm extremely happy with them and the jeep boys are extemely pissed that my lowly little 85 can do everything they do, sometimes more.

leroybrown

ok; locker now installed in rear. let me say this; going from no lockers to lockers is like 2wd to 4wd. yukon gears are wearing really fast. i changed the front diff for the back diff due to the wear. but the spartan from the front seems fine. the spartan does not fit in the limited slip diff, so you have to find an open carrier. the open carrier has a smaller bearing top and bottom. i had to get a sleeve welded on. no biggie if you have cheap fab available. i sure hope the spartans last longer than the yukon gears. both great mods. i'll repost my tire wear.

Red Wagon

How bad for these are the loud bangs that happen in corners?

Should I be concerned when it does this and is anything being damaged? It happens a fair bit driving around town.

20ozjolt

this worries me is there more to this?
bad back lash?
what was the cause?

leroybrown

i'm pretty sure the backlash was fine. i'm not sure how the front is wearing in the back diff. way too hard to check. the spartan seemed fine. it was only the pinion gear that was badly worn.
after driving with lockers in the front and back i would like to say that the automatic locker in the front is great as it is only on when engaged. the back however is a pain in the butt. i go around every corner trying to protect my precious tires. the amazing thing is there doesn't appear to be any additional wear. however, next time i'll save up for a truetrac or something more road friendly.

Red Wagon

I'm with you leroy, if you DD your rig get a selectable if you can.

For winter up here in the sub-arctic I have to leave it on 4x4 all the time or the ass end kicks out all over the place. Mind you with the light rear of a 4Runner it does it already but it is more noticeable with the locker.

On the plus side, doughnuts are so much fun to do now.

rock01

Hiiiiiiiiiiiii welcome to forem site Welcome to the forums
vance uyeah that's what I heard. I have also heard you can
tweak the lunch box type lockers in how much they need to lock/unlock, but haven't
really looked into it yet, also I have been thinking a trutrac or retrofitting a
supra LSD or similar instead of a lunchbox. ARB will most likely be out of the
question due to budget constraints and a spool is out of the question as well.
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clacker

does anyone have any long term reviews on the spartan? i am looking at putting them in to my weekend truck with ifs in the front running 35s and going to be installing 5.29s at the same time

leroybrown

i'm running 35's on 5:29's. the lockers work ok. if you really put them to the test they click... a lot. if i could do it over again, i'd save up for a true trac in the back. i don't like driving in 2wd with the front locked. with an open diff in the front it's always locked and i don't have to get out if i want to play around. if you can only afford one, put it in the back. these are definitely not a heavy-duty product. i can see the day a small detonation sets off a chain reaction of nuclear fission in my diff. FYI; tire wear in the rear is not noticeable. almost makes me want to put a spool in the rear. if you like attention, the bang n' clang while driving around turns a lot of heads.

87runner_

iTrader: (1)

I'm quite happy with the Spartan's I put in the front and read. Regeared them to 4.56's (and all new bearings and such). After my initial rebuild, I ran them with cheap WalMart dyno oil for a good 500 miles on city streets and rush-hour traffic in 4 HI (but front wheels were not locked). Then, drained out the dyno oil and refilled them with Redline Heavy Shockproof gear oil. I'm very happy with the setup ...well, at least I was...until the truck got totaled on July 5th. :'-( ...looking for another chassis to swap all my parts over to.

As a side note...I broke the left front axle while wheeling (got stuck, long story). Locker didn't break. When front wheels are locked it sure pulls to the right very hard! The Skyjacker steer stabilizer doesn't do much here.

clacker

I have one in the front now, detroit in the back with the 5.29s. only taken it out a couple times but it climbed 4ft walls without spinning a tire. with the 63" chevs its a little bouncy but otherwise awesome and will hold me over a while until i get the straight axle ready to go

mikesnyhere

lunchboxed front n back . steers heavy with torque steer - hubs locked . would not want to drive in snow , and would not drive on ice . it is fantastic in rocks and with ifs wheel lifting . and i think it has kept the cv's from exploding . it doesn't allow low traction wheel to spin too fast then come to a sudden stop with traction . they are fast, easy, cheap, and get the job done for me socal desert and local mountains perfect .