RobD

Alrighty, I read through the section on lockers and have decided to ask for advice from people who are running them.

My plans go like this: I want to install a Toyota e-locker in the rear of my 4Runner and a Lock Right in the front. My front end has manual hubs and the ADD has been bypassed.

I spend most of my time on road, in all sorts of conditions ranging from dry to deeper snow. It will be going off road in some deeper mud and snow, not so much for rock-crawling.

The question is such: does this setup sound like a good compromise for on- and off-roading?

Turbo4Runner

I wouldn't want an auto locker in the front (or rear for that matter) as any snowy road conditions would likely be pretty scary.

Go ARB Front and Rear and there's really no performance compromise.

RobD

Well, I'm on a budget and while I'd love the ARBs front and rear, I can't justify the nearly $2000 for the lockers and compressor to go with. Is an auto locker in the front really that bad once you adapt your driving to them?

4rnr

I like auto lockers better than ARB's or e-lockers. But if you drive on the street in the snow you dont want to be locked up, you will lose your anchor wheel and your truck wont want to go in a strait line.

For off road I think the best setup (by far) is auto lockers front and back. They lock when you want and unlock when you dont. And they dont lock after you are already stuck.

BTW I see you are Ifs with a 3.4.....DONT LOCK THE FRONT!

Turbo4Runner

I can't say first hand as I have not had one but the logic behind them tells me that its very possible in slick conditions there will not be enough traction for the front locker to release allowing wheels to turn at different speeds, this would result in major understeer. If this were my primary vehicle for driving on snowy roads, I would not want that behavior. If it were primarily used off road i'm sure it would be fine.

RobD

My truck is sort of like a Swiss Army knife. I want it to be versatile for lots of different things, but not specific to being exceptional at one thing. If that makes sense. So, with the 3.4, I should just get an e-locker for the rear and forget about the front, or save up the ton of cash and go ARB for selectability? This is my great conundrum.

RobD

That's sorta what I'm trying to get at with this thread. I want to hear from people who have experience with similar setups and what advice they have. I appreciate your input.

Hayes

I plan on running a spool in the rear and a lunchbox in the front. That being said, if I planned on running my rig on the street a lot I would go with the lunchbox in the rear and the e-locker in the front.


Of course, ARB's are a wheelers wet-dream.

AxleIke

Yeah. They are great. Spooled when I want em, open when I want em. Far superior to autolockers in every arena.

I've driven them all.

Your plan sounds workable, except for the lunchbox up front in the snow. Lunchbox lockers lock up in the snow, on turns, because it "feels" like it needs to. The wheels slip, with no traction, and the locker thinks it's time to lock.

I have driven a detroit locked truck in the snow. I couldn't stand it. I have simulated a fully spooled truck at 30 mph in an empty parking lot. I about crapped my pants.

Lock the rear with whatever you want. If you see snow with the front, I'd either go ARB or nothing at all.

86tuning

Definately do the e-locker in the rear. As for the front, I dunno. But definately do the rear.

RobD

From the sounds of things, since I'm not using it as a trail only rig and the fact that it's my DD, the recommendation is to just get an e-locker for the rear and, at some point, if I think the need is there, to ARB the front.

AxleIke

Yes. That is the recomendation. Lots of people get used to a rear auto locker in the snow. I'm not one of them, but it can be done. So, that would be my second choice. Auto lock rear, arb front.

tc

x2

As for not locking the front for fear of damage ... hooey. The way you describe your use of the truck, you are MORE likely to break front components from excessive wheelspin due to being open than you are to being locked. A locker is only more dangerous when you get a wheel wedged in somewhere - ie pretty hardcore rockcrawling. Oh, and if your wheel is wedged that bad, you ain't making that line anyways and need to back off and try again.

GV27

If I were you I'd just do the e-locker in the back and save up for an ARB in the front.

I guess you can get used to an auto-locker in the snow but it certainly reduces the capabilities of the truck in the snow. I like to drive way too fast in the snow and "go real slow, be careful and you can do it" just doesn't cut it for me.

This does bring me to a funny story about my idiot neighbor the other day. He has a TRD Taco and thinks the e-locker is the end-all, be-all (he's right - when you know how to use it. He doesn't.) and just locks it immediately when it snows and slides all over the place and can't understand why. I kept telling him that was the wrong thing to do but he wouldn't listen. So a couple weeks ago our hill (very steep with a LOT of crown - I routinely drive up it pretty sideways in the winter) was SUPER slick with a fairly narrow plowed lane and the shoulders just full of snow. Trying to get up the hill with that locker locked, he just kept sliding off the crown of the road and into the deep snow. Locker helped him there and he was able to back up in the deep snow, drive back up onto the crown drive a few yards and slide back into the deep snow. So I happen to drive up behind him and get out to see what the problem is. I tell him to unlock and drive home but he doesn't want to and does his slide off the crown routine a couple more times. So I finally tell him that he can choose between two options: I can hook up and tow is embarrassed butt home (that was a ruse - it was so slick I barely made it myself, no way I was towing him up the hill) or he can unlock and drive home. He says something along the lines of "well, just to show you that won't work I'll do it". And he drove home. Now he thinks there's something wrong with his locker and is planning to take it to the dealer to be fixed as soon as the weather improves. He's a nice guy but he was on the can or something when the brains were passed out!

RobD

Guys, I appreciate all the advice. Now it comes down to e-locker the rear or just save up to do ARBs front and rear...

Out of curiousity, is there any such thing as an e-locker for the front, or any other type of driver-selectable locker, other than ARB?

EWAYota

you can put a elocker in the front......after you do a SAS.

Gator

Why not do an e-locker in the rear and a LSD (such as the Detroit True Trac) in the front? If the e-locker is a problem, have you thought about LSD in front and rear?

AxleIke

Having had a detroit true trac, I will say they are highly UN recommended. I hated mine with a passion.

Basically you are paying for a slightly unopen diff. It will keep your tires spinning as long as you have both wheels on the ground, but as soon as you start to flex, its like an open diff. If you lift a tire, forget about it.

For the money you save, its better off open

RobD

From the sounds of things, the unpredictable nature of a Lock Right or similar is undesirable in the front.

That said, I'll look at locking the rear for now and locking the front later. As for doing a SAS...well, I doubt that will be anytime soon. If ever.

shaeff

e-lock the rear, ARB the front, get the large compressor. i've decided against a true trac for the front of my IFS rig.