I am going to agree with jay and ovrrdrive, the "issues" you hear about are really exagerated on the internet. The only time its really noticable is in parking lots and taking off from a stopsign/stoplight and going around a corner. Going around long corners I can hear it clicking, but its not as bad as people make it out to be. When people as to drive my truck i use the locker as an excuse not to let them, but its really because i dont like people other than me and a few select people driving my truck, its a great excuse lol

 

I have a lockright in my 14 bolt, so it is not an exact comparision. Nonetheless, I drove my pickup daily for months without nary a problem. In fact, it can be awefully fun in nearly any condition.

In my particular axle and size tires I was running, I never even heard it ratchet. Totally bulletproof!

 

How sensitive are you the changes modifications make to your truck? My dad hated the downey exhaust and ripped it off, but he liked the bilstein shocks. If you don't want any noticeable change in the driving characteristic get a limited slip unit. For the road driving you do it may be just traction aid you need for slippery conditions on the road and the occaisional slicks spots elsewhere.

Best advice is build your truck for where you drive it and stick with mods that are within your comfort level!

 

Two more questions:

1. When engine braking around corners, does the diff automatically lock?

2. Has anyone noticed any difference in the locker behaviour of a leaf sprung truck versus a multilink setup? All the leaf sprung trucks I've driven skip around corners when you really hammer the gas because of axle wrap, whereas the multilink 4runner I have now is smoother when the tires break loose. Does this inherent smoothness of the multilink setup translate into better locker manners?

 

The only time I can tell its back there over 5mph is if I let off the gas and then slam it back down again. Even them the truck just kind of pulls left and then right again with a thud when I hit the gas.

That's it. I can't tell any other way.

 

x2^

Matt, you really need to get down here and go for a spin. The only reminder that its there is the clunk while shifting gears. When I engine brake I do match the rpm's before I let the clutch out, for a smoother engauge and less clutch wear. I has never done anything funky to me in a corner. Even powering through a tight corner in the wet I couldnt get it to whip out. Unless you are hammering it through the corners and really givin' her hell.In fact, I was hammering it, doing very tight turns in the canadian tire parking lot the other day. The inside tire spun a little but thats it...I did however lift a front tire The locker is hardly noticable and hardly effects the driveability. Except under 5mph like Ovvrdrive mentioned. And thats only on very tight corners that you have to power through.

 

No kidding, Jay. What days are you free? I'm off work for a bit still cause of a car accident.

 

Check your pm's

 

Jay351 and I met up today so I could check out the Lockright. I wanted to test a lunchbox locker before I bought one. I am keen on getting myself a Aussie Locker as I hear they have really good manners. Lockrights are often deemed to have bad manners and are bashed often on the web. I wanted to see what of that was true.

First off, it was dry and warm outside so not much chance to see if the tail end would spin out on me, but a great opportunity for me to test out it's rumoured poor "parking lot manners". First off, I haven't spent a dime on a lunchbox so I would have no problem bashing it and telling everyone just how bad it was.

But, that wasn't the case. Plain and simple, you can barely ever hear the thing. When you do hear it, its when you're gassing around a tight corner. Only then do you hear it and it sounds like a couple pieces of gravel kicking up against the body or axle. Basically, I was straining to hear something and only then could I hear it. Standing outside of the truck as it drove, it was a little more apparent. The locker clanked once after Jay told me multiple times to stop gassing it jerkily around at full lock. I didn't even really notice the clank, it wasn't loud at all. You could compare it to having a golf ball sized rock bounce off the undercarriage. It didn't at all alarm me, in fact, if I hadn't known there was a locker there, I would have simply as the steering stops (if I were turning). The bang the locker made once after trying to provoke into doing something sounded like the steering stops doing their thing at full lock, but only maybe half as loud and only once. Jay runs relatively thin oil in his locker, so thicker oil and it would be as close as makes no difference to silent.

So the sound isn't bad, in fact its barely noticeable coming from a guy who doesn't listen to the radio much because I prefer to monitor the engine and drivetrain for unusual sounds for months after a rebuild. So why would anyone notice its there? Well, it does feel different. Having a rear locker in a tight parking lot while being throttle happy feels alot like having a part time 4x4 truck in 4wd on a high-traction surface, but to a lesser extent. The truck seems to resist rolling forward a little tiny bit. This is really easily alleviated by poking the clutch part way around a sharp turn. Not need to hold it in, just a little poke and the wind-up in the drive train disappears. On a normal city street, it isn't really noticable. Jay's 33x12.5 BFG MTs were much less transparent on road. I would also consider the lack of swaybars to be a much more obtrusive modificition than a Lockright under those conditions. I would be willing to bet, that if I had a Lockrite in my truck with my 31x10.5-R15 ATs it would be hard to notice the presence of the locker. I would be quite comfortable loaning the truck to a friend who hadn't driven it before in dry warm conditions only because I have yet to test it in slick conditions and thus cannot formulate an authentic opinion.

In conclusion the "poor manners" of the Lockright installed properly in the rear in those conditions were blown completely out out of proportion. It simply isn't nearly as big a deal as it is made out to be. It didn't take much getting used to as there wasn't much TO get used to. I have been careful to state the conditions of the test as I understand that slicker surfaces will make the presence of the locker more apparent. That said, everything in Jay's posts is true thus far and I have no reason to doubt that it is very manageable under more adverse conditions.

 

PS Jay, IFS sucks, looks bad and everyone knows you can't wheel IFS. So SAS is and sell me the BJ spacers. Everyone else, ignore this.

 

I've been playing with the idea of putting a lockrite in my rear and after reading this entire thread it has convinced me to do it. Is it something an unexperienced person can do in an afternoon in their garage? The most I've done when it comes to the rear is a pinion seal and axle seals.

Also up until this thread I didn't know there was a difference in the v6/22r differentials, 3rd on the v6 is more beefed up?

 

Hahah! I'l trade you, sas kit for bj spacers

I was glad to show you how the lockright feels. People tend to overplay its quirks, and generally, these people have never driven a truck equipped with one.

I can attest that Matt "Tested" this locker around corners harder then you would ever go on a normal drive. My loose suspension was the limiting factor in the testing (as is my tires).

Im happy I was able to shed light on this locker to a fellow 4x4'er.


I had mine installed by a local toyota gear guru when he was rebuilding my third. But from what self installers told me, its quite easy. Just need to make sure you bolt everything back in like it was before you touched it.

Yes there is a difference between the v6/4cyl third members. The v6 is a little beefier, but from what I have been told its not THAT noticable.
I still prefer to run v6 units myself, just for peice of mind.

 

p.s

stock vs.....un...stuck.

 

I'm going to order one this week

I may put end up putting one in the front end too as I have manual locking hubs and I've had the front end apart before.

 

Just ordered mine
will take pics during the install process

 

Alright!

 

This thread will never die.

For the better, I've had enough of hearing people who've never driven a auto locker bash them. If you HAVE driven a auto locker and you hated it, we want to hear about it- what did it do, was it a safety concern, what was your solution (sell it, live with it etc).

 

This thread has to be the best proof that auto lockers are not that bad.

But there are people who don't like them, click click click...

 

I'm sure if you ran just a little thicker gear oil, it would be silent.

 

My stereo drowns it out