I gotta regear my 4runner since the 35" swampers are a bit too big for the 4.10's, so I'm going with some 5.29's. she's a daily driver, but still sees mud a couple few times a week. I have never driven anything with lockers before. I had a chevy with the gov grenade loc, but i don't think that really counts. whats my best option for extra traction in the mud, while still having decent road manners (not that theres a whole lot as it is)?

So far from what I've researched, I'm leaning towards truetrac in the front and rear, but id really appreciate any feedback from those of you who think i have a better option

 

I like my Yukon locker but if I had the money I would have done dual arb's. If anything do an auto lock in the back and leave the front open you will be amazed at what just a locker in the rear will do for you. But if your dead set on the front also save up for an ARB. From what I have read on here selectable is best in front otherwise with front and back auto locked it gets to be a whole othe beast. Search locker on here and I'm sure you will figure it out.

 

take a peek around the forums and you'll find lots of reviews and folks with similar questions.

This is the "offroad tech" part of the forum. Scroll through the pages and you'll find lots https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f31/

You more or less have to decide for yourself what your looking for, which compromises you want to make, and how much you want to spend. Sounds like you already have a basic idea, but may as well read up lots and understand it all before you spend hard earned money.

 

cheapest is a spool.

 

ARB air locker with the high output compressor, do it once and do it right

 

I like this guys thinking ^^^^^ I did the same thing to mine. I could have bought lots of beer with the $700 extra I spent on each arb instead of a lunchbox locker. Totally worth it.

 

I had a spool locker in the rear of my 86rte until I tiook it out to build a rear steer crawler. It chews up tires and makes alot of noise when you turn. Espescially a uturn. I would go detroit ratchet lockers. They allow the inside wheel to spin no slower than the drive line while the outer wheel can ratchet and rotate faster as needed. Saving your tires, and keeping you locked all the time.

 

86yota has a point though. Do it once and do it right. Great way to think about everything!

 

I've had a Aussie locker for a few years now and Love it! So I'd go with a Aussie or Detroit ratcheting locker in the rear and a ARB up front if you want to lock up both ends. A locker makes a world of difference when out on the trails.

 

Is it the factory IFS in the front or did you SAS it? IIRC I've read that lockers in the front of an IFS rig with tires larger than 35s are not nice to CV shafts.

If not, please don't mind my idiocy.

 

Find yourself an E-locker and be done with it if you want a selectable, all Toyota stuff, no compressor or air lines to deal with.

FWIW, my daily driver has a welded rear, doesn't bug me, it hops/scuffs/chirps around tight corners on pavement, and sometimes pushes the front wide in a corner but that's about it. I'd rather have the traction and not need it than need it and not have it. I ran a Detroit for a long time, but at least in a pickup, the rear end is so light that I can count on one hand the times it ratcheted. Only time it would unlock is when I had the truck in neutral or the clutch disengaged. But, aside from the E-locker, if I wasn't going to weld a diff, it'd get an aussie or spartan. I like the way welded/spooled drives myself.

 

the idea of an ARB locker is fantastic, but just not really on my agenda at the moment. when the SAS comes along one day, i will most definitely be going with a selectable locker, but for the time being, i just wanna keep it simple. spool/weld is out of the question, as i do far too much city driving and that would annoy me to no end.

and im confused now. is a detroit and aussie different from other automatic lockers? i saw the ratcheting term come out when i was reading up, but i just thought it was another name for the automatic lockers. are there non ratcheting auto lockers as well?

and as for the front, i know lockers would be hard on IFS with my swampers, but the only time it would get used is in the mud, so how bad could it really be?

 

i <3 my detriots, my 5.29s and detriot 3rds cost 1000 a pop from low range but good luck getting stuck and town driving isnt bad either

 

I love the true-trac in the back of mine. The thing I like best is that you don't notice it until you need it. It's incredibly street friendly.

 

Yeah I do like the idea of truetrac a lot. Im just trying to figure out how much different a full locker would do in the mud and if that would be worth it for the trade off in road manners. Mud tires are expensive and I don't wanna wear them out any faster than I need to

 

My main input here is to not bother locking the front if you're planning to sas it. Mostly a waste of money.
I have a welded rear in my '83 and some unknown lunchbox locker in the front. I can tell you I don't mind the full time, 100% locked rear in the '83, but when I first installed my e-locker into the runner and it was stuck in the locked position, it had lots of lean in corners caused by the locked state. I'm thinking the biggest difference in handling is due to 1 being leaf sprung all around, the other ifs and coil sprung and linked.
Yours may be in between the 2, being ifs but leaf sprung in the rear.

 

When I was IFS, I put a Lockrite in the rear. Best upgrade I did at the time. Never had an issue so far.

Now that I'm SAS'd, Ive got a Lockrite up front too. That, 5.29s and twin sticks, and it's a completely different beast.

5.29s plus Lockrite in the rear is good. If you can afford a different locker, go for it.

 

can't go wrong for 100$ with install kit g2 spool

to help these dig


their mounted now btw, and will be powered by 22re on pane.

 

Same set up... cant complain. 3 out of 4 wheels aint bad. Holding off on the front till i sas

 

i love the simplicity of a spool, but i feel like that would chew up the swampers like nobodys business with all the city driving i do. i also need to think about whats gonna be easier to install as well. im not really sure if any one is harder than another, but im a noob. never even opened a diff before. but im really mechanically inclined.