hello. i currently have a mostly stock toyota 4x4. i wanted to put elockers in the rear but the only ones i can find are about 800-900$.. i was wondering if someone could give me a link or tell me where i could possibly find them cheaper. i dont off-road often which i why i decided to go with elockers. it seems like a rather steep price though. im also told posi would be good aswell. any help would be appreciated.

 

if you dont off road much i would go posi. or get a lock rite locker.

 

i havent really heard good things about lockrites.. this is also my daily driver.

 

Sounds like you need to educate yourself 1st so search "elocker retrofit". Also, you don't put elockers in the rear, you put an elocker (just one). Where'd you get that price, from the dealer? It's not just a matter of bolting it in, you need to do modifications to your axle housing or swap your entire rear axle out with an elocked axle. You can find elocked 3rd members used for $300-500 range, but you also need to match your gear ratio or change the front diff ratio to match the new one. An ARB locker (also selectable) is another option. Search and research..

 

Well put brian.

 

if it were me and I drove on the street alot, I'd rather have the elocker or a limited slip over a spool or lockrite. The $$$ you save over them will be put into tires instead. This way I can keep good tires good and not wear them down.

On a side note, spool units should be reserved for off-road only rigs.

 

"Posi" and "limited slip" are the same thing and are great for a DD. A selectable locker (ARB or elocker) are the best for a DD. A spool allows no slip (the same feeling as welding your spider gears) and is the absolute worst for a DD and your tires. Lockright and Aussies (aka lunchbox lockers) are the cheapest and easiest to install and are ok for a DD. A Detroit locker is a step above a lunchbox because it comes with a new stronger carrier, but it ratchets like a lunchbox so it feels about the same as a lunchbox, just a little smoother.

 

yup, mis spoke I guess, LSD does = posi. sorry for the confusion.

 

so i should go with a posi or detroit? i dont really want to go with an arb. also i was looking at the detroits aswell. this is my daily driver, and i dont want to replace tires that often. Detroit sounds pretty nice though. i also have another question, does anyone know the stock gear ratio for an 88 4x4 p/u?

 

Posi or detroit depends on how much wheeling you do. A detroit is a locker so both wheels will move together when you're on the gas. Posi will still let one tire spin if you hang it in the air, but they still give better traction than an open diff. I love my ARBs and they work great so if you can afford em, get em. The ARB carriers are also stronger than elockers and you won't have the problems with the actuator sticking. Air leaks can happen with the ARBs, but if installed properly they don't leak unless the lines get old and dried out/cracked. Mine are just fine. The Detroits are cheaper, but a ratcheting locker will never be as smooth as a selectable locker on the road. I don't find them anywhere near intolerable for a DD personally, but I went with ARBs because I prefer open diffs on packed snow or ice.

There are online gear code charts, but I don't believe in those myself. They are known to be wrong. Do the spin and count method to be sure...
Lift a back tire off the ground (only one) and have a buddy spin it exactly 2 times while you count how many revolutions the driveshaft makes. Mark the driveshaft and the tire with white-out or something so it's easier to count the revos. Almost 4 driveshaft revos = 3.90s, a little over 4 = 4.10s, 4 1/3 = 4.30s, 4 1/2 = 4.56, and so on.

 

thanks brian. ive also considered just welding the rear end.. but thats just what a friend is suggesting... and i can get this done for free, but idk..

 

when he says an elocker he doesnt have to get a factory toyota one, they make aftermarket elockers just like ARBs, i dont think theyre that much, but ive been wrong before

 

No one who knows what they are doing would weld a rear end on a DD. Now a trail rig that gets trailered to the dirt, sure why not. but even then, welding spider gears is weak so if anything, I would spool a trail rig rather than weld it. Especially because they aren't that costly. But for a DD, you might as well just weld the front diff too and only drive in straight lines (sarcasm).

 

I have never heard of an Eaton elocker (or any other brand) available for Toyota, but they are an option for domestic trucks.

 

i just learned something new! i swear i saw an eaton on marlin crawlers site once, just looked and, nooooooope. i was wrong, thanks for correcting me. and marlin's elocker is 1300 in a full assembled 3rd and you can choose new gears. waaaaayyy to expensive for me and the OP! He should get a tru trac in my opinion since he doesnt wheel much, no locker noise and whatnot on the road, and it wont wear out like a normal lsd. and 4crawler has writeup about how you can use it be almost as effective as a full on locker. not sure on prices though.

 

what about this? http://www.4wheelparts.com/Drivetrai..._pn=EAT913A611

 

yea thats the tru trac, I heard they are pretty good, wont ratchet like the detroit. theres a girl at my church that has a toy with 35s and a welded rear, she likes it and says its not that bad on the street, just wears the tires a little bit quicker. I also was thinking on doing that or getting a spool and doing an e-locker in the front.

 

eh i talked to a few buddies today, one owns a tire shop, and he disadvises welding the rear end. he says people who do usually go through tires pretty quickly and doesnt recommend it for a daily driver. i pay about 1400$ a year for insurance, get paid minimum wage, have a limit of 20 hours a week.. and half my money goes to gas. i cant really afford tires every six months.

 

I'm about to get one of these. I've read a lot of good stuff about them. It's probally a good idea for you too. You will want to have it installed by a pro, however.

 

In my honest opinion, since it seems you're kinda low on the financial side, i don't think you need to be looking at a locker...


but my opinion on lockers is Selectable in the rear, whether it be a factory swapped Toyota E-locker (easiest, cheapest...) or ARB (strongest and most reliable.)