so i cant afford to regear and run arbs, and i dont know how much toyota electric lockers run, but is a drop in lunchbox locker worth it for a dd? i dont really wheel it all the time, but i think it may be nice to have when i do,
how much is tire wear effected? how is handling effected? how hard is it to drive with a locker installed?(turns etc) just a few questions cause im pondering a lockright or something!

thanks
wade

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/tire-wear-auto-locker-question-32549/

If I could do it all over again I would have went with dual ARBs not sure if Air Or Elec.

 

i have a lunchbox in the rear of my DD. for me personally, it is definitely worth it. for the price difference of an ARB installed, or even an e-locker, the manners dont bother me at all. is it hard to drive? nope, not at all, once you get used to it. as far as tire wear, i keep my tires rotated, and even though they are wal-mart mud tires, i have put 20,000+ miles and they are only half worn

 

I know a local junkyard which has a TRD tacoma with the rear locker, and a matching front diff in its housing. I recently sold such a combo to Hyperlyte for $725 US. I can check for you if he can do a set for a tacoma for the same price. I know I can get a set for a 4runner but the front diff has a different spline count from what I understand.
I live in mission 10min north of Sumas.
Let me know if you're interested.
Arjan

 

Do you wheel it?

Are you prepared to deal with the tire wear?

Lockers are better than open diffs. You are not really wheeling until you have one locker engaged.

 

I have heard some chatter about the Detroit Soft Locker. Do any of you guys know anything about this unit. Also my buddy is plannin a trip to moab this summer. i dont have any crazy amount of lift so i figure a locker is the only way id be able to stay with them. Let me know of any options out there

 

In reply to your subject line.................Hell YES it's worth it. Stay away from the LS and get a selectable.

 

If you go off road get a locker. Had an Eaton posi in my old rig and loved it. Should be the 1st mod on the list! And yes, you can hang with many punched out rigs if you get a locker.

 

Wade- go for it. You'll go places in 2x4 you never thought possible, and it'll make your 4x4 trips much easier too.

The lunch box lockers are relatively easy to install, and if you don't like it, it's no big deal to go back to open. A Detroit requires a full R/P setup and costs twice as much to start with, and can't be reversed without additional $$$.

With any automatic locker, you will see accelerated tire wear. It won't be as bad as it is for me with a full spool, but you will see'm wear faster. To me, the added traction of a locker was very much worth the trade off.

A Lock Rite or Aussie Locker will work great for off-highway use. The guy's I know who have'm say they un-lock easier than a full Detroit.

A Detroit Soft Locker has slightly weaker springs in it than the full Detroit- so it behaves a little better.

I had a full Detroit for a few months. Great traction- but I disliked the quirks it had. It exibited locker wiggle when shifting. When turning on pavement if it didn't unlock, it barked the tires (spool does it all the time ), or at some point during the turn it would un-lock with a "bang". In snow and ice, I was never sure if it would lock or un-lock on turns- so sometimes the rear end would get a bit outta shape. As I mentioned above, the guy's w/ the Lock Rite's say they aren't as bad tho-

I ended up putting in a full spool. I like it's predictability- it's locked- period. It is definately not tire friendly tho, and I would not recommend one for a casual wheeler.

One way to make an auto-locker behave better is to run a little lower pressure than you normally might. I kept my 35's at 22 PSI to increase the tread bite some- that forced the Detroit to un-lock quicker.

Handling is effected to some extent- the locker pushes the truck straight ahead so it takes a little more effort to turn. No biggie tho-

get it on!

 

.

Great advice to those of you that are having fast tire wear. If you can get the detroit to unlock on the street, then you will have little difference in tire wear. I ran mine at 32 and the detroit always unlocked...I would guess if I regeared though - id have to drop down quite a bit more.

 

Great advice you guys. I would never have assumed that a lower tire psi would assist with my locker. I am going to try this. I was running 35 psi in my 35s. Thanks, Ben

 

sorry to hijak the the thread like this but I was thinking about getting an aussie automatic locker, any body here know about how tire wear will be affected?

 

aussie's have been released for toyota's?

thats my choice of locker i imagine.,


where can i get one:?

wade

 

http://www.offroadlockers.com

keep in mind, they are really not cheaper than a lock rite and you will have to wait much longer for one

 

same same as any other auto locker-