4x4, Lockers vs. LSD

[Canyonero]

My Trooper is back to being my daily driver, I'm pretty much done with the engine until I do the aluminum head build, but I'm going to build that on another block so I'll be driving until I'm ready to swap again. In the meantime, I want more traction.

ARB air lockers are out of my league. Would be darned cool though.

Independent4x supposedly has an OEM clutch-style Limited Slip available for the rear.

Aussie Lockers are pretty affordable, and the reviews sound like they might suit me for on-road driving. But I worry that I might get too playful on-road when I have have more power and I don't know how a locker would feel. Then again, it might make me treat the rig nicer.

I'm thinking of doing front and rear aussie, or LSD in the back and aussie in the front.

This rig will never be an aggressive crawler, I just want it to be a very capable daily driver. Most I'll do in the future is 3" lift and 33" tires. I'm currently all stock except for the engine.

Thoughts?

[Z26-T]

If you plan on doing real off roading, lockers are better than lsd in every way. LSDs are nice and all, but you can guarantee that it will lock, or when it will lock. Had a friend roll a 07 jeep while doing donuts in it because his lsd locked in the middle of it. Yeah he's an idiot, but there is a reason GM puts lockers in the hummers and not lsd .

[Canyonero]

Yeah, I've been reading reviews on the Aussie Lockers, and I think that's the route I want to take. Less expensive than LSD too. I'll probably order a pair next month. This Trooper will be freaking unstoppable. I'd love air lockers because I'm a control freak, but they'd be overkill for this rig (and expensive).

[Z26-T]

Aussie locker just an e-locker then or what? Guess i could always google it

[Z26-T]

Looks like it's a sort of LSD from what it's saying... But you can alawys try it and see how it works . Never hurts to try things. I personally like the capability of turning my locker on and off whenever i want, but lsds do work and have for years.

[ghrarhg]

An Aussie Locker is like a Lock Right Locker. It goes inside your carrier and replaces your spider gears and cross shaft. It unlocks when coasting, and locks when you put power on it. Aussie has gotten pretty good reviews. Most like them as a bang for the buck locker.

They work out alright in the rear, I personally would not run one up front. I do too much snowy highway driving to run one up front. Basically it locks when you put power to it, so 2wd is ok, but 4wd means your front axle is going to be locked. Your vehicle will understeer like a champ, since all 4 wheels will be forced to go the same speed. If you only use 4wd offroad, you may be ok. A selectable up front is really the way to go if you use 4wd on the road.

There are electric lockers now, Auburn makes one called the Ected, that seems very intersting, they run about $500 or so. Cheaper than an ARB or OX, but not as cheap as an Aussie. They are a LSD when unlocked, and full Locker locked. Best of both worlds in my opinion.

[Z26-T]

Now I get what the aussie locker is. A couple of the street legal guys around here run things similiar to that in their cars vs. having to put a spool in it. They seem to hook better then the people with lsds in their cars.

There are electric lockers now, Auburn makes one called the Ected, that seems very intersting, they run about $500 or so. Cheaper than an ARB or OX, but not as cheap as an Aussie. They are a LSD when unlocked, and full Locker locked. Best of both worlds in my opinion.

I'm curious to how long 1 of those would last. The E-lockers in the h3s lock when energized, but are open when not, and we have had to replace a couple coils. But only have seen it on the off road crazies that have close to 40k miles on them. I would think if you have an LSD and only engage the e-locker when you really need the extra force the coils wouldnt wear out as fast...

[Canyonero]

Selection is limited for Isuzu diffs. Don't think I could get an Auburn.

I hadn't really thought about snow, but that is important to me. Right now my Trooper can do near everything in 2wd, whereas my Amigo with LSD is freaking worthless. The back end is always trying to overtake the front. Then again - the Trooper is longer, has more weight, and less power (for now).

[WrathOfSocrus]

I know it is kind of a dumb question but what kind of hubs do you have up front? If they are manual locking hubs then I would definitely go with a locker. you can always lock just one side for added traction on icy roads without it wanting to understeer horribly. If it is vacuum actuated then I'd be much less inclined to run a locker up front. They don't always lock and unlock properly from what I have seen.

As far as handling it will feel a bit weird. If you gas it through a turn you will feel the rear end kind of worm around a little because the inside wheel will want to move just as fast as the outside wheel. It is easier to gas it while aimed straight ahead and then let off the gas and coast though the turn (easier on your treads at least).

I've seen people use Lock Right's and similar lockers with no problems. Sure an ARB or OX locker would be awesome, but you have to pay a premium for them.

[Canyonero]

I have the factory auto-locking hubs.

The "Aussie Locker" mechanism allows a wheel to turn faster than the speed of the differential that is driving it (differentiation), but never allows a wheel to turn slower than the speed the differential and engine is turning it (traction). Therefore, a wheel cannot ever stop turning if the engine is driving it, but in a corner it can be forced to actually turn faster. Unlike a standard differential, the engine can never drive one wheel faster than the other.

http://www.aussielocker.com/works.php/TMced2d6/cedb/.html