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8.25 detroit locker

The research I have done told me that if you want to maintain use of full time 4WD with the np242 then do not put auto lockers front and rear. I cannot give a technical explanation of why that combo does not work, I just know that my reading told me not to go that route. From my reading I put the Detroit locker in the rear and TT in front. I don't know how an auto locker in front and TT in the rear would effect your use of full-time.

I have alloy axle shafts in my dana 30 front and stock axles in my 27 spline c8.25. Never have broken anything and don't much worry about it, but then again I am not a super hard core wheeler. If you do some research you will find the c8.25 to be a good axle, even the 27 spline.
 
4x4JeePmaNthINg said:
Warlock how is 4x4 off road when the front is always locked, isn't turning rough?
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No, not that I have noticed. The only time I ever noticed anything like that was when I came off of a dirt road onto a paved road that was 90 degrees to the dirt road. I tried turning the 90 degrees while on the paved road and it didn't like it, it wanted to keep going straight. I had forgot to switch back to 2wd. All I had to do is switch back to 2wd and everything was fine.

4x4JeePmaNthINg said:
The lSD trac lock is seemingly useless off road which is why I want the Detroit rear. However my 242 I thought couldn't run front and rear lockers in full time because of how it splits the power.
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That's the beauty of the 242. While in full time 4wd, the power is routed through a differential that is built into the 242 so the front and back axles can turn at different speeds.

If you are ever in Las Vegas, you are more than welcome to take my XJ for a test thrash, er... I mean test drive to see how it drives in any kind of terrain.

When in part time 4wd (high or low), the 242's front and rear outputs turn at the same speed, "locked" if you will.

The nice thing about the Detroit lockers is that if you throttle lightly, the lockers remain kind of open. But when you get on them medium and stronger throttle, they lock. You get used to it after a while. You will learn where that boundary is while driving around turns. Too much throttle, it will lock and the tires will bark as you are dragging the inner tire. It becomes 2nd nature very quickly.

I think you have to figure out what the intended use of your vehicle is.

In my opinion what I would do would be:

If it will be mostly daily driver with only mild wheeling here and there, Detroit locker in rear and a Tru track up front.

If it will be mostly daily driver with heavy wheeling here and there, Detroit locker in rear and maybe an Ox locker (cable actuated locker) or the Detroit in front. (This is what I do and I went with both Detroits)

And if it will be 50/50 or more heavy wheeling/daily driver or full time heavy wheeling toy, I would go with Detroit lockers front and rear.

This is just my opinion. It i sooo nice to never have to mess with anything to lock or unlock and never have to worry about breaking the lockers, don't have to worry about air compressors, cables, airlines etc... Also, since it is a full carrier, the whole unit is very strong as opposed to a lunch box style, which uses the weak factory carrier. Obviously, the decision is yours.

If you are ever in Las Vegas, you are more than welcome to take my XJ for a test thrash, er... I mean a test drive over any kind of terrain so you can see how it acts.
 
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Off camber, invisible. Slick surfaces, obviously more traction than an open diff. Because when you are on slick surfaces (ice, snow, rain) you normally baby the throttle, and you can kinda lock and unlock at will. Example, you get on the throttle a little too much in the rain going around a corner and the rear starts to slide out. You just let off of throttle and it unlocks and it grabs again. And in snow, I was back in the mountains near here in well over 12" of snow in rough terrain pulling my buddies XJ with open diffs and the Jeep was basically unstoppable. Didn't slip, and made turns fine even in 4wd. Again YMMV, this is just my experience.
 
Any difference with a manual tranny? I want to go Detroit in my 8.25 and maybe a lunchbox in the front with part time 4x4 transfer. Anybody with this combo and a 5 speed experience?
 
97xjsam said:
Any difference with a manual tranny? I want to go Detroit in my 8.25 and maybe a lunchbox in the front with part time 4x4 transfer. Anybody with this combo and a 5 speed experience?
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I wouldn't think there would be much of a difference. The only thing I could suggest would be that, if you can swing it, if you're going to put a locker in the front anyway, for a few dollars more you could have the much, much stronger Detroit. If you have the Dana 30, the weak link is the flimsy carrier. Just sayin...
 
97xjsam said:
Any difference with a manual tranny? I want to go Detroit in my 8.25 and maybe a lunchbox in the front with part time 4x4 transfer. Anybody with this combo and a 5 speed experience?
Click to expand...

I only have experience using a rear Detroit locker with an auto transmission, but my understanding is that the DL is rougher when combined with a stick shift. FWIW, the shorter wheelbased vehicles like a TJ are not optimum for use with a DL.
 
Warlock1 said:
Off camber, invisible. .
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Interesting to read this. While I have a DL in my rear axle, I just don't go out when its muddy, in large part to keep the Forest Service happy. But I had always read that a big disadvantage of an auto locker was downhill slippage in slick, off-camber situations.
 
Rod Knee said:
I only have experience using a rear Detroit locker with an auto transmission, but my understanding is that the DL is rougher when combined with a stick shift. FWIW, the shorter wheelbased vehicles like a TJ are not optimum for use with a DL.
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If you know how to feather the clutch it wouldn't be a problem.
 
Rod Knee said:
But I had always read that a big disadvantage of an auto locker was downhill slippage in slick, off-camber situations.
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That's my experience during snow runs. All the auto locked rigs tend to slide down hill on off camber because both rear wheels were turning. I just turn the ARB off, no problem.
 
what about auto locked front and rear, do you still slide to the down side of off camber slick situations? I ask because ive done this with snow, nearly got REALLY stuck, but im curious if the front locked would help pull the rear end away from sliding down hill.

also has anyone with lockers run 4.56 with 31's before you got a bigger tire? I probably want 33s.
 
The problem with sliding in off-camber situations is that, with a locked axle, when one tire spins, they both spin. Spinning tires have little traction and tend to slide downhill. With an open diff, one tire won't be spinning and will have traction to keep you from sliding downhill so easily. This goes for both front and rear.
 
Rod Knee said:
Interesting to read this. While I have a DL in my rear axle, I just don't go out when its muddy, in large part to keep the Forest Service happy. But I had always read that a big disadvantage of an auto locker was downhill slippage in slick, off-camber situations.
Click to expand...

I think that it's good to get as many viewpoints and research as possible to make a decision. Terrains are different, driving styles are different. There are a lot of factors involved in how a certain setup acts. While in in a fast, road car I am a "spirited" driver, when it comes to my XJ, I slow crawl and "finesse" my way around (which is probably why I haven't blown up the 35 yet), while I also have friends that do the "Point and stab" method of wheeling. Obviously, they break more parts, lol.

I have access to desert, dunes, tailings type large gravel, rocks and deep snow. We don't get much mud or rain here and what little I have been in, I haven't noticed the sliding part.This is why I stated that "in my experience" and "my opinion" and "YMMV" to let the OP know what I saw in my own vehicle. It's cool to see other peoples experiences!
 
Flyfisher said:
The problem with sliding in off-camber situations is that, with a locked axle, when one tire spins, they both spin. Spinning tires have little traction and tend to slide downhill. With an open diff, one tire won't be spinning and will have traction to keep you from sliding downhill so easily. This goes for both front and rear.
Click to expand...

For the reasons you state, open diffs are generally better than lockers in on-road winter situations, and so are true tracs or other LSD's. All this underscores the need for each jeeper to research and evaluate his or her own circumstances, as stated above. Each decision and each modification has its trade offs.
 
I agree. What might be good for one persons situation might not be good for another. Get as much info as possible then make the decision that is best for you.
 
ok, without detracting from this threads topic to much , What brand of Ring and pinion do you all run/ trust. I would prefer USA made.

clearly this is an opinion and real experience oriented question, but I appreciate all the help ive had through this thread.

Thank you for all the help every one has provided, there is lots of solid hands on experience here!
 
Richmond racing gears. Made especially for high HP, high torque, and high impact applications.
 
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