This Locker or that Locker

[xd97disco]

What do guys think ARB, Kam, Maxi-drive, Detroit, or some others perhaps maybe.

[Jupiter Rover]

ARB is a full locker, detroits and trutac are kinda half lockers that engage accordingly and makes the car drive funny on road. for what i have researched, dual ARB's is the Best way to go, and the most $$

[xd97disco]

Yeah, ARB, but ya know $$$. With detroits: how funny?

[Disco Mike]

Originally Posted by Jupiter Rover

ARB is a full locker, detroits and trutac are kinda half lockers that engage accordingly and makes the car drive funny on road. for what i have researched, dual ARB's is the Best way to go, and the most $$

Pete,
You are so far off on your description of both the T.T. and the Detroit.
The Detroit is always 100% locked, unless it is in a sharp turn. The T.T. is a fully geared system that will lock itself as needed, allowing you to turn thru the rocks with out disengaging, and yes, it is equalt to about 80% of the traction of a Detroit.
There are no driving issues from either while on the road. I have been driving the combination for over 5 years now with no complaints or issues.

Mike

[Jupiter Rover]

well thats not what i read, i read the car drives different on road because they are partially locked or what not... if the tires cant spin freely from each other when making turns it will effect the way it drives and turns.. thats how i saw it. im not saying it will drive bad, but different i guess. ok maybe i was wrong with the detroit since its always locked, but the TT you said locks as needed, which means it isnt always locked.. So i was wrong you were RIGHT. i guess i shouldn't always believe what people say on these forums since i was ill-informed.

sorry mike. and sorry x97disco

[Jupiter Rover]

so mike, ARB or your Detroit T.T combo?

[Funrover]

If you have the $$ go with ARB. The others are nice but when you get on sidehills (esp. in snow) you have to be really careful with the detroits. Lockers are low side finders, when there is a long way down don't chance it!

[XtremeMarine]

Pete; I've got a Detroit TruTrac in my DII. Next time we're at Corbett drive it, and you won't believe what you've read at all. On the road, I can't even tell it's there. If I'm on a fire access road, or loose gravel, I can tell it's there only under hard accelleration, and full lock turns. But in mud or deep loose pack dirt, I'll take it any day over the other front end options.

It really depends on your driving habits, percentage of onroad vs. offroad, and the off-road terrain you drive in. I personally chose the TT for my front, and am ordering a Detroit for the rear, because it is the combo that suits my driving style best. The truck spends 25-33% of it's life off-road. Always in Florida. Which means no rock-crawling, no hard packed environment. I wheel in loose silty dirt, sugar sand, deep sand, and lots of mud. I didn't want an ARB set-up because I didn't want to chance losing an airline or a compressor while in 3 feet of sugar sand or mud. With the mangrove roots, and other shit in the mud down here, an air line can get ripped off quick. And ARB compressors (the older ones) had a high failure rate. The newer ones (since 05-06) are much better, but why chance it? I'm not putting my scuba gear on to diagnose a failure in mud. I'd rather have a full mechanical set-up.

[Jupiter Rover]

good point with the hoses getting ripped off while in mud and such.. didn't even think of that. i come down the 16th. lets definitely get together this summer and ride around. thanks daniel

[stolenheron]

i'll be down the 7th. i may sneak over to corbett with you 2 later this summer.

[Disco Mike]

I agree with FunRover regarding off camber driving in the snow, sometimes I wish I could turn the Detroit off cause it will sometimes try and crab walk on me. In town, with a ton of snow it just goes where ever I point it.
Mike

[xd97disco]

Well I don't really get much snow. Instead I got the good ol' Carolina clay and some of the sandy crap. But the thing which limits me is $$ so getting the most for my money is what I'm really aiming for. The choice of having ARBs locked or not is tempting but having said that there are other units that you are able to lock/unlock, such as Kams. But I'm not too sure about the price of thoughs units, the relability etc. Yall's thoughts?

[Thor]

Left foot braking is the cheapest option.

But I run 2x ARB on the rocks here in CO.

[p76rangie]

Maxi-drive are no longer and therefore it would only be existing stock sitting around if you want one.
Detroits are very hard on axles in that it is mostly driving through one axle rather than both. That is, it is only locked when driving on a straight bit of road with no bumps, or conditions of low traction. In any other condition is is unlocking and locking itself. While unlocked it is only driving through one axle. Where normal diffs, and locakble diffs, are always driving through 2 axles unless you have a wheel off the ground.

With the continual locking and unlocking of a detroit they are continually putting shock loads through the axles. This has been known to break axles and the locker. For example, you are going along a trail and one wheel goes over a rock and the other is on gravel. The Detroit will unlock the wheel going over the rock as it is travelling a greater distance than the one on the gravel. By putting all the drive through the wheel on the gravel it causes that wheel to break traction and the locker engages again. This happens time and time again and each time it shock loads the system.

I have seen what they can do to axles and the locker itself. I would much prefer the possibility of an airline coming off (not that I have ever come across that happening, you can protect them pretty well) than the diff and/or axles self destructing. For that reason, along with the sideway slide on slippery surfaces, I would never recommend a Detroit to anyone. The truc trac is a different issue and is fine if you want improved traction without being fully locked. It also apparently works quite well with traction control.

[Jupiter Rover]

so is this going to be a Eaton Vs ARB thread? lol....