Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum!
If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page.
Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.
Will a rear locker adversely affect winter driving? I'm itching to install it but maybe I should wait till spring?Don't know what I'll do next year though,maybe swap in a stock wrecker rear axle for the winter months?Thanks!
This is probably covered everywhere, but the short answer is yes if it's not a selectable. I was parked inbetween two trucks in the snow on a slight left/right incline, couldn't move forward at all with the rear locker, the rear just slid sideways, put it in 4wd and the front did the same thing (also locked). I had to wait until the guy on the downhill side moved his truck so I could slide my way out of there.
I've also looped my Jeep in the rain with a rear Detroit locker, on an off-camber turn not even on the gas much.
I would wait if you drive alot in adverse conditions and the rear locker is not going to be selectable.
You just need to get used to it and respect it. Don't let others drive it in the snow/ice. Keep the front open to help keep you straight. If you lose it, be aware that you will swap ends very quickly and there is little you can do except hang on (if you are in 4WD, hammering the skinny may pull you out of a skid, as counterintuitive as it seems).
Will a rear locker adversely affect winter driving? I'm itching to install it but maybe I should wait till spring?Don't know what I'll do next year though,maybe swap in a stock wrecker rear axle for the winter months?Thanks!
they get squirrely on ice and similarly slick stuff.
but this is a great idea. swapping a rear axle that is the same ratio and model shouldn't take more than hour and a half including bleeding the brakes. i could easily include that in standard winter prep.
Thanks, I just phoned and purchased a used rearend for $175 (with axles), just needs brake drums,shoes and cylinders. I'll wait till spring and put the locker in the used one.help get rid of the winter blues.
Its not that big of a deal, you will kick yourself in the ass if you get stuck somewhere with an open diff that you installed on purpose. In 4wd it takes a little effort to get my junk out of shape in the slick stuff.
I'm purposely going to put in a rearlocker for the snow...its not that bad if you are used to driving cars with posi or lockers, at least yu know that both tires will spin all the time, It can be frustrating driving with an open diff, every once in a while both tires will spin and catch you off guard! Also makes high speed drifting a blast
great topic, I am questioning the same thing, trying to figure out if I should go for a front or rear lunchbox for this snowy season.
I figured the front would be the way to go, so if I do go deep, I can hopefully back out of it too, and since it won't be used unless I put it into 4wd I'll know when its gonna be scary. Granted any and all 4x4 on road driving will cease so I don't lose it around corners and such, but I don't drive in 4wd anyway... untill its slow going or I'm stuck, pulling someone out.
Now reading all this about the rear lunchboxed has me thining some more... should I go for an Aussie? or maybe just a posi? is there much of a dif between the two when their in the rear end?
Hope this topic continues with more insight and real world experience, lokking forward to it.
Running a Powertrax in the rear, open front, no problems in the winter through ice/snow/slush...whatever. You just adjust your driving style and after awhile it's 2nd nature. When you get in the deep snow that's where it really pays off.
Beakie, don't bother with a posi- just not worth the hassle for the marginal benefits especially in the rear. As far as lunchbox front or rear, I'd definitely go rear for the winter. I've pushed hard into some "I shouldn't even try it deep" snow, always able to back out no problem.
Detroit doesn't work any different than a lunchbox. I know exactly when mine will lock.......when I press on the gas .
I have to totally disagree on the tru-trac in the snow/ice. I have one in the front and I bet its close to or worse than being locked in the front. The good thing about a front locker is that it disengages when your not accelerating. On slick surfaces the friction of the tru-trac is enough to cause it to act more like a spool. My junk turns like a schoolbus in the slick, in 4wd or 2wd it doesn't matter the turning radius is horrible. I attribute this to the true trac being "tight" enough to act like a spool. The best way to get a good tight turn is to hammer down and pray LOL. In 4wd I can't even make a cul-de-sac turnaround without a whack of the throttle or reverting back to 2wd which doesn't help just a ton. Just stating my observations.
what wrong with sliding around, here in wyoming the icy roads are fun as hell. Take the 2wd truck out and smash, i wish it has a posi to make gettin sideways even easier
I second that. Rear locker + Winter Roads = A Whole lotta FUN!!
I made sure to get mine in before winter hit, and I LOVE it. My advise, practice a lot, that way when you really do lose control, you know what to do.
-Jerry
I have the same setup as Blue Cuda, Detroit in my 8.8 and a Truetrac in my 30. I was really worried about the winter driving with it. I drive about 30 miles to and from work in my jeep. It really wasn't that bad, not near as bad as I expected it to be. As long as your being stupid with it you'll be fine.
I have the same setup as Blue Cuda, Detroit in my 8.8 and a Truetrac in my 30. I was really worried about the winter driving with it. I drive about 30 miles to and from work in my jeep. It really wasn't that bad, not near as bad as I expected it to be. As long as your being stupid with it you'll be fine.
trutracs front and rear , on snowy/icy roads in 4wd it will turn but you can feel it arguing about it .
and a couple of times now , mine has acted like a spool after driving at highway speeds in 2wd ( wont turn for the offramp ) WTF ?
talked with rieder racing last week about this , they said send it back ( still under warr.).
i have been thinking about a rear detroit locker , and getting more serious offroad .
Or you could just do i8t backwards like me and have a lockrite front and a l/s in the rear. Way, way too much fun in the snow/ice!!! But once you get the hang of it and learn the little quirks, it works really really well. Though I wouldn't let anybody else drive it. I really don't have to worry about them getting crazy if I do, seeing as they would have to lock the hubs to get 4wd, so its like a safety measure. But still, very few people are allow to drive my jeep. Hell my g/f won't on the street but get her on a trail and watch out, which I find funny.
my detroit doesnt' seem to be much of a problem in the slick stuff.
Just be aware of what it is.
I always push in the clutch and cost through turns so I know that the rear end has unlocked. It would be just as easy to slip the auto into neutral when it get's slippery.
I imagine that my longer wheelbase may help.
I think that the risk is managable, and it's not really that big of a deal.
Make sure that anyone who drives it is aware of the locker, and that you give them specific instructions regarding it's handling.
I let a friend borrow my truck and we had a 10 minute discussion about the rearend, and I gave him very specific instructions on how to drive through corners.
Consider it like an aircraft, you can be a good pilot, but you still have to be checked out in a new aircraft.
Well, it's going to act different than an open diff. You will definitely notice it.
I don't trust my beast on the freeway above 45mph in the rain. But.. it's because I spun around 4 to 5 times on the freeway going 60mph in the rain last February. I hit a puddle at the same time my XJ decided to shift.
I have a No-Slip Powertrax in the rear with 4.5" lift and I haven't got it dialed in yet. The front and rear shift it's weight for some reason or another which could be a number of things.. That added to the locker kicking in when the tranny (auto) shifts in the rain... CRAP!!!!!!
Like everyone said... Be easy on the pedal and you'll get used to it...
