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What traction device should I use...

smokeyyank

smokeyyank

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Littleton, Crawlarado
Got builder axles for my MJ and am slowly accumulating parts to get them pieced together. Will be running a HP30, 8.25, 4.56 gears on 33's. I'm torn on what I should use for traction. If money was no issue air lockers would win. The MJ will be used mainly as a DD and weekend camping rig. Right now I'm thinking a trutrac for the rear and aussie up front. What do you all think?
 
X3. Having never had a locker until recently, I welded the rear of my 8.8. I found it likes to push, so the front will get hung up and the rear kinda likes to dance around. For a DD, I think the pulling action of the front t and lsd would be a good combo. Mine pretty much does just trail duty now so I don't mind. Think it's time for a Spartan up front tho til I scrape the money up for my tons.
 
Aussie's front and rear here. No issues, no regrets. My XJ isn't a commuter but we drove it from Ohio to the Black Hills Jamboree, did great on the trails, toured Yellowstone, then drove back. You get a little tire chirp if hammered around a turn, not to mentio a cool tank-track sound in parking lots, but they work great.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
I have found that auto-lockers in the front axle tend to have odd behaviors while Winter daily driving in Minnesota. My ideal DD/trail rig set up would be locked rear and TruTrac front.

If I was to lock only one axle for a DD, I would lock the rear axle.
 
I use my Jeep 50/50 trail and around town - and until recently drove it to and from the trail.

I put an Aussie in the front and a Spartan in the rear (with 4.10s) and haven't had a lick of trouble out of either in regards to road behavior on pavement and the advantages off-road were immediately noticeable.

I bought the Aussie new and the Spartan used from a NAXJA member. For sure some of the best money I've spent on my rig.

Also - in response to Tim_MN - I actually locked my front first and ran that way for a year before I added a rear locker. No regrets.
 
I have an Aussie in the front of mine and while its quite on pavement, off road it works fantastic but it is crazy loud.
If i had to do it again i would go a different route and when i regear its not going back in.
 
Thanks for the input. My one worry with the lunchbox lockers, especially the aussie is how noisey they are. On my XJ I ran 8.8 with lsd and a hp30 with a lunchbox, worked great never had issue in the winter but thing was obnoxiously loud when turning. Another thing I'll need to consider for the front is the carrier. The HP30 was just a housing so I get to build it how I want but its bare.
 
I run a Detroit locker in my rear d44, and a Detroit Tru-Trac up front in the d30. 4:88 gears, hydro assist, 35's and ax-15. It has very nice daily driver manners. Front acts open till in 4-low. Rear does not lock around town at all. I can make it lock if I stab the gas in the corner.

I wheel pretty hard and its fantastic. I like knowing the front is a aggressive limited slip- it provides less likely axle snapping but really acts locked when in the hard rocks. If it slips I can ride the brake a little and it locks the front again. -Just a little insurance.

If I had to do it all over again- I would do this same set up again.
 
I've had nothing but lunch box lockers in my rigs. Mostly trailered with some around town driving. I'll steer clear of anything but them. In my experience when axles break at the locker they break the locker. Axles tend to expand and shatter and become shrapnel for the locker.
 
smokeyyank said:
Thanks for the input. My one worry with the lunchbox lockers, especially the aussie is how noisey they are. On my XJ I ran 8.8 with lsd and a hp30 with a lunchbox, worked great never had issue in the winter but thing was obnoxiously loud when turning. Another thing I'll need to consider for the front is the carrier. The HP30 was just a housing so I get to build it how I want but its bare.
Click to expand...

I get zero noise out of mine. Maybe a pop once a quarter....
 
Cool, all awesome advice.
 
If I lived in a warmer climate, I would have no problem running lunchbox lockers front and rear. Their warm weather pavement behavior is good.

My 2000 started out with a lunchbox locker replacing the factory installed Limited Slip. The rear locker provided much more traction on and off pavement in any weather, and behaved exactly the same as the Limited Slip did, summer and winter. When I installed the front lunchbox locker, it worked great off road, but it has some really weird behaviors on pavement under snowy/icy conditions. My CJ-7 has front lock out hubs so the front locker has no undesirable behaviors at all when the front axle hubs are disengaged.

That is my experiences with auto lockers, yours may vary.
 
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If you're going through a gear change I'd go with a full case locker up front. Will help strengthen the 30. I had a truetrac at one point but once a tire is off the ground, it's an open diff. I run grizzly lockers front and rear and have zero issues. They're quiet and invisible on pavement in 2wd
 
I know a few guys that have given up on the front Tru-Trac because of the rutted hill climbs of the desert. One wheel off the ground and it's basically open.
I know you can modulate the brake to help, but in the sandy stuff, you need momentum to get to the top and avoid the brakes.
 
1990JEEPXJ said:
If you're going through a gear change I'd go with a full case locker up front. Will help strengthen the 30. I had a truetrac at one point but once a tire is off the ground, it's an open diff. I run grizzly lockers front and rear and have zero issues. They're quiet and invisible on pavement in 2wd
Click to expand...

That is kind of what I have been thinking as well. At least the HP30 has more options, I'm finding I'm somewhat limited on the 8.25. Originally I was planning on a 8.8 but I got a stupid good deal on the 8.25 and already has the ZJ disc conversion. Just to make sure I'm exploring all the options, all I've found for the 8.25 is

-ARB
-Trutrac
-Lunchbox
-Detroit locker
-Auburn LSD
-OX

Any others?
 
If you can afford, a selectable locker is the best way to go. The disc may swap to a n exploder 8.8 so do not completely count that out.
 
With this being a DD/camping rig, and not a wheeler, tru tracs would be a good way to go. There's also the powertrax grip pro, which is esentially the same as a true trac but a bit less expensive.

A coworker installed one in his D44 to test is when they first came out and has been very happy with it. He uses his XJ for DD and camping, but has also wheeled every trail at Uwharrie without problems with that setup. There isn't one for an 8.25 yet so this is only an option for your 30 at the moment.
 
Johnnie Walker said:
If you can afford, a selectable locker is the best way to go. The disc may swap to a n exploder 8.8 so do not completely count that out.
Click to expand...

Would like a selectable but don't think budget wise it will work. Those will probably get thrown in the hp44 and 9 for the XJ. The 8.25 will be fine. I got it for 100 bucks, 29 spline with brand new ZJ disc. Dont think I can even look ar a 8.8 for that price.

As for the powertrax might consider that for the front.
 
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