Detroit Locker(s) Front + Rear?

You wont need shafts with as little abuse as you say you will have.

I started with a No slip in the rear DD for years then added a lockright front still work great now on 35s. (chromo shafts front and rear). I still run around town on the weekends with no problems.

Kingkong0192 said:

Would anyone agree with that or do you think I'm just trying to convince myself here? What about shafts? Think i would be fine on stock shafts or would I need alloy shafts?

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you will be fine with stock shafts with 297 or 760 joints while its all apart its cheap and easy to install a set of 760's. and you cant go wrong with either aussie or lockrite

whitexj98 said:

You wont need shafts with as little abuse as you say you will have.

I started with a No slip in the rear DD for years then added a lockright front still work great now on 35s. (chromo shafts front and rear). I still run around town on the weekends with no problems.

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I'm with this guy. I drove my Jeep as a DD for a few years with a no-slip in the rear and 32's. I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money on a locker only to have it sit in the front axle and never get used. And for basic wheeling, fire roads, snow, etc, if you have a rear locker, you won't even need to put it in 4wd.

sunburned said:

I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money on a locker only to have it sit in the front axle and never get used.

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what do you need a locker for if you dont even need 4wd?

Powertrax in my 8.25 and e-locker in the 30

ROBZ95Xj said:

you will be fine with stock shafts with 297 or 760 joints while its all apart its cheap and easy to install a set of 760's. and you cant go wrong with either aussie or lockrite

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How would i go about installing a 760 U-joint? Is that a direct swap in, or would i need to change the yoke out in the front axle?

Kingkong0192 said:

How would i go about installing a 760 U-joint? Is that a direct swap in, or would i need to change the yoke out in the front axle?

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If you have a 97+ like your profile picture I believe your set

VAhasnoWAVES said:

what do you need a locker for if you dont even need 4wd?

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I'm willing to bet an XJ with a rear locker in 2WD can get through more than one that's open/open in 4WD. When we got a few big snowstorms around here, I would drive around in 2WD just fine most of the time because I had both rear wheels pushing all the time. Don't think I could have done that without a locker. It's not that I didn't need 4WD, I just didn't have to use it and I had better driving characteristics (i.e. more fun drifting) in 2WD. Plus it just saves wear and tear on the drivetrain itself. Even going through fire roads and stuff, I'd rather just keep it in 2WD and have plenty of traction with the locker than put it in 4WD and be stressing the drivetrain unnecessarily.

A friend and I used to go through trails in 2WD (I had an autolocker, he had a spool in the rear) to see how far we could get before putting it in 4WD. Did really well until we hit big rocks.

sunburned said:

I'm willing to bet an XJ with a rear locker in 2WD can get through more than one that's open/open in 4WD.

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I wish that were true, but not so much in my experience. I have a 2000XJ 2wd with an Aussie in the rear. It dramatically increased my off-road capabilities, but all of my hunting partners have 4-wheel drive pickups (no lockers) and they are generally more capable than me. In fact, I am looking for a donor to convert mine to 4wd. BTW, we drive primarily in very soft beach sand.

Or if your going to eventually make it a dedicated trail rig. Just save your money for a decent axle swap. Then you can have locking hubs and a overall stronger package. But then that depends on how big you want your trail rig to be.

That being said I personally enjoy my no-slip in my 8.25 with the d30 open.

I run a D44 rear with a Detroit and a D30 front with an Eaton E locker, 456 gears with an auto trans. My rig is mainly off-road, but is still street drivable.

In my opinion, I would look for a stock limited slip D44 for the rear. They are as cheap as a lunchbox locker, super easy to change out and bullet proof, with no odd on-road drivability issues in slippery conditions.

It took me a little while to learn how to drive with the Detroit rear to keep it from chirping tires or unloading mid turn. Once you figure it out, it's not bad.

Plenty of guys run ratcheting style lockers such as a Detroit, or a lunchbox style (Aussie, Lock-Right etc) and have no issues. They will be noisier then a open diff or a selectable locker, but for the price you cannot beat them.

The best choice for durability and driveability are ARB Air Lockers, but they are also more expensive and require a compressor.

I have three Locked 4Xs

Toyota p/u with a Lock-Rite (noisey and a pita in tight parking lots) and Tacoma e-locker transplanted in the front.

Early Bronco with f/r Detroits (rear soft locker is un-noticeable on pavement)...great on the rocks, scarey on a snowy/icy roads!

My XJ has a No-Slip in the rear D44 and an ARB (don't have air to it yet) in the front.

If all you do is off road, go for the front and rear lockers....I just recently moved to Cedar City, UT and we get some pretty heavy snow here at times neccessitating the use of 4WD on the street.
Having a non-selectable front locker under these conditions is NOT fun so, my Bronco pretty much stays in the garage when it's that bad outside.

If you can't afford a selectable, I'd say lock your rear first and hold out until you CAN afford a selectable for the front....it's amazing where you can go with just a rear locker.

Just my opinion, though.

Hans

not sure if it was covered and but how is a detroit in the rear with a manual transmission? I have one in my auto in the rear and like it a lot, but I'm unsure how it would be with the manual...sorry to jack the thread OP but just wanted to know your guys opinion.

Sorry ro revive a dead thread but i seen on my local craigslist a detroit locker for 250, i dont know much about lockers and was hoping someone could help me out. I have a 93 xj that i plan on putting a 8.8 in with ls 4.10 gears with 32s. Its currently my dd but i would like to go out and see some moderate trails and wasnt sure how that locker would do in dd condotions. Basically is it worth it?