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Detroit Locker(s) Front + Rear?

Kingkong0192

NAXJA Forum User
Location
New Milford, CT
Would any of you reccomend it or avoid it at all costs? I plan on daily driving it. Don't do much offroading, but for the price, I'd love to lock it f/r.

I'd lock to do a Detroit rear and a selectable in the front, but I don't have that kind of money at the moment.

Opinions on running two detroits f/r?
 
Then why do you want/need lockers? :dunno:


If you really feel the need to have some extra traction, just toss a lunchbox locker in the front then.

Well when money persists, i plan on buying another XJ. Put like a 3" lift on it, 31" Ats, front and rear bumper, some cool sliders, and maybe a light bar. Nothing serious though, and just for looks.

I then want to take my current XJ and just turn it into a dedicated trail rig that is road legal. I figure if i can get a good deal now, and deal with two Detroit in the f/r, it's worth it. I'll probably buy another stock XJ in about a year from now.
 
I had 2 detroits in my time. both broke. But They were wheeled hard and accompanied by axle shaft failure.

One was a more modern detroit for my front axle, it was invisible on the street. The other was a little older and I put it in the rear and I hated it. When you let on and off the throttle at any speed there was a huge amount of backlash.
 
I run Yukon grizzly lockers front and rear and it's fine on the street. Even the rear is very quiet. Never unloads or makes any noise. General consensus is they are also stronger than the detroits these days. Having al least one selectable is ideal though. If you can hold out on locking it I would just wait and go selectable all around.
 
i dont like having a rear auto locker on the street, especially with a manual trans. i had a selectable in my last rear axle and it was MUCH better both on and offroad. your turning radius is definitely hindered. I will be switching to an ARB in the rear 14 bolt when money/time is avalible.
As for the front, i have had lockrights and grizzlys and they both were mostly invisible.
 
love my detroit rear. I picked it up for $260 off naxja and had it installed for free. I wouldnt buy one brand new but for the price I got it it's a sweet locker. doesnt give me any crap with the auto trans

I too would just throw a lunchbox up front and see how you like that at first. I'd pick grizzly > detroit for the rear too
 
I loved my rear detroit at first. However over time daily driving the rig, I've begun to hate it. Like KTM mentioned, the backlash is annoying and I'm sure isn't exactly good on the rest of the driveline. It's also worth noting that I've found a couple shops that do not reccomend detroits for daily drivers simply due to the amount of backlash. Larger tires also makes the amount of backlash felt by the driver even greater.

Driving in the snow is more of a controled slide as well. It sounds like fun at first, but it quickly becomes annoyingly white knuckled.

Quite literally if no one comes out with an E locker for the 8.25 in the next month or so, I'll be selling a kidney on the black market to get an ARB.
 
if you're not regearing just throw in a lunchbox locker. cheaper and when you turn your XJ into a trail rig you can then get the grizzly/detroit locker and throw the lunchbox in the DD.

i run a detroit front because i picked it up used for $150. invisible on the street and works great off road. just gotta mind your turning as its locked under power
 
what rear end do you have right now?
I wouldnt bother locking a 35 . and if you plan on a dedicated trail rig, then consider a 44/8.8/9"/14b setup.

I would say lunchbox up front until it becomes a non DD. I run 35 spline detroit rear and about to swap a grizzly up front for my lunchbox. i never notice them on the street. if you want traction a full carrier locker will be way stronger than a lunchbox. but then again, my lunchbox up front has held up to a ton of abuse.
 
I have a Lockright in the front. don't hear or notice it at all on the street, even sharp turns, but put it 4x and my capability are much much better
 
My jeep currently has a 29 spline 8.25 in the rear and a HP D30 in the front. Both are geared to 3.55. Only mod is to the rear which is disc brakes. Only that that - it's stock.

So the general consensus is any locker in the front is pretty much invisible unless when turning hard? (I've never driven a vehicle with a locker before.)

Then when money persists, the consensus would say to put a selectable in the rear?

I just want more traction for my current DD, and then later on down the road in a years time or so when i get another stock XJ to daily drive, i will considering doing an axle swap f/r and re-gearing/locking at that time.

I know i could easily search it, but could someone make this super easy for me without having to read pages of information.

What is the difference between like a "lunchbox" locker, a detroit, a grizzly, etc etc.
 
My jeep currently has a 29 spline 8.25 in the rear and a HP D30 in the front. Both are geared to 3.55. Only mod is to the rear which is disc brakes. Only that that - it's stock.

So the general consensus is any locker in the front is pretty much invisible unless when turning hard? (I've never driven a vehicle with a locker before.)

Then when money persists, the consensus would say to put a selectable in the rear?

I just want more traction for my current DD, and then later on down the road in a years time or so when i get another stock XJ to daily drive, i will considering doing an axle swap f/r and re-gearing/locking at that time.

I know i could easily search it, but could someone make this super easy for me without having to read pages of information.

What is the difference between like a "lunchbox" locker, a detroit, a grizzly, etc etc.
Lunchbox goes in the open diff carrier.
Fullcase replaces the carrier and the R&P are put on it.
 
I had detroits in both diffs and then the front one broke twice (due to axleshaft failure). My impression is that the front ones (D30) are a bit too easily broken when axleshafts fail. I have not had any issues with the rear but I have also not broken any axleshafts in the rear. I am running a grizzly in the font now and it has been great so far. I also have not broken any more axleshafts since the grizzly install. Let's hope I don't find out how well the grizzly holds up to axleshaft failure :D
 
So the general consensus is any locker in the front is pretty much invisible unless when turning hard? (I've never driven a vehicle with a locker before.)

I just want more traction for my current DD, and then later on down the road in a years time or so when i get another stock XJ to daily drive, i will considering doing an axle swap f/r and re-gearing/locking at that time.

a.) you wont feel a locker in the front because it is not engaged when in 2wd. you will absolutely feel it in 4lo

b.) you dont offroad. and you want a locker specifically for more traction while driving on the street??

detroit/grizzly are the same. different brands. they are auto lockers and engage when your foot is on the gas. also known as full carrier lockers because they replace the factory carrier and now hold your ring. you will need a gear reset ($$). they're telling you not to get one of these for the front because they have a carrier break. aka if you decide to regear later, you'll need another detroit. rear has no break you'll be fine. but you will still have to pay to install it

lunchbox locker - goes inside the factory carrier and replaces factory spider gears. cheaper and you can install it in your driveway. downside is it will ratchet and click around when engaged (rear will always be engaged).
 
I have detroit lockers front and rear in my CJ. Had them for over 10 years. Never broken one (D30F, D60R).

I wouldn't run them in a front that doesnt have disconnect hubs. Even in 2wd, with my hubs turned in, it doesn't corner well. I wouldn't drive it at highway speeds in 4wd. If I drive mine in the winter on streets in 4wd, I stick to about 45mph or less.

Overall though, I'm happy with them. Never have to worru about air lines, etc. They do grab sometimes, but you get used to that. Keeping your tire pressure even helps.
 
I had detroits in both diffs and then the front one broke twice (due to axleshaft failure). My impression is that the front ones (D30) are a bit too easily broken when axleshafts fail. I have not had any issues with the rear but I have also not broken any axleshafts in the rear. I am running a grizzly in the font now and it has been great so far. I also have not broken any more axleshafts since the grizzly install. Let's hope I don't find out how well the grizzly holds up to axleshaft failure :D

2 points regarding the Grizzly (as told to me by Jeremy at Randy's):

-locking teeth aren't back cut, so less likely to strip them off when an axle shaft fails

-affordable repair kits available if there is a failure (parts for the Detroit are so expensive that it costs nearly as much as a new unit)
 
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