Lock front or rear for go-fast

[srmitchell]

I've got an aussie in the back of mine, and go fast sand stuff is really fun. Rocks seem like pavement. Open/open just isn't the same.

And rain is really fun!!!

And I can say that I notice no extra tire wear.

 

[slcpunk74]

Which lunchbox do have?

Lock-rite

 

[Swamprat]

oh spools and daily driving DO NOT MIX!

thats how i ended up with my set of slicks

 

[vjarman]

haha same here. it sucks explaining to the cop why you went through the intersection sideways when turning left when it was raining. haha.

 

[Goatman]

the locked front/open rear thing is true in high traction slow environments, like rock crawling.

on go fast, think of it more like running in the snow.

Rear, leave the front open. A locked front in a low traction environment will cause you to wash out.

Based on my experience running KOH, it still works to have the front locked for the go fast stuff, so there is no general rule that aplies here. I felt no negative whatsoever running the front spooled and the rear open at speed. Shannon Campbell's winning car in 2008 (Cassie drove it to 2nd in 2009) and Cassie's 2nd place car in 2008 (and it placed in the top 20 in 2009 with Nick Campbell driving) both were spooled front and ARB rear. Shannon said he never locked the rear for the entire race.

The misconception is that the front locked will push. It doesn't. The front locked just pulls you through a turn, similar to what a front drive car does compared to a rear drive car. A rear spooled will push, since both rear tires are grabbing equally (on good traction situations) and trying to push you straight......and this is backed up by experience by many people. When going fast in corners, the open rear can resist sliding out more than a spooled rear will, and traction isn't an issue when the front is also pulling it.

Bottom line is that if you're running fast in 4wd I don't think it makes any difference if the rear is locked or the front is locked, based on my personal experience and I tried it both ways testing for KOH. It definitely doesn't work better with the rear locked. Since it does definitely work better on the trails with the front locked, and it doesn't matter on the fast stuff, I'd still lock the front if it was a choice between the two.

 

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

Just make sure your front axle is strong enough to take the abuse of whoops and landing from air time with the front locked. In our jeepspeed car, we had a detroit in the front, spool in rear, always run 4wd, and it exploded a coulpe D44 chromo stub shafts. We then ran some sort of Posi unit, and we liked the way that worked the best (it was a stock 9 inch posi, I believe, and it sheared the ring gear flange off the carrier. So we threw in an open carrier, and it has been dependable ever since.

I would think if you ran a spool in the front, you would really want full hydro steering, a good fluid cooler, and an axle wit BIG ball joints.

Richard is dead on with it pulling through corners rather than pushing, and it's a lot harder to get a drift going.

-Dan

 

[GoSlowGetStuck]

I have a factory LSD 8.8, it sucks. You really don't notice the LSD.

Ford Racing makes a rebuild kit for it with carbon discs that makes it much tighter and work better, someone here is running it.

Ah, lame. Was hoping it'd be a decent LSD and I could run with that. I do like the idea of limited slip idea though so I may look at an ECTED for it. I'll just be pissed if I start going through clutch packs and have to get it rebuilt all the time.

Bottom line is that if you're running fast in 4wd I don't think it makes any difference if the rear is locked or the front is locked, based on my personal experience and I tried it both ways testing for KOH. It definitely doesn't work better with the rear locked. Since it does definitely work better on the trails with the front locked, and it doesn't matter on the fast stuff, I'd still lock the front if it was a choice between the two.

The series I'm designing for is TREC at the Badlands here in Indiana, if nothing else than because it's close to home. It's all light trails, nothing crazy like KOH. I've made it through the course open/open with my XJ without many problems, so I can see how just having 4wd period is good enough for a lot of the go-fast stuff. I will still run tougher trails occasionally, so locking the front may be a good option as you stated.

Just make sure your front axle is strong enough to take the abuse of whoops and landing from air time with the front locked. In our jeepspeed car, we had a detroit in the front, spool in rear, always run 4wd, and it exploded a coulpe D44 chromo stub shafts. We then ran some sort of Posi unit, and we liked the way that worked the best (it was a stock 9 inch posi, I believe, and it sheared the ring gear flange off the carrier. So we threw in an open carrier, and it has been dependable ever since.

I would think if you ran a spool in the front, you would really want full hydro steering, a good fluid cooler, and an axle wit BIG ball joints.

Richard is dead on with it pulling through corners rather than pushing, and it's a lot harder to get a drift going.

-Dan

I don't anticipate running a front spool, autolocker at best probably. This thing might see pavement once in a while so it'd be nice to have the locker out of the equation when in 2wd.

I was hoping to get by with a trussed D30 and alloy shafts if I had to. Since I'm really targeting the next rig towards the loose stuff I don't see this being a problem (again I'm not running anything like KOH here). I might be hitting some jumps every once in a while though So would you say that should be a factor in whether or not I lock the front?

P.S. You guys rock. Being able to ask a question and get so much feedback from real life experience is awesome. Especially for a newb like me!

 

[Goatman]

I agree with Dan on the stress and reliability issues. Fortunately, few see the stresses that their Jeepspeed rig and my KOH rig see. I do have a custom D60 in front with chromo shafts and CTM's, and I've replaced the ball joints each year that I've raced KOH.

I would certainly prefer running open/open in the desert stuff but always in 4wd. I locked my front mechanically for the race (spooled) for reliability concerns so that no matter what might happen to the air supply with the front locked and rear cutting brakes I could run any trail and obstacle.

Keep in mind, what Dan and I are talking about for desert racing sections is way beyond anything you'll likely see at the Badlands. But regarding handling and performance front locked is fine.

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

I'm hitting the sand dunes next weekend, and it just hit me that I haven't wheeled there since putting the aussie in my D30.

Am I going to notice a big difference in turning? I'd hate to be heading around a bowl and midjudge what the jeep can do and end up in a bad spot.

 

[Jays siik xj]

Rear, leave the front open. A locked front in a low traction environment will cause you to wash out.

X2... I learned that the hard way. :doh:

 

[Ryan93]

so would you all agree that if you were building a prerunner/DD and locked the rear best way to go would be a locker that you could switch on and off?

 

[Johnnie Walker]

Of course a selectable locker is best, but spendy. If/when I lock my stuff it will be ARB (air) in the rear and OX locker (switch) in the front. In theory, if you have a disco axle with a posi-lok setup you can have a locker in it and its similar to an OX.

 

[badron]

so would you all agree
==================
Ha ha you got to be kidding. You will never get everyone to agree on anything. Except XJ rule!!!!

Push. Depends on how much your talking and if your use to it. My old CJ pushed like hell with the rear locked in 2WD. It was brown shorts time for a few days. But after that, A little push was just part of driving it.

 

[tbburg]

On the limited slips:
I like the Trutrac.
I usually don't do hard rock crawling or deep mud, so I don't need lockers. I put a Trutrac in my front(d-30), and an Auburn in the rear(C-8.25). Neither one is a locker, but of the two, the front will "lock" much harder brake loading the tires(is that the right term?) then the rear. The Auburn does hook up hard enough to leave a dual black streak on dry pavement. Doing it again, I'd put Trutracs in both ends.(they didn't make a Trutrac for the C-8.25 when I bought my rig, they do now.)