7kings

Okay, so I've seen write-ups by Jeep engineers and all the Jeep animated videos explaining BLD. I've even experienced the sweet coolness of BLD for myself on the trail. Every time the subject of BLD comes up on a forum thread, you inevitably hear the same comment - "brake-locking differential is pretty cool and works well, but it's not a replacement for lockers". Unfortunately, this comment is never really followed by an explanation of WHY lockers are superior to BLD.

So who wants to educate me here? What will lockers do (practically) that BLD will not? In what situations will lockers be necessary when BLD will not cut it?

jeep_n_co

Locker are on until you turn them off, whereas BLD is using the brakes to selectively brake the wheel with no traction sending power to the wheel that DOES.

BLD works great, far better that I would have ever expected. However, you are using up your brakes to do so. I suppose there is some risk of brakes overheating and loosing BLD's effectiveness. There is also some delay as the computer thinks to itself "conditions are satisfied to turn on BLD".

BLD is good for short periods of time to keep you moving, whereas lockers are on as long you want them.

ronjenx

...and there probably is a limit to the amount of torque that will be transferred with BLD.
A locker can transfer all of the torque to the side with traction.

Mark Doiron

I think Ron hit the nail on the head. You're turning a lot of horsepower into heat with BLD. Imagine going up a very steep hill. You may not have that extra torque/horsepower to give up.

Atlacatl

http://blog.chryslerllc.com/blog.do?p=entry&id=270

There u go... Everything u need to know.

As stated above, the amount of torque available through the BLD system is limited.

Sent from my iPhone using JK-Forum

7kings

Thanks - I've actually read that article and others like it, and quotes such as, "A Jeep vehicle with BLD will negotiate almost any obstacle or driving situation that a similar vehicle with locking differential will.", are exactly why I started this thread. In regards to concern about overheating brakes, multiple articles have stated that this is not an issue.

It does take more torque with BLD, but, as stated in the engineer blogs, "The required extra torque is not usually a problem especially in 4wd low range." How many times have you actually run out of torque on an obstacle?

This being the case, I'm still unclear on where a locker would be needed because BLD could not do the job.

ronjenx

I don't think heat is an issue, either, because the amount of energy converted to heat during BLD activation is far less than is converted descending a long grade while braking, or hard braking to a stop from high speed.

We don't know the maximum amount of brake force to the spinning wheel the system will apply. Will it completely lock the spinning wheel? Even if it does, only 1/2 the torque will make it to the other side.

Tooadvanced

Biggest bld drawback is it will stop when momentum is achieved. If you still have a tire in air guess what. Youve lost traction again. Lockers theres no computer to make it stop functioning. That was four wheelers biggest complaint on new cherokee trailhawk

cormac827

Do new jeeps come with bld?

ronjenx

All the JKs do. And it works on both axles.
Don't know about the other platforms.