lockers Front or Rear?
04-14-2010, 06:03 PM
#11
JK Jedi Master
04-14-2010, 06:22 PM
#12
JK Super Freak
The reason for this is due to why a locker helps at all.
The ONLY time a locker helps is when one tire slips, spins faster than the other, tricking the open diff into thinking the faster tire is on the outside of a turn...so it lets the "inside" tire coast.
Off road, a hung tire, a tire that loses traction, etc, triggers this.
Except for overcoming the open diff's issues with faster tires, a locker does nothing for you, period.
So, EVERYONE above did agree that the rears do most of the work, especially on a climb, and they get the best traction because of this...that's why you might even put a front wheel drive rig in reverse, and BACK UP a hill, to take advantage of that extra traction.
Now, we just established why the REARS get the best traction.
So, its the OTHER axle that would benefit from the locker MOST, the one MOST LIKELY TO SLIP.
(That would be the front axle)
So - As the front tires have the worst traction, and are most likely to slip, and its the slipping that triggers the need for a locker....the front tires benefit the most from a locker, more than the rears do.
Off road tests of jeeps with front and rear lockers proved that the jeeps with front lockers alone, outperformed the jeeps with rear lockers alone. They also proved that having BOTH ends locked was the best (DOH).
So - That answers the actual question of performance....the FRONT locker helps MORE.
The dogma concerning lockers has always been to lock the rear first, pretty much because its harder to STEER a locked front rig....and, concerns about the durability of a locked steering axle, with acute angles under more stress, etc....worrying people about breakage.
The issue gets confusing though if you simply say you want to lock both ends, then, every one makes Tim Allen grunting noises of approval.
Apparently, no one is worried about what bad things a locker is supposed to do to your front end, as long as you ALSO do it to the rear end.
I know, it makes no sense, but, we're brain washed like that...lock the front AND the back, and you're cool...but if you lock only the front, without the mystical powers of a rear locker to balance the truckma, a front locker becomes the diff of death....
...but add a rear locker to your front locker, and the force is with you.
People with front only lockers so far, that I know at least, have no more reliability problems than guys I know with rear only lockers....and, most being selectable, they just turn them off if not needed.
Performance wise, I have to agree with the off road test results...the front lockers DO help the front end most, as it tends to slip more, benefitting most from a locker.
That said, a lot of people are steeped in the dogma of rear locker mantra, and nothing on this earth will ever change their mind, period.
They will ALWAYS say lock the rear first, or lock BOTH.
If you don't want to upset them, lock the rear, it DOES WORK TOO.
If you want it to work BETTER, lock the front.
If worried about steering, driving in snow, etc, get a selectable locker.
[puts on asbestos suit]
04-14-2010, 06:34 PM
#13
JK Super Freak
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The most benefit, contrary to my friend's above, is to lock the front if doing only one.
The reason for this is due to why a locker helps at all.
The ONLY time a locker helps is when one tire slips, spins faster than the other, tricking the open diff into thinking the faster tire is on the outside of a turn...so it lets the "inside" tire coast.
Off road, a hung tire, a tire that loses traction, etc, triggers this.
Except for overcoming the open diff's issues with faster tires, a locker does nothing for you, period.
So, EVERYONE above did agree that the rears do most of the work, especially on a climb, and they get the best traction because of this...that's why you might even put a front wheel drive rig in reverse, and BACK UP a hill, to take advantage of that extra traction.
Now, we just established why the REARS get the best traction.
So, its the OTHER axle that would benefit from the locker MOST, the one MOST LIKELY TO SLIP.
(That would be the front axle)
So - As the front tires have the worst traction, and are most likely to slip, and its the slipping that triggers the need for a locker....the front tires benefit the most from a locker, more than the rears do.
Off road tests of jeeps with front and rear lockers proved that the jeeps with front lockers alone, outperformed the jeeps with rear lockers alone. They also proved that having BOTH ends locked was the best (DOH).
So - That answers the actual question of performance....the FRONT locker helps MORE.
The dogma concerning lockers has always been to lock the rear first, pretty much because its harder to STEER a locked front rig....and, concerns about the durability of a locked steering axle, with acute angles under more stress, etc....worrying people about breakage.
The issue gets confusing though if you simply say you want to lock both ends, then, every one makes Tim Allen grunting noises of approval.
Apparently, no one is worried about what bad things a locker is supposed to do to your front end, as long as you ALSO do it to the rear end.
I know, it makes no sense, but, we're brain washed like that...lock the front AND the back, and you're cool...but if you lock only the front, without the mystical powers of a rear locker to balance the truckma, a front locker becomes the diff of death....
...but add a rear locker to your front locker, and the force is with you.
People with front only lockers so far, that I know at least, have no more reliability problems than guys I know with rear only lockers....and, most being selectable, they just turn them off if not needed.
Performance wise, I have to agree with the off road test results...the front lockers DO help the front end most, as it tends to slip more, benefitting most from a locker.
That said, a lot of people are steeped in the dogma of rear locker mantra, and nothing on this earth will ever change their mind, period.
They will ALWAYS say lock the rear first, or lock BOTH.
If you don't want to upset them, lock the rear, it DOES WORK TOO.
If you want it to work BETTER, lock the front.
If worried about steering, driving in snow, etc, get a selectable locker.
[puts on asbestos suit]
The reason for this is due to why a locker helps at all.
The ONLY time a locker helps is when one tire slips, spins faster than the other, tricking the open diff into thinking the faster tire is on the outside of a turn...so it lets the "inside" tire coast.
Off road, a hung tire, a tire that loses traction, etc, triggers this.
Except for overcoming the open diff's issues with faster tires, a locker does nothing for you, period.
So, EVERYONE above did agree that the rears do most of the work, especially on a climb, and they get the best traction because of this...that's why you might even put a front wheel drive rig in reverse, and BACK UP a hill, to take advantage of that extra traction.
Now, we just established why the REARS get the best traction.
So, its the OTHER axle that would benefit from the locker MOST, the one MOST LIKELY TO SLIP.
(That would be the front axle)
So - As the front tires have the worst traction, and are most likely to slip, and its the slipping that triggers the need for a locker....the front tires benefit the most from a locker, more than the rears do.
Off road tests of jeeps with front and rear lockers proved that the jeeps with front lockers alone, outperformed the jeeps with rear lockers alone. They also proved that having BOTH ends locked was the best (DOH).
So - That answers the actual question of performance....the FRONT locker helps MORE.
The dogma concerning lockers has always been to lock the rear first, pretty much because its harder to STEER a locked front rig....and, concerns about the durability of a locked steering axle, with acute angles under more stress, etc....worrying people about breakage.
The issue gets confusing though if you simply say you want to lock both ends, then, every one makes Tim Allen grunting noises of approval.
Apparently, no one is worried about what bad things a locker is supposed to do to your front end, as long as you ALSO do it to the rear end.
I know, it makes no sense, but, we're brain washed like that...lock the front AND the back, and you're cool...but if you lock only the front, without the mystical powers of a rear locker to balance the truckma, a front locker becomes the diff of death....
...but add a rear locker to your front locker, and the force is with you.
People with front only lockers so far, that I know at least, have no more reliability problems than guys I know with rear only lockers....and, most being selectable, they just turn them off if not needed.
Performance wise, I have to agree with the off road test results...the front lockers DO help the front end most, as it tends to slip more, benefitting most from a locker.
That said, a lot of people are steeped in the dogma of rear locker mantra, and nothing on this earth will ever change their mind, period.
They will ALWAYS say lock the rear first, or lock BOTH.
If you don't want to upset them, lock the rear, it DOES WORK TOO.
If you want it to work BETTER, lock the front.
If worried about steering, driving in snow, etc, get a selectable locker.
[puts on asbestos suit]