Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Who runs an auto locker in the REAR of a sierra?
I don't know much about them as I've never really taken any notice of them, since its a trail-only car and only sees highway to & from trips, I always thought that one day I'd just weld up the rear. Im not sure if I like the idea of clacking and clunking and banging when going around corners...

Question: When offroad does it unlock/clack & bang much? When doing hard/tight wheeling would it equal a 100% constantly locked diff or do you see times where you may lose momentum or something due to the auto locker having to "engage"? or is it fairly instentanious?

Also, Ive done a beach trip and plan to do a couple more in my suzuki, (surfing noosa/north shore & going on a fraser trip etc) and I've heard stories of auto lockers being a bit scary on sand due to them unlocking & then locking in the slightly softer stuff & kicking the arse end out etc...

Is it worth paying the money to put up with the clacking and banging but have the car handle better on the road to & from wheeling trips (if it equally rivaled a fully locked diff offroad), or would I be better off saving the $$$ & welding up the arse end & putting up with it steering like a dog and having increased tyre wear to & from wheeling trips...

Just after some opinions...

The auto locker in the back of my suzy you can't even notice the noise offroad. It is only tight cornering on the road where you can actually hear it clunking or clicking or whatever it does.

Mine is not a daily & is only driven to & from trails.... There is no loss waiting for the locker to engage, it engages when your foot is on the pedal.

Can't comment on it in comparison to a welded diff as I ave never had one. Haven't done any soft sand driving with it either.

The lockers are quite cheap if you get them from the states. End up being less than $300 AU landed.

I have one and on the beach
no problems drove most places in 2wd
The only time i notice it is in car parks
mine is a daily driver .Best thing i put
in the zook.
BONER

Got a locker in the back its great, done heaps of beach not a problem I normally drive around in normal 2WD on the hard stuff, if not in the soft just keep the speed up. Out bush you wont ever get one wheel spinning on its own. As for noise cruising you wont notice it or out wheeling you wont either, more so if your in a car park or going slow and doing tight turns you may hear it clicking but thats about it. But the capabilities and things you can do once a locker is in will almost double if not stop you from being stuck when the wheels are crossed up.

Have heard if you run the thickest diff oil you can get, around 80/140 I think, it helps keep the noises down. Don't quote me though as my rear locker hasn't moved since it was installed

Almost built now though

cheers guys.

Just read the spool thread and noticed people talking about the disadvantages (steering) of welding the front. Also read the spidertrax cromo axle/cv thread and this has got me thinking about a set of those and running auto lockers front & rear

Have many people run the auto's in the front? I will be going to vitara P/S in the future which as stated in the spool thread, it will make turning the wheels easier, but won't fix the problem of the car not turning due to locked diffs pushing it in a straight line. Do auto lockers help retain some/alot/all of that manouverability?

Hi Dee,
I've been thinking about a lockright too but theres just one thing putting me off the idea.
They (apparently) aren't recommended for large tyres, although theres no mention of this on the Richmond Gear website.
US$110 for a spool (which I have already)
US$260 for Powertrax Lockright (not sure)
US$815 for ARB air locker (love one or two )


How many people have had their Lockright break on them???

I ran front and rear lockrights in my sierra for the past 2 or 3 years, drove it pretty hard, regularly broke CV's, etc. never had an issue to speak of with a locker. on 31s and gears.

and dont get too worried about the noise, for me it is seriously a faint tick only when tight cornering.

i have had both welded and lockright and would choose lockrite any day due to not wearing out the tyres.
the locking is instantatenous.

mine is a dd and still has the lockrite.

sand is fine, as i feel the locker makes it predictable.
think thats all you asked.
and as usual go with www.lowrangeoffroad.com and exchange rate is great atm.

Spike_Sierra wrote:and dont get too worried about the noise, for me it is seriously a faint tick only when tight cornering.

i have had both welded and lockright and would choose lockrite any day due to not wearing out the tyres.
the locking is instantatenous.

mine is a dd and still has the lockrite.

sand is fine, as i feel the locker makes it predictable.
think thats all you asked.
and as usual go with www.lowrangeoffroad.com and exchange rate is great atm.

Sold.

They are on holidays and aren't shipping till the 14th. I need to get crackin on this, If im gonna do it I want it ready for expo weekend (may 2nd)...

want33s wrote:US$815 for ARB air locker

Is this from Lowrange?

I got a quote from ARB the other day - $1202.58 for rear locker + $383 for fitting.

CairnsZook wrote:

want33s wrote:US$815 for ARB air locker

Is this from Lowrange?

I got a quote from ARB the other day - $1202.58 for rear locker + $383 for fitting.

Yep.

there are two types of lockright or detroit. the first uses the original sierra side gears and is pretty rough.....will wear quicker etc...the second uses lockright side gears. this is the better option. the main drama's with these diffs is they use shimming to keep them operating properly, once these shims wear, the diff becomes noisy and starts doing wierd shit. try to go for the locker with sidegears, it will last much longer and be nicer to drive, but at the same time saying that i will never go back to these lockers....been there done that!

Don't know about the sidegears being better joe ... when i bought mine from Roadless Gear (I think it was) they had the sidegears available but recommended keeping the existing if they were in good nick.

I don't know the reasoning behind that though.

lot less lash with the lockright sidegears and a little easier to shim.