Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hey crew,

What would you guys recommend as good diff locks for zooks.

THe Detroit ezy locker(i think thats the one) sounds OK
ARB's one is a bit too pricey for my liking.

I want a diff lock for the rear wheels

weld it

weld it

DiStuRBeD wrote:Hey crew,

What would you guys recommend as good diff locks for zooks.

THe Detroit ezy locker(i think thats the one) sounds OK
ARB's one is a bit too pricey for my liking.

I want a diff lock for the rear wheels

Depends on heaps of stuff. If the ARB's too pricey then you'll either be looking at an autolocker, a minispool, or weld it.

Autolockers are good in the sense that they still leave the diff open sometimes, but bad because you have no control of when they kick in. This can be pretty hairy on the road.

Welded diffs are constantly locked, and there are mixed opinions on their suitability for a road-driven rig. Personally I believe it is a lot of pressure to be putting on your drivetrain. Minispools achieve a similar thing, but you don't have to render your open diff useless - you can just take the minispool out if you don't like it.

If you put a locker on/weld your front diff, it will only be working while the hubs are in.

if you cant afford to put in an airlocker weld it and save money for the airlocker

people who say that autolockers are no good have obviously never owned one or were too retarded to figure out how to drive with one fitted. i have a lockright in the back of my vitara, and sure, when i first got it,it took a bit to get used to, but now it is second nature. you quickly learn to either keep the power on during a turn, or kick the clutch in and roll around the corner........its not that hard.

i have deliberatly gone into a corner too fast, on a damp road, with my mongrels on, and got on and off the throttle quickly several times to get it to lock in and out, and it didn't unsettle it at all...........sure it made some noise, but it didn't throw it into a wild death spin like some would make out always happens with any autolocker.

Weld it, that'll tide you over whilst you save for ARB's

WELD IT.

Ive driven with a welded rear for over 2 years now without any problems (except for the broken axle driving out of a servo.....but thats another story )

redzook wrote:if you cant afford to put in an airlocker weld it and save money for the airlocker

I agree.
Peter.

weld, forgive me as i'm not mechanically minded but wont that cause my tires to get a bit chopped up?

I mostly drive around town, but want it for weekends to be on sand and gravel tracks\mud etc

what diff lock do u recommend, i'm a bit put off by welding

Well as everybody has said you cant go past a ARB, but if you dont want to spend that much $$$$$$$$ import a lock right or ez locker from the states for about $350 AUS.

You could also look at importing an LSD from the states for it. If it's use is heavily biased for on road use, but you still want some offroad fun this is a really good option.

Of course you could also autolocker the front and then deal with the offroad steering consequences....

For a car driven a lot on the road (daily driver) a welded rear diff is gonna be a major chore... even stuff like reverse parking becomes a real drag.

DiStuRBeD wrote:but wont that cause my tires to get a bit chopped up?

If we were talking about a 2500KG patrol or cruiser, yes, you would chew through tyres, but as it is a Sierra it makes little impact.
I drove around with a welded rear for years before I fitted twin ARB's.
Peter.

or you could leave it open and learn to drive

I don't know how many times we have been out playing and people with ARBs have had problems- eg air line being pulled out, compressor failure or just haven't worked. Auto lockers very simple and stronger than OE.
Mind you being able to turn off your lockers for maneuvability (is dat rite?) is a beautiful thing.

pros and cons for everything

I think that the on road behaviour of Auto lockers has been well documented, in that the lighter and shorter the car, the more noticable they become.

However, there is another trait with auto lockers that occurs with off road. Auto lockers require a degree of what I call "reverse torque"- to operate.

I am sure you are all aware that the deal with all auto lockers is that they are a ratchet tyre of mechanism that premits one wheel to overspeed the crownwheel, but never turn slower than it.

In order to "unlock" the diff to allow the outside wheel to overspeed, that tyre has to be "pushed" faster by the traction that the tyre has on the ground.

Many factors influence this, but on a slippery surface such as clay, leaf litter, blacksoil etc, auto lockers will rarely unlock on a light car like a zuk.

In that case, you will have the same traction forward as a welded diff, or a locked ARB, but when trying to maneuver gently around an obstacle etc, you can have quite unpredictable behaviour.

Personally, I would weld the rear until I could afford an airlocker, but If your use is predominantly light off road use and plenty of road miles, I would concentrate on getting other aspects of the cars set up spot on and save for an airlocker.

We have had plenty of cars in the Vic zook club running welded diffs on road for ages.

I'm a bit put off by welding the diff as I reverse everyday up the driveway(20mtrs) and reverse park often

what diff lock do you guys use, if any? how have you found them?

I was in the exact same boat as you about 4 months ago. I was asking all the same questions you are, and I went off-road most weekends and had to drive my suzuki to work every day just like you. In the end I left my diffs unlocked for about three months(2 of these were spent trying to decide whether and if i should/could weld it or not) and saved as much cash as I could. Then I got ARB in Gympie to install their air locker, and I couldn't be more happy. I now have a sierra that can embarass my older brothers land cruiser on the weekends, and is still a perfect car to drive to work in. And on the plus side I....

A. Learnt how to drive the little beast properly without locking diffs.

B. Didn't have to shell out my savings on driveline repairs if/when my welded diff shit itself.


I hope this makes your decision making a little bit easier..

You have chosen wizely
Awell thought out and executed plan Whitey.
Peter.

I didn't want to spend big bucks on the arb at 1st but after researching all the options I realised there really wasn't any satisfactory option , after getting the air locker I reckon its the best spent $$$$s Iv ever spent on a car mod ever, you get more for your $$ with the arb then any of the auto lockers

xtreem wrote:Well as everybody has said you cant go past a ARB, but if you dont want to spend that much $$$$$$$$ import a lock right or ez locker from the states for about $350 AUS.

+ p & h I'd imagine Surely not $350 landed

-Mick- wrote:

xtreem wrote:Well as everybody has said you cant go past a ARB, but if you dont want to spend that much $$$$$$$$ import a lock right or ez locker from the states for about $350 AUS.

+ p & h I'd imagine Surely not $350 landed

landed $371 Aust from rocky road

nelligen wrote:

-Mick- wrote:

xtreem wrote:Well as everybody has said you cant go past a ARB, but if you dont want to spend that much $$$$$$$$ import a lock right or ez locker from the states for about $350 AUS.

+ p & h I'd imagine Surely not $350 landed

landed $371 Aust from rocky road

Well that's not $350 is it

Nah thanks that's interesting is that lockwrongs or sleazy lockers for the same price

nelligen wrote:

-Mick- wrote:

xtreem wrote:Well as everybody has said you cant go past a ARB, but if you dont want to spend that much $$$$$$$$ import a lock right or ez locker from the states for about $350 AUS.

+ p & h I'd imagine Surely not $350 landed

landed $371 Aust from rocky road

dude, did that include tax and import and whatever else thru customs? or just part and post?

Hey Mick, a lock right from rocky road with express freight comes out at $286 AUS delivered. If you get stung with the gst and taxes it will be about $370, but you will probably get away without the duties.

I have been told they usually dont police these charges for items under $400.

So wehre in the states would i look at (website) to find out info on getting this

ARB air lockers at $1500 or so are so xpensive

DiStuRBeD wrote:So wehre in the states would i look at (website) to find out info on getting this

ARB air lockers at $1500 or so are so xpensive

http://www.rocky-road.com/suzuki.html

Have emailed them You should too to get them interested

i reckon i'll get a detroit ez-locker if i get one in from the states, seem to be better than lock-rite etc. still liking the idea of a spool tho... if we can source one for a decent price

DiStuRBeD wrote:So wehre in the states would i look at (website) to find out info on getting this

ARB air lockers at $1500 or so are so xpensive

You can do alot better than that price if you can fit it yourself. about $1220 with compressor.

stumped wrote:i reckon i'll get a detroit ez-locker if i get one in from the states, seem to be better than lock-rite etc. still liking the idea of a spool tho... if we can source one for a decent price

Why do you say that the detroit is better than the powertrax???????????