Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Question.

On a limited budget for my next 4BY and what do you guys think is more important. Diff locks or extra wheel travel

I'm inclined to go diff locks

I would deffenatly say Diff locks!

As long as you have a tyre on the ground you can still achieve movement, however with heaps of flex and no lockers once as one tyre looses traction its all over!

I also look at the American Comp buggies!

They are getting over ridiculous sized rocks and most of them have very limited wheel travel.

They don't give a shait about who can go the furtherest up a ramp they just want to get max traction when its needed!

Also 83LUX has a rear locker and NO TRAVEL where as BUBS has More travel and no locker, i have seen 83LUX get threw more places easier than BUBS!

I also think BUBS is the better Driver, so the locker makes all the DIFFerence (get it DIFF-erence ) not very funny ,I know

Lockers

lockers

Definitley lockers
- have bugger all real flex on my 85Lux at present (a work in progress), but with twin diff locks it doesn't matter, she just hauls her ass over damn near anything.

no questions asked id go lockers for sure you need lockers before travel

As above.

lockers 4 sure

Lockers would get you more places than with bigger suspension flex

flex

EXPERIENCE! forget about both if you can't drive! get out there and train, train, train! when you learn to surf, you go out there as much as you can, it's not quality it's quantity. If you can learn to drive without both, you will be a better driver in the long run.

There are a lot of people out there with all the gear, and no idea...

But get a locker/s as a mod priority.

Area54 wrote:EXPERIENCE! forget about both if you can't drive! get out there and train, train, train! when you learn to surf, you go out there as much as you can, it's not quality it's quantity. If you can learn to drive without both, you will be a better driver in the long run.

There are a lot of people out there with all the gear, and no idea...

But get a locker/s as a mod priority.

Some of are so GOOD we only need one LOCKER!

RUFF wrote:flex

NICE!!!!

So next COMP you will be telling Sam to run with the LOCKERS OFF!

(Come to think of it, it probably will make fark all difference)

We have never engaged the lockers during a comp yet

depends on the vehicle!

RUFF wrote:We have never engaged the lockers during a comp yet

I have never ENGAGED a locker either

Tip LOKKAS work betta wen actually fitted the diffs mine dont work that good at the moment



But yes lokkas are the go look at hypo he cant drive it " for shite but add lokkas and the hypolux actually goes places maybe thats just my spottin at hypo

I'm with Area 54

Develop technique before anything! I was re-reading some old my old 4wd Monthly mags and one of the feature cars was an earlier evolution of Paul Pisani's zook, and he said that, at that stage, he wasn't getting lockers as he wanted to get his technique down.

Personally I agree. There's nothing worse than someone who solves problems by throwing $$$$ at it. I'm seriously considering getting my rear suspension articulating better (and MAYBE even the front, ie. bolt on 5 link) before going to putting an airlocker in the front, let alone MAYBE the rear also.

My 2c worth.

Depends on what you want to acheive - each are good, but both are better. What is your wallet saying?

I went more rear suspension travel as a substitute for locker and it worked well for a while, then got rear locker and more front travel.

One thing to remember in favour of suspension:- a locker may allow you to drive forward, but enough suspension travel may prevent cabin tilt/rollover due the the cfact that when you drop into a hole there is something to catch your fall..... a locker is a bad option at this point.

Also a locker is useless downhill where gravity is doing the work and you just need ground contact for brakes or to stop the car falling over - and that should mean 50% of the time....

Id be goin straight to the 5 link first cause these sukers just dont flex i reckon i was gettin more outta mycoily zook and that had fark all but still more that the mav ..................Had some fun rampin the stocker at work up a retainin wall front nuthin back had some



But yes i also agree learn to drive it" then mod although i havent had mine off road but wen i do it will have 2"body 5" springs 4.6's tranny gears lokkas front n rear and 37" mtrs so my .00000002 c worth prob aint worth it hey

I would say flex, then learn to drive the vehicle with open diff's, once you have got to it's limits then get a locker (or 2).

My opinion is a vehicle is more stable going over an obsticle with all wheels on the ground than one with lockers lifting wheels all over the show.

I aslo agree about experience. Start with the stock vehicle, then get the suspension working right (lots of flex) then go lockers and then gearing (diff ratio's, rockhoppers, etc)

lockers

Thanks for all the great input. I think driving technique is possibly the most important. Just take a look at the pics of the guys with great gobs of flex. It's like they don't know which way to go. Neally every pic show them trying to go straight over the rocks, ditch's etc when with a little bit of thought and a better line they wouldn't need any where near that ammount of wheel travel.

Joking of course.

Like a lot of things the biggest factor is driver ability. I have seen people with no lockers and reasonable travel drive straight through things just by picking a good line wheras guys with 2 lockers who thought they could just drive straight through wherever get stuck.

I have also seen trucks with 2 lockers but bugger all flex get on some scary angles, whereas ones with more flex can sit level driving through (and not look like they are about to flop/roll).

Ultimately though , if you are a good driver lockers will get you further than flex, but BOTH work best.

Suzuki Viagra wrote:Also a locker is useless downhill where gravity is doing the work and you just need ground contact for brakes or to stop the car falling over - and that should mean 50% of the time....

Don't agree with that.........lockers will help to stop the car running away down steep hills especially when a wheel lifts off the deck and I oughta know about that.
I noticed it being more controllable going down really steep hills with just the rear locker, but the front locker made an even bigger difference, very noticeable. Of course in the real Toolangi slop it doesn't matter a cracker as you will be 4 wheel sliding down most hills in the middle of winter