Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I know what your all going to say, get an ARB Air or TJM Pro Locker.

So now thats out of the way, does anyone have any info or knowledge about the Detroit SofLocker (SL Locker)?

I am considering putting on in the front of my GQ.

They replace the entire center of the diff..no air lines etc to get snagged, no worries about air leaks etc etc.

They only work when the hubs are locked, and even then they allow one wheel to spin faster than the other (or faster then the axle i should say)

I've got softlockers in the front and rear of my troopy (they came with the car). The front locker does mess up the steering pretty badly sometimes (at times it's impossible to dry-steer, steering is heavy and often returns well off centre, car sometimes plows rather than turns), and the rear can make the car a bit of a chore to drive on the street (could be a troopy thing - but it always seems to be locked. makes for lots of sketching/bouncing around corners if i corner under power).

I have had the rear checked out by a pro who confirmed it was working as it should.

If i were you i'd save for an airlocker for the front at least (i know that's not what you wanted to hear).

Having said thaty they are supposed to be one of the best auto-lockers available, and i've never heard of one failing. If i had the money i'd only replace the front with an ARB at this stage.

I had them in the front and rear of a suzuki I had.I liked them only felt the rear lock up on the road if I turned full lock into a car park etc.All it did was click nothing bad.As stated the front made steering hard if it was locked and your trying to turn on rocks etc.

dubs wrote:As stated the front made steering hard if it was locked and your trying to turn on rocks etc.

Would this apply to any locker that is locked?

Yes If you've got an ARB air locker and you've got it locked it'll be just as hard to steer on the rocks/offroad until you unlock it

that is the point tho jeeps
you can unlock them

i kno a guy that had them in a 75 series and be broke eleventyseventyteen cv's. he finally got jack of it and bought a front arb and kept the rear detroit.

never to break a cv again .................... i love happy endings

badger wrote:that is the point tho jeeps
you can unlock them

i kno a guy that had them in a 75 series and be broke eleventyseventyteen cv's. he finally got jack of it and bought a front arb and kept the rear detroit.

never to break a cv again .................... i love happy endings

i've had both, my MK had arb rear and detroit series 3 front broke 3 cv's in about 7 years. Maverick had arb front and rear, no cv's broken but heaps of issues with leaking seals and broken air lines and shit solenoids and crap compressors, 1 aftermarket and 1 arb I used the front very little cause I was worried.

Now I have a soft locker (modified) in the front of the 80 and rear electric and I like the soft locker as it has more give IMO. I have blown no diffs or cv's yet in over 1 1/2 years.......yet. I'm sure it will happen at some point

I've run front and rear Detriot Lockers for the last 6 or so years. And Im not talking softlockers here. No dramas whatsoever with CV's or driveline. I did fit power steering however. I can run in 2wd with hubs locked on bitumen without a drama. Its only when you are applying torque to the front drive train that steering gets heavy.
Having said that, there is a certain degree of driving relearning that you have to do when driving a vehicle fitted with Detriots, particularly in the rear.

I've got the series IV soflocker in the front of my GQ patrol and I think it's great. It is a bit harder to steer though but apart from that you don't really notice it. I'm running 37s and haven't broken a CV yet. (GU diffs) I was breaking lot's of AVM hubs though. I've since put genuine manual hubs in and haven't broken one yet.


Cheers Mick.