Locker Recommendations

[padddy_fc]

I'm planning on installing some kind of locker into my 98 x and was hoping to get some recommendations. I'm trying to keep this on the cheaper side, so my main options right now are a limited slip or a lunchbox style. This is my daily driver and is driven on 7 hour trips from college to home multiple times a year so I want to keep the street manners somewhat clean. But at school I hit the dirt with it almost every weekend. I've heard that LS clutches wear out fast off road and lunchbox lockers can be noisy and aggressive on the road. Any advice on which set up would be better would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[boominXplorer]

Are you open diff or limited slip now?

 

[padddy_fc]

Are you open diff or limited slip now?

open

 

[imp]

I'm planning on installing some kind of locker into my 98 x and was hoping to get some recommendations. I'm trying to keep this on the cheaper side, so my main options right now are a limited slip or a lunchbox style. This is my daily driver and is driven on 7 hour trips from college to home multiple times a year so I want to keep the street manners somewhat clean. But at school I hit the dirt with it almost every weekend. I've heard that LS clutches wear out fast off road and lunchbox lockers can be noisy and aggressive on the road. Any advice on which set up would be better would be awesome. Thanks!

@padddy_fc
Either way is going to cost some hundreds of bucks, I think. For about $500 or so, you can have the best of both worlds, plus no clutches, plus no roughness of operation (like Detroit Lockers), in the Torsen design, AKA True-Trac (I think). All gears, all in constant mesh, no slipping, smooth, quiet, strong. imp

 

[RangerX]

TruTrac limited slip is gear driven so will not wear out, Auburn Gear is almost as good, has cones instead of clutches, and will last longer than your truck.
Both cost more than a lunchbox locker, but both are high quality.
I highly suggest a LS over a locker for you based on your total use description.

I’ve had the stock LS, then the Auburn, now a locker, all on my daily driver.

 

[traveler]

If you were to go with a rebuilt trac-loc limited slip, be aware that not all 8.8 Ford's have the same "S" spring. It is a common trick among the T-bird guys to install an F-150 "S" spring when rebuilding the diff. It is much stronger and puts more pressure on the clutches. I put one in my Tbird and the difference is amazing. Even the drag racer who built the diff for me was surprised and decided to do the same thing in his drag car.

 

[Smitty716]

@padddy_fc
Either way is going to cost some hundreds of bucks, I think. For about $500 or so, you can have the best of both worlds, plus no clutches, plus no roughness of operation (like Detroit Lockers), in the Torsen design, AKA True-Trac (I think). All gears, all in constant mesh, no slipping, smooth, quiet, strong. imp

Have you tried the Torsen ? I was looking at it for the front of mine. Seems like a viable option , I was just waiting until I found someone who has actually had one. That way I could trust there opinion instead of just going by a salesperson.

 

[obaja]

I run a spartan lunchbox locker and it works awesome. It is loud when making parking lot speed turns so that turns a lot of people off of this locker. The road manners are fine since I got used to it. Just easy throttle when taking off around corners on turns and it operates perfectly. Every now and then you might get a pull in a direction at freeway speed if you get on the throttle quickly. I've gotten used to it and for me it was a huge improvement over open rear end allowing me to explore places offroad where an open rear end wouldnt have taken me

 

[BKennedy]

Search results for query: locker recommendations

www.explorerforum.com