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locking differentials. which to buy

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Offline scooterszuk

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locking differentials. which to buy
« on: July 10, 2008, 08:49:14 AM »
Hey zuke heads,
I purchased a 3 inch calmini lift, haven't installed yet, i want to lock the rear and front diffs, does any one have the lockrite lockers installed? i have a 1988 tin top samurai, stock so far, was wondering if the lockrite lockers are a good choice since the sammie sees highway use. these lock when trottle is applied from what ive read. just wondering about driveabillity on highway. thanks for input on what has worked for you'all.

Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2008, 12:59:26 PM »
Friends don't let friends install lunchbox lockers.

Go ARB or go home.

Go ARB and get home.

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Offline derekj

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2008, 01:51:06 PM »
I have a lockrite in my sidekick. Aside from the clicking when going around corners it doesn't make a huge difference when driving on the highway. Sure ARB's would be much better but cost about 3 times as much. You just need to adjust your driving around town to get used to the way it locks up.

Derek
91 Sidekick jx
2" BDS supension lift
2" BDS body lift
1" Coil spacers
32" TSL's and some other stuff I did And now with a Lockrite!  www.cardomain.com/memberpage/783382

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Offline olija

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2008, 09:32:37 PM »
I have a Detroit Locker in the rear of my Sidekick and I have observed these things:

a) Off road, it totally rocks!
b) On roads with gradual corners it is fine
c) When taking a tight corner it is best to either keep your foot about halfway through the gas pedal travel or completely off. If you floor it, you will chirp the tires and if you don't you will get a nasty bucking that makes teenage girls think you don't know how to drive stick
d) Depress the clutch pedal when pulling into parking spots
97 Sidekick 4door 5 speed, 1.5 spacer lift, 2" body lift, CJ rims, locked rear, 31's, 4:1 low <SOLD>
01 Vitara 2.0L 5 speed, 2.5" Calmini lift, 2" body lift, Sidekick rims, locked rear, 31's, 4:1 low, 5.13 diffs <SOLD>
03 XL7 2.7 5 speed, 4.5" AE lift with OME springs, 2" AE body lift, 5.13 diffs, 3:1 low, 235/80R17 BFG AT's on Ultra 17x8 with 1" spacers, skid plates, Balmer Fab front bumper

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Offline MUD CHILD

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2008, 10:50:11 PM »
I have a Lockrite in the rear of mine, I have had no problem with it. It has seen it fair share of abuse on the trails. On the road you will notice a difference but nothing you won't figure out the first couple turns you make.
NO DITCH TO DEEP NO HILL TO STEEP

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Offline Jeremiah

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2008, 08:44:41 PM »
The only locker I have is the Aussie locker in my rig with toyota axles. It's supposed to work the same as Locrite... only better. It works fantastically on and off road. I don't think they make 'em for Suzuki yet.


ARB is awesome, but as said, it's expensive. If I were going to spend that kind of $$$, I'd get a KAM locker anyway. It's an electronic locker that works just like ARB - AND it comes with strengthened rear axles! It's easier to repair a broken electrical wire than it is to repair an air-hose on trail. We dealt with three leaky ARB lockers last week, they were all a real pain to get fixed.
'96 4 door kick: 29" Pep-Boys M/T, 1.5" OME
'83 SJ410: 31" Toyo M/T, SPOA, 1.3L
'08 Yamaha FZ6

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Offline locjaw

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2008, 08:14:57 AM »
i have had lunchbox lockers in the past and they perform very well as they are designed to, unfortunatly they are a little bit of a pain on the road. it's not gonna be something your gonna want to let your wife drive(at least my wife).
if your in the position to do so, the selectible locker is the way to go.i have ARB's in my kick and when turned off it's just a normal driving car. when they are on, it is totaly locked. as for maintnance, it just like everything, you have to check it once a while and not just wait till you have problems on the trail. of course, shit happens, so you have to be prepaired with equipment to repair one if need be.
once you have a selectible locker though, you can never go back !
1995 Sidekick SAS'd "Trail Slayer"
1993 4 door lifted "Road Warrior"
1995 4 door stocker "CreamPuff"

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Offline bentparts

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2008, 11:38:21 AM »
AMEN to ARB's, worth every penny. If you assemble everything with care, route all the air lines carefully, and inspect it once in a while, they utterly reliable. LOVE mine.
The usual stuff, and 2nd generation Air to liquid intercooled TURBOCHARGER

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Offline Drone637

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2008, 02:24:48 PM »
If you can afford it, dual ARB is great.  But a set of Lock Rights front and rear will take you anywhere you need to go.  :)
96 Geo Tracker, x-SJ-410,  x-White Rabbit, x-Project Trouble
Crawlers NorthWest
x-Trouble Racing

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Offline LilRed

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2008, 12:08:21 PM »
We've had no issues running rear lockrites on the Sami or Kick.  Very easy to get used to driving on the highway and great offroad.  For the front, a selectable locker is nice to be able to turn off for making tight turns on the trail and good if you get a lot of snow I guess.  If we were to go with a selectable locker for the Sami, it would be the KAM. 
some clips from The Wishbone Ranch
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Offline Jeremiah

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Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2008, 07:18:21 PM »
If you DO go lockrite, buy a set of pins as spares. It's rare, but they do sheer (designed to as a "fuse"). You can usually get home on one locked diff, and one open, but... just in case, it's small / light / cheap to have in with your other spares. Sheering those pins will depend a lot on your style of driving. Many people go forever without sheering. Up to you.
'96 4 door kick: 29" Pep-Boys M/T, 1.5" OME
'83 SJ410: 31" Toyo M/T, SPOA, 1.3L
'08 Yamaha FZ6

Re: locking differentials. which to buy
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2008, 07:55:01 AM »
X2 on springs & pins.  More so, the springs wear with use, which will eventially lead to pin failure.  If your lucky, you can pick the bits out, throw new in and continue to ride.  At worse, it can cause the locker to break, leaving you stranded.

On the ARB, go with the upgraded ait lines.  Well worth it.  Also, as recommended by Gary at Petroworks, carefully sand down the machine marks/grooves on the carrier where the rubber O-ring seals ride.  Doing this elminates a source of wear, and a point of air leakage.

You won't need to look far to find someone who hate lunchboxes, but you will be hard pressed to find many ARB haters.  That says a lot right there.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2008, 07:56:52 AM by Yankee-Tim »