Anyone installed a front locker and rear LSD?

[entropy]

I have a Torqlocker on the front of my JLU Sahara. Works great actually. However, I on occasion drive from MId-TN to Colorado and wheel the passes. What I have found is on tight switchbacks it would be handy to be able to unlock the front without taking it out of 4W-Lo to negotiate a tight 3 or 4 point turn. So I will be switching to an Eaton Electric locker in the near future. Honestly that is the only reason I will be switching out. The Torqlocker has never failed to get me out of a bad situation. I have the nasty habit of wheeling alone and so far haven't had to use the winch. BTW my Sahara doesn't have a LSD in the rear and it's gotten me through Engineer Pass, Hagerman Pass+Several others and minor trails in MOAB. I don't tend to go where I think I shouldn't when I am alone

Interesting. I was doing a trail thats very very narrow at places with very tight turns. On 4lo i had no issues turning. Could hear clicking on the locker which means theres differentiation happening and I turned no issues. Did you ever wheel those trails open? I wheeled my jeep open quite a bit and it is pretty much the same. Turning on 4lo sucks just the same lol. On very tight turns if possible I would just switch to 2wd for a bit. I wonder if you truly need 4lo on those trails.

Honestly if I were you I would spend the money on locking the rear instead and leaving the torq locker. Unless you are regearing and really want a selectable on the front.

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[word302]

Ummmm. Have you driven it in mud or on snowy roads with 4WD engaged yet? That is typically where the handling quirks of automatic lockers raise their ugly head...

Stop it with all these facts and real-world experience. This must be the best locker because it's the one he bought.

 

[entropy]

Stop it with all these facts and real-world experience. This must be the best locker because it's the one he bought.

Dude whats your problem? I am just posting about my experience. Why do you even care? Ask anyone whose wheeled with me. I really put things to the test I am not doing blue mountain passes. I dont own the company who makes these lockers i really dont care about it. Just posting for others considering a front locker thats all. The locker works just fine and thats it. People have choices and thats great.

Get a life and let people be. I dont get what your goal is. Enjoy your jeep and understand people have different goals/needs and theres not one for all. What works for me in southern cali might not work for somebody who lives in Michigan.

I got the traction i need and saved $1,000 that went towards my kid educational funds. Others might be on the fence about this like I was.

Some of us are trying to save money while building a capable rig. I dont care if someone elses jeep is better than mine and I am not going around the forums looking for self validation.

 

[Kreepin1]

I'm glad you're happy! As I said above an automatic locker is my favorite in a front axle application and this looks like a fantastic product.

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See the way you drive on snow the locker wont be engaged, and also you are supposed to drive slow.
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It isnt rocker science. You hit the gas, the diff locks. Youre let go the gas, it doesnt.
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This is not true. Here is what is really going on.

In 2WD your Central Axle Disconnect is disconnecting the locker from the passenger side wheel. There is no clicking because the locker is fully engaged but not seeing one tire.

In 4WD the CAD is engaged and the locker is seeing both tires. The locker remains locked until the tires start to fight each other in a turn. Then the locker disengages and you might hear the clicking. The more power you are applying the harder it is to disengage the locker. That is why the operator's manual suggests you either coast through a turn or apply less throttle than you would with an open diff.

Here's the thing. In low traction situations like mud and ice/snow the tires can't generate enough torque fighting each other to disengage the locker. Instead they begin to slip and the locker stays locked. This will cause you to slide to the outside of a turn. The good news is you can dial in more steering angle to make the turn but you are essentially doing a power slide with the front axle.

Be safe out there folks!

 

[entropy]

I'm glad you're happy! As I said above an automatic locker is my favorite in a front axle application and this looks like a fantastic product.



This is not true. Here is what is really going on.

In 2WD your Central Axle Disconnect is disconnecting the locker from the passenger side wheel. There is no clicking because the locker is fully engaged but not seeing one tire.

In 4WD the CAD is engaged and the locker is seeing both tires. The locker remains locked until the tires start to fight each other in a turn. Then the locker disengages and you might hear the clicking. The more power you are applying the harder it is to disengage the locker. That is why the operator's manual suggests you either coast through a turn or apply less throttle than you would with an open diff.

Here's the thing. In low traction situations like mud and ice/snow the tires can't generate enough torque fighting each other to disengage the locker. Instead they begin to slip and the locker stays locked. This will cause you to slide to the outside of a turn. The good news is you can dial in more steering angle to make the turn but you are essentially doing a power slide with the front axle.

Be safe out there folks!

i am aware of the locker being disconnected in 2wd never said it wasnt.

And i agree with the 4wd part as well. I know i hear clicking because both wheels have traction. In case of snow or ice if there is no traction the locker wont ratchet theoretically speaking.

If you let the foot off the gas on 4WD you hear no clicking when turning, at all. 4WD on loose sand at 40~50mph. I heard no clicking and turned without issues. But when i gave it a bit of gas theres a bit of heavy steering wheel feel, nothing crazy and easy to correct. It is very tame and as you said the more throttle, the more aggressive it is. In case of ice we will see, but if one wheel is spinning with no traction and the other has traction it doesnt matter because the spinning wheel has no traction anyway. The issue is when it gets traction, but at that point the locker will ratchet.

It is hard to explain in words how it actually feels. All i can say, it is not unpredictable at all. A bit different yes.

Ill make sure i post how it feels on snow. I know it could be much worse. Ive just heard from others it is not bad. I do live in socal tho so not much of an issue for me.

 

[Kreepin1]

Cool! Like I said, this is my favorite type of locker in the front. BUT - I would never install one in a daily driver that sees ice and snow. It's a great choice for Southern California, until you head up to Big Bear to play in the snow...

 

[entropy]

Cool! Like I said, this is my favorite type of locker in the front. BUT - I would never install one in a daily driver that sees ice and snow. It's a great choice for Southern California, until you head up to Big Bear to play in the snow...

So what put me off the fence and had me start to consider it was talking to a friend who wheels an older jeep with torq locker hard. He lives near big bear and told me to not worry about snow and that it isnt bad at all. But we will see.

Someone on the forums actually took his off after trying it in snow. I am aware of that. Irl people who own them told me it is fine. It could be driving style. There is no question that open diff is best in snow.

 

[word302]

Dude whats your problem? I am just posting about my experience. Why do you even care? Ask anyone whose wheeled with me. I really put things to the test I am not doing blue mountain passes. I dont own the company who makes these lockers i really dont care about it. Just posting for others considering a front locker thats all. The locker works just fine and thats it. People have choices and thats great.

Get a life and let people be. I dont get what your goal is. Enjoy your jeep and understand people have different goals/needs and theres not one for all. What works for me in southern cali might not work for somebody who lives in Michigan.

I got the traction i need and saved $1,000 that went towards my kid educational funds. Others might be on the fence about this like I was.

Some of us are trying to save money while building a capable rig. I dont care if someone elses jeep is better than mine and I am not going around the forums looking for self validation.

Look man, I’m glad you like your locker. In your situation it’s probably a great choice. When you say things like “there are no downsides” and “it’s better than any selectable locker in the market” you lose all credibility. That is what I take issue with.

 

[entropy]

Look man, I’m glad you like your locker. In your situation it’s probably a great choice. When you say things like “there are no downsides” and “it’s better than any selectable locker in the market” you lose all credibility. That is what I take issue with.

A bold statement. And an opinion based on experience. Not a theoretical truth. There are known downsides to any lunchbox locker. But in practice depending on the brand a style of locker, those downsides could be negligible to the user. Selectable lockers can have their downsides too. If it was actually better the Rubicon wouldve come with it instead of an elocker. It is cheaper and simpler.

A member here just said theyre replacing theirs with eaton because it did hurt their turning radius. Who knows maybe I didnt because I am driving a 2 door anyway. 2 jeepers I was with have 4 doors and a front torq locker and they are fine too. Point is, what works for somebody might not work for others. i wheeled my jeep before the locker a lot. I pushed it pretty hard. And just dont notice a difference in turning radius. I didnt measure it so it remains subjectivr.

So youre right. But for my application it is better than selectable. Shoulve clarified that. My other 2 options were eaton or ARB. Eaton only comes with a 1 year warranty and has known issues unlocking/locking. ARB is solid, but a major investment and adds quite a bit of complexity + air lines and a compressor. Requires more maintenance.

The torq locker comes with 4 year warranty, it is foolproof in terms of it working as a locker. I think it is better, for the front. It is machined very well and very high quality materials. At $400 it isnt the cheapest automatic locker I found. It isnt cheap for what it is.

Time will tell and maybe prove me wrong. And for somebody having a commute half the year on snow a selectable is probably better. They should be looking at winter tires anyway.

And for it not having downsides. Well wheeling all day there was no point I was like "fuck i wish i could unlock".

But keep in mind. I do tight trails, rocky, loose dirt, etc. Southern california stuff. And for this the locker does work really well and I wouldnt see a reason for me to go selectable. Or for others on my situation to do the same.

Mud, snow, sand dunes. Thats a different story and I have no data to share on that.

 

[word302]

A bold statement. And an opinion based on experience. Not a theoretical truth. There are known downsides to any lunchbox locker. But in practice depending on the brand a style of locker, those downsides could be negligible to the user. Selectable lockers can have their downsides too. If it was actually better the Rubicon wouldve come with it instead of an elocker. It is cheaper and simpler.

So youre right. But for my application it is better than selectable. Shoulve clarified that. My other 2 options were eaton or ARB. Eaton only comes with a 1 year warranty and has known issues unlocking/locking. ARB is solid, but a major investment and adds quite a bit of complexity + air lines and a compressor. Requires more maintenance.

The torq locker comes with 4 year warranty, it is foolproof in terms of it working as a locker. I think it is better, for the front. It is machined very well and very high quality materials. At $400 it isnt the cheapest automatic locker I found. It isnt cheap for what it is.

Time will tell and maybe prove me wrong. And for somebody having a commute half the year on snow a selectable is probably better. They should be looking at winter tires anyway.

And for it not having downsides. Well wheeling all day there was no point I was like "fuck i wish i could unlock".

But keep in mind. I do tight trails, rocky, loose dirt, etc. Southern california stuff. And for this the locker does work really well and I wouldnt see a reason for me to go selectable. Or for others on my situation to do the same.

Mud, snow, sand dunes. Thats a different story and I have no data to share on that.

See this is much more rational. For you it seems like a great choice. For everyone? That’s just a silly statement.

 

[2nd 392]

After putting mechanical Detroit Lockers on my CJ5 I found out the hard way that didn’t want to turn in deep snow or mud. Winch assisted steering sucks! Selectable in the front!!

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