Would it make sense to add lockers/LSD to both axles of a JL Sport?

[west tex]

You'd up the game with the sway bar disco quite a bit. Lockers will make it a total beast. But you are right, it is fantastic bone stock, too!

I've wheeled my JKUR for 9 of its 13 years on 33's and it is pure mountain goat. It's gotten me out of places and over things that frankly shocked me. Many times even without the lockers. It had 32's originally, and it was still a beast, although it really tested out the skid plates. But that's what they are for!

I don't often get into places where I need lockers. More often, they are for insurance purposes, but when I do, they save the day. Even with just the rear it is in beast mode. With front and rear locked, its the Hulk.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Yes, the sway bar disconnect would be another item I'd go with. But it's looking like the cost of those things would actually add up to about the same as a Rubicon, so that may be what I'll ultimately do.

Sponsored

 

[Jamrock]

If you think you will need lockers on a regular basis, buy a Rubicon. If you think you will be going hard core wheeling, buy a Rubican.

They are designed for that.

If you will be doing mild to intemediate trails, any model will do.

If money is an issue, you can purchase a Sport and gradually build it up as the funds become available. It will take some time and effort but you will learn a lot about Jeeps.

If money is an issue, you can purchase a stripped down Rubicon with little or no options.

Just be realistic about what you want from your Jeep. Don't be the guy who buys a Sport and then decides that he wants a Rubicon. That doesn't always work out well.

 

[DanW]

Lol, Want to do REALLY hard core rock crawling in Moab? Buy a Crown Vic!

 

[WhitneyWillys]

I don't have lockers. I wonder often if I need lockers, even though I have never as of yet felt they are needed. It appears to me that by the time I need lockers, I probably need lift, larger tires, spotters and some appetite for potential body damage.
Also, traveling in groups, and adding a winch is probably a good substitute for lockers.

You should get lockers so that you don't have to ponder that question anymore

 

[entropy]

If you think you'd ever need a locker buy a Rubicon. Says the guy with a sport with a rear LSD planning to add a locker soon.

Trust me in the end you wont be saving that much money, unless you get a really good deal on a sport. And by the way, a better setup is front locker and LSD if you want an LSD works much better on the rear. You can order a sport with a rear LSD. I've been on the fence about the rear LSD from factory but this past weekend I went wheeling and paid a lot of attention to it and I could tell you it works just fine. The thing about LSD is that if you are planning to go to 35s they don't work at all.

So if you do end up getting a Jeep with LSD + lockers, have the LSD on the rear and the locker up front. See, the LSD is gonna give you all the rear traction you need and it works better than a locker in some situations, the front locker will get you the traction you need when climbing. Rear LSD, front ARB locker, small lift (like a rubi suspension), disconnects, and you are good to go.

But in the end, the best absolute combination is rear locker, front locker. Building a sport is a lot of fun though. But you are gonna need some patience.

 

[Tech Tim]

If you think you'd ever need a locker buy a Rubicon.

Good advice if the person can afford the Rubicon model.

See, the LSD is gonna give you all the rear traction you need and it works better than a locker in some situations,

Sorry, an LSD is just an LSD and will never give more traction than a locker in any situation.

A locker does just that, it locks up and applies equal driving load to both left and right tires regardless of the load from the driving surface or the vehicle. An LSD will only give equal load to both tires IF both tires have the same amount of load feedback from surface it is on... e.g. dry flat pavement.

There can be a difference in traction between manual or driver actuated lockers (Rubicon, E-Locker, Air Locker etc) and mechanical lockers (Aussie locker, Detroit locker etc.) depending on input from the drivetrain, but that is almost a separate discussion.

 

[Jamrock]

I have seen too many posts from people who buy Sport models and then want to go rock climbing with their friends. It is heart breaking.

On the other hand, I have seen many posts from people who are quite happy with their Sport or Sahara because they use it as it was designed.

That is all I am saying.

 

[DanW]

I have seen too many posts from people who buy Sport models and then want to go rock climbing with their friends. It is heart breaking.

On the other hand, I have seen many posts from people who are quite happy with their Sport or Sahara because they use it as it was designed.

That is all I am saying.

What? I've seen many a Sport out in Moab and other places. Modding is a part of Jeeping. Plenty of options to get it to do what you want it to do.

 

[entropy]

I have seen too many posts from people who buy Sport models and then want to go rock climbing with their friends. It is heart breaking.

On the other hand, I have seen many posts from people who are quite happy with their Sport or Sahara because they use it as it was designed.

That is all I am saying.

What's heartbreaking is thinking a sport can't go rock-crawling, just shows your lack of experience and/or skill.

 

[entropy]

Good advice if the person can afford the Rubicon model.




Sorry, an LSD is just an LSD and will never give more traction than a locker in any situation.

A locker does just that, it locks up and applies equal driving load to both left and right tires regardless of the load from the driving surface or the vehicle. An LSD will only give equal load to both tires IF both tires have the same amount of load feedback from surface it is on... e.g. dry flat pavement.

There can be a difference in traction between manual or driver actuated lockers (Rubicon, E-Locker, Air Locker etc) and mechanical lockers (Aussie locker, Detroit locker etc.) depending on input from the drivetrain, but that is almost a separate discussion.

A rear LSD works might work better than a locker a certain situations. Such as icy roads, higher speed driving on dirt roads, snow. I didn't mean it provides more traction. I just said it works better, and it is automatic too (always on). But on any crawling situation locker wins big time. I could be wrong though, I am still learning quite a bit.

And about "affording" a Rubicon. I am saying that because I bought a sport and it bites me back now. People who own Rubicons talk about it as if they own a Ferrari. Sports are not that cheap, unless you buy a bare-bones sport. Most people are buying sport-s and a smart shopper can find a Rubicon for an extra 5k or so off the lot. Then once you start adding lockers to your sport and doing minimal mods you end up losing money. Whoever is out there buying sports thinking they can't afford a Rubicon, maybe they can't afford the sport either. It is not that much more.

 

[WhitneyWillys]

A rear LSD works might work better than a locker a certain situations. Such as icy roads, higher speed driving on dirt roads, snow. I didn't mean it provides more traction. I just said it works better, and it is automatic too (always on). But on any crawling situation locker wins big time. I could be wrong though, I am still learning quite a bit.

And about "affording" a Rubicon. I am saying that because I bought a sport and it bites me back now. People who own Rubicons talk about it as if they own a Ferrari. Sports are not that cheap, unless you buy a bare-bones sport. Most people are buying sport-s and a smart shopper can find a Rubicon for an extra 5k or so off the lot. Then once you start adding lockers to your sport and doing minimal mods you end up losing money. Whoever is out there buying sports thinking they can't afford a Rubicon, maybe they can't afford the sport either. It is not that much more.

I need some LSD tutorial again. I thought that when slip is detected in one wheel, LSD will cause the other to turn as well. I am mentally visualizing this as 50/50 split. I am choosing not to use important words like power/torque/load etc because I don't quite know what gets split. My question is ... given no both wheels are spinning why is this different from a locker? I am guessing they are different ... but I am not sure exactly why. I can also visualize what Entropy mentioned above ... about 35" tires ... if the tires are too heavy, perhaps the clutch pack is not able to transfer enough power to turn it?

 

[entropy]

I need some LSD tutorial again. I thought that when slip is detected in one wheel, LSD will cause the other to turn as well. I am mentally visualizing this as 50/50 split. I am choosing not to use important words like power/torque/load etc because I don't quite know what gets split. My question is ... given no both wheels are spinning why is this different from a locker? I am guessing they are different ... but I am not sure exactly why. I can also visualize what Entropy mentioned above ... about 35" tires ... if the tires are too heavy, perhaps the clutch pack is not able to transfer enough power to turn it?

Yeah exactly, if tires are too heavy the LSD can't "lock". If you have a tire on the air it is too much for the clutch to handle, regardless of tire size, it is too much for the clutch packs to handle. You need a bit of traction on the spinning tire for the LSD to work, therefore it is no replacement for a locker. However, BLD can provide the needed traction for the LSD to work on this situation. So your LSD is not entirely useless when your tire is up on the air, yet it is not a locker. But remember, tires don't have to be on the air to lose traction. You pick the right lines and try to keep all tires on the ground, but even then you will often come into situations where a rear tire is on loose dirt, the other one is on a rock with good traction, your front is on a similar situation. Here the LSD will work pretty well and provide traction to the rear tire on the rock much more gracefully than BLD. This situation is quite common, even if you pick your lines carefully. If your tires are up on the air often then it will be painful and you will wish you had lockers. You can get a winch and a better rig can be in front of you, but you'll slow down the group, plus spinning a lot and trying to force the jeep while rock crawling could eventually end up in an accident. That's as much as I know.

 

[rustyshakelford]

My suggestion is install some rubicon take off axles with the 4.10s and lockers. They can be had for around 3500-4k. This would give you the wider axles, stronger shaft tubes, bigger r&p and 4.10s along with the lockers. I’m personally not big on regearing the sport axles as I don’t see it as a good way to utilize our customers funds

brett

 

[Stuckinthesand]

I have a sport with the LSD rear and 35’s. I run blue trails at Raush park and AOAA. I’ve never had an issue with the LSD. You’ll be amazed at what a sport can do with the LSD or just in general. You don’t have to have lockers to do what a rubicon can. Get yourself a winch and experience on lines to take when wheeling and you can keep up fine with the rubis. I have friends with them that are amazed what the JL sport can do.

 

[west tex]

You can disconnect your sway warnin 5 minutes with existing set up -just 2 nuts to undo. They have seay bar links with pins that you can pull to make it even more easy, nothing that cost more then $90.

As far as keeping power to all wheels and not able to drive without lockers with one wheel up in the air - all wranglers have BLD to manage that and it works well, just not as gracefully as lockers. You will get some slippage before power transferred to wheels with traction, and if stationary with wheel up in the air, you need to apply brake slightly to get BLD to work.

BLD showcasing (lockers not engaged)


33 tires and Rubicon suspension take off ($100) will get you going good

That IS impressive.

I have no experience with this BLD system; is it standard on all Wranglers? If it works so well, I'm thinking that a Sport model with the anti-spin rear axle and the sway bar disconnect will do just about anything I'm likely to encounter off road.

Sponsored