Lockers or no lockers?
 

I have a 2010 unlimited sport with 1.75" coil spacer lift (going soon with old man emu 2" lift) and 33" tires (285..17 Toyo Open Country AT2). I do 95% road and 5% country road/mild off road.
I live in Canada, so lots of ice and snow in winter (don't know if lockers are good idea in those conditions).

I was thinking of putting lockers on but when I saw prices, I don't know if it make sense for my needs.

I looked at the ARB but front and rear would be very expensive. So I was thinking maybe only the rear one or the front one....can I do that or do I need front and rear? If I can only go with 1, is better rear or front?

I also looked at Detroit (Eaton) elockers. They are less expensive but not sure I understand the difference on the field between them and ARB?!?!

I also saw different comments about "lunch box" kit 😐. What is a "lunch box" kit anyway? To me it sound like what I give my kids every morning to go to school (sorry I had to make that bad joke).

So I need help with this, to find some good options.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate :)

The cool thing about ARB, Eaton, and Aubrun Ected Lockers are that they are selectable. So if there is a lot of ice and snow and you want traction control to do all the work, you just keep the lockers disengaged. When offroad, and tires start spinning, you can engage the lockers only when you need them. The difference between ARB and Eaton is that the ARB's are powered by compressed air while Eaton's are powered by electricity. Other such as OX can be either air, electric, or cable. Yes, you can use just the front or just the rear. You don't need to install lockers on both axles. Yes, they are very expensive, that's why I'm saving up to pay for them in full! I have heard arguments for both sides on which axle would benefit more from a locker, some say the rear because on hill climbs, more weight will be on the rear axle. But sometimes the front may be better since pulling weight is sometimes better than pushing. If you have a sport with limited slip in the rear, it may make more sense to lock the front (some with D30's are not comfortable with lockers in this housing) since the rear is already "half locked" with LSD. Now, do you really need lockers? I think the only way to answer this would be to think back to your wheeling trips and remember if your tires were constantly spinning and loosing traction. I could use lockers every now and then but I don't think I want to pay at least $800 per axle at this time. I've been really surprised with how capable my sport is with just the factory limited slip. However, if you have the money and think you may use them in the future, then go for it!

^ thanks a lot

A cheap easy option that doesn't effect street driving is a front auto locker like an Aussie. I would not put that in the back. You could grab a limited slip from a junk yard in the back and with that combo, you have a very capable jeep. The front axle you can do your self. The back will require that you revisit your backlash.

I wouldn't recommend a front auto locker as he stated he's in Canada and gets lots of snow and ice. Do as alot of others have done and go with a trutrac front and rear. It is a very good limited slip that doesn't require special additives as its gear driven not clutch. Plus they r very reasonable priced

How would the front auto locker do in snow?

lol answered as I posted.

If I want to do only 1 to start, should I do front or back? I saw that Qtec sell them for about 500$, not bad but are they expensive to put in? Is every JKU coming with limited slip?

I know mine does not have the own limited slip. The bld has saved me numerous times but would love to have actual locking diffs for peace of mind.

Don't power through turns and a auto locker is fine. I agree, it is more challenging but works quite well.