I did put a Aussie in the front of my 12 sport made a big difference. I disconnect & air down, I don't know how it will be on slick winter roads, but in 2 hi you can't tell it there. It does make some noise when turning on the trails but what lunch box locker doesn't. I carry my spider & side gears in my tool box just in case it fails. I have a 2.5" lift with 33s and run level 4 & 5s all day with guys running 35" & 37" tire's.

 

Thank you thats the kind of insight I was looking for.

As for winter roads I do not see any snow aside from maybe twice a year if I head over the hill to Nevada somewhere. I do not know if it will be an issue.

 

^^^^^This is false.

BLD and electronic brake force distribution are poor substitutes for a gear driven limited slip OR a locker. Its not even close to the same thing.

BLD can only vector 5-15% of your torque to a wheel that has traction. LSD up to say 50%....and a locker 100%.

I am no wheeling pro, but I work from home ( no commute ) and I have 21,000 miles on my 2012 from weekend wheeling trips. There is no substitute for a good LSD or locker. Period!

 

Well I don't know about the percentages but I've found the factory system on my 11' JKUR works great; I'm talking in 2 wheel drive. Most trails I've been on I didn't even need 4 wheel high; I went up some steep hills with just the factory system in 2 wheel. Personally I would say its as good or better than the limited slip I had in previous fords. I think the tires make a huge difference; the MT's on my 11' seem to grip very well. If the original poster has the stock street tires and 4wd I think all he needs is some MT tires, just my 2 cents.

 

I wheel with guys that have BLD all the time (H3's & FJ's), and I also wheel with guys that have LSD. LSD is a joke in comparison on the stuff we do.

BLD works very close to like a locker, except you've got to spin it before it kicks in. I've seen BLD guys teetering, a few spins & the wheel in the air locks, and then it just goes. (I've seen people ask if they switched on the locker, as the wheel in the air moves right with the other one) Limited just keeps fighting you non stop.


MAYBE GM's version of BLD traction control works much better than Jeep's... but I find it hard to believe that anything works better on a GM than on a Jeep, ESPECIALLY electronics.

 

Actually I run Duratracs so an excellent snow/ice tire anyway.

I have never had an issue wheeling being fully open an I don't shy away from things. It just happens to be a requirement for something I'm doing and I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

Ran a lockright in the front( same as an aussie) on 35's in a d-30 and on 37's with the rear open. It went everywhere fully locked rigs with same size tires. It's a cheap way to get the front locked. IMO it's too clunky for the rear to have on a DD, for the front its good to go.

 

There are several runs at the Winter Fun Fest, you should call them and see if maybe you can change to an easier run.

 

I'll second this... BLD works VERY well. Is it a substitute for an actual locker? No. But I would go with the BLD over limited slip any day. EDIT: Here is a Chrysler Blog post on how BLD works. FWIW, in one of the comments on the blog post the author says having LSD will help BLD work less, but it seems like BLD is still more effective than the LSD alone.

For the OP, if their minimum requirement is Limited Slip, I would show up with your bone stock jeep with BLD and not worry about it at all. You will be surprised at how well it works... I know I was. Obstacles that unlocked or LSD TJs have real trouble with, the JK with BLD crawls right over. Seen it time and again.

Where you have to watch out for BLD is if you are encountering a LOT of wheelspin on your unloaded wheel on a given obstacle and your brakes heat up. By a LOT of wheelspin, I'll say like 2 mins or more... quite a bit. You'll be able to smell it if you are getting close to an issue. EDIT: From the link blog post, BLD has temp sensors that will SHUT OFF BLD if it is working too much, so it will protect the system while it cools down. So, again, not a substitute for lockers, but better than LSD.

If that is the case, then re-evaluate your line or air down more. Because at that point, traction on all four wheels is your problem.

My opinion is if you want more than BLD in your JK, save up for a true selectable locker and skip the lunch box lockers. I know you are in Cali and therefor don't see much snow, but by the time you have the tru-track put in you are half-way to selectable lockers anyway. Having run tru-tracks in my TJ and BLD in my JK, I would rate the BLD as 90% as capable as the lunch box lockers for the short periods of time when you need the locker, with the added benefit of not crapping your pants when the road gets slick.

 

I actually thought of that, but the runs they wanted to put me on I would be with all of the stock suv's etc. There is no way I am going to spend that much money to do something like that.

So I would rather spend a little more money to help do what I want. Call me stubborn...