On the steet, in RWD....the front locker is not an issue.

When you engage the front diff, then it makes the tires turn in unison, and you get some chirps and wind up if on the street in a turn.

The Aussie Locker looks to be a better front locker solution, as it alows the outside tires to go faster in turns, avoiding that chirp/windup issue...but still making the inside tire turn at road speed...so you are really locked when engaged, just able to drive/steer much more easily than with a front Detroit, etc.

Torque Master is doing some additional testing on JK D30's as we speak...and plans to have this finished in mid-April. At that point, they will start to sell dedicated JK "Next Generation"D30 Aussie Lockers.

A few people on this forum did not wait,, and already installed them....and despite no special changes other than one guy shimming to make up for the new diff's thicker ring gear carrier set-up, etc...they seem to be working fine, even with no mods at all.



Me, I'd wait until the mid-April blessings right now unless in a real rush. As its a 1-1.5 hr driveway project a monkey could do, and no one's had a problem with the use of the prior D30's locker....the changes, if any, are probably minor...and probably could be made retroactively when available, etc.

 

Zeeksta,
Any chance you will be wheeling in CO in the near future? I would love to test your setup.

 

Im not too knowledgeable about lockers etc. I have a stock X and have thought about installing these in the front and rear axles (I don't want to go full lockers, im not that hardcore). Can you put these in the rear at the same time as the front? Treat me like a dumb kid cause I don't have any clue about this stuff.

Thanks
Bael

 

You can do the front and the rear at the same time or not. If you are re-gearing it is highly adviseable since the diffs are being worked on anyway.

 

They are full lockers anyway.



I'd go with the Aussie Lockers, they are less than $250 each, install in your driveway in a short time, and are the most street friendly, AND off road tight-trail friendly, as they make the outside tire go faster on corners, AND make the inside tire keep moving at gear speed...so they stay "LOCKED", but still differentiate.

 

The Truetrac will also let the outside tire go faster on corners. Most people consider the Truetrac a ls although there are those engineers argue that it is a type of locker because of its gear design which is similar to the Gleason Torsen.

Yes, the Truetrac is a full carrier where as the aussie replaces the spider and side gears.

 

Niether the pinion gear shims nor ring gear thickness have nothing to do with the lunch box type lockers since they replace the spider and side gears and go inside the carrier.

 

So Teej,
I get to drive on icy roads here in CO that put many cars and trucks in the ditch. My CJ-7 (two Detroits) loves to go sideways more than forward on ice; especially if there's any tilt/crown to the road. Would I have the same problem with the Aussie in the front of my 4-door '08? I don't want to slide toward the wrong side of a shelf road at 10,000 feet in the Rockies... I'm leaning toward a selectable for this very reason, but am on a tight spouse-induced budget lately.

 

I loved my Tru-trac front and rear in my last daily driver. It was great in snow and offroaded great. If I applied the brake a little, while giving it the gas, they would lock. Loved em. I tried a locker in the rear and tru-trac in the front but hated it. The rear tires made tons of noises on turns and you could see a nice tire mark in the driveway. It was hard on the tires and drivetrain. On the other hand I love my Rubicon Lockers even better.

The Detroit Locker is not indestructable. Ive broke em before. Twice. One so bad it was beyond repair according to the shop.

 

the aussie, ez-locker, and lock-right are all "lunch box" lockers that replace the spider and side gears inside an open diffs carrier to make it function like a Detroit Locker. The biggest difference is the lunch box lockers are only as strong as the carrier and can be done without having to set-up the gears, at leas completely anyway. If a person is regearing, it is my personal opinion they should go with a full carrier something such as a selectable, Truetrac, Powr lok, Detroit etc.

what you were experiencing in your Cj-7 was the lack of lateral stability because all 4 tires were slipping at the same time. With an open diff, when this occurs, the tires not spinning stabilize the jeep. That's what makes selectables that are open when off and spooled when on versatile. Ice, especially black ice, can screw with detroits more than an ls be their unpredictability as well. Remember, there is a difference in driving on snow and ice!