Looking to add some traction to the rear wheels on my 01 4x4 daily driver. Anybody running a Powertrax? How's it on the pavement both wet & dry? Any info regarding limeted slips vs. lockers would be helpfull...Thanks guys! :gr_patrio
Traction needed!
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do you want to spin both tires immidiately, or one then the other?
a locker will lock both axels together when torque is applied to the rear diff, regardless of traction situations.
A limited slip will allow one wheel to spin (sometimes several complete revolutions) before the other wheel starts to grab. This is nice for the street as it lends to more predictable handeling characteristics, but sucks ass off the beaten path as you will tend to push rocks out of the way instead of climbing over them. In the mud it would work decent, since you tires will be spinning anyway.
It all depends on what you are going to use the truck for.
If you get a Detroit locker, you can install it and forget it. Not too many of those go bad.
edit: I grenaded a PowerTrax LockRite in my old truck, replaced it with a Detroit and it lasted until I sold the truck.
a locker will lock both axels together when torque is applied to the rear diff, regardless of traction situations.
A limited slip will allow one wheel to spin (sometimes several complete revolutions) before the other wheel starts to grab. This is nice for the street as it lends to more predictable handeling characteristics, but sucks ass off the beaten path as you will tend to push rocks out of the way instead of climbing over them. In the mud it would work decent, since you tires will be spinning anyway.
It all depends on what you are going to use the truck for.
If you get a Detroit locker, you can install it and forget it. Not too many of those go bad.
edit: I grenaded a PowerTrax LockRite in my old truck, replaced it with a Detroit and it lasted until I sold the truck.
Chizzel1, Thanks again for the link on the exhaust! I can get the magnaflow cat-back system for $460 & they include the cat system & shipping for free!!!
In regards to the rear end...The truck is my daily driver/work truck as well as off-roader. How's the Detroit Locker on the pavement? Will my wife kill herself if she takes it to the grocery store in the snow? Can you tow w/it? Does it chew up tires going around corners? Any info would help! Am ordering new gears soon & would like to add the traction at the same time.
Thanks again!
In regards to the rear end...The truck is my daily driver/work truck as well as off-roader. How's the Detroit Locker on the pavement? Will my wife kill herself if she takes it to the grocery store in the snow? Can you tow w/it? Does it chew up tires going around corners? Any info would help! Am ordering new gears soon & would like to add the traction at the same time.
Thanks again!
I wouldn't be comfortable driving a locker in the snow. I don't like driving the cherokee in the snow and it's only LS. With open diff, atleast one tire stays planted to keep the vehicle pointed straight. With LS and locker, both wheels spinning means less traction & control. With careful driving you can do it, but I wouldn't want my wife driving in the snow with a locker in the rear.
On pavement, the detroit it pretty forgiving. To get tire chirp you have to gas it pretty hard if you are moving at speed and turn. Turning from a stop will produce tire chirp as the torque applied from a standstill will engage the teeth.
I haven't installed a detroit for the reason you asked about towing. If the truck is loaded (1800+ lbs in the bed) and I accelerate while turning I don't know what would give first-the axels, tires, or gears. If the tires have enough weight on them, they aren't going to lose traction and if torque is being applied to the rear locker...I dunno. That would be a good question to email or call Detroit about. The 9.25 is pretty stout though.
The Detroit I had in my old truck wasn't too hard on the tires, but I drove it around the characteristics of the locker. Example: when you approach a turn back off the gas enough to 'unload' the rear diff, this will allow the locker to rachet easier. There are some situations that don't allow this, as in turing from a red light, but overall it didn't affect tire wear that adversely.
All of the above headache is worth it if you off road a lot. I was very pleased with the added traction of having both wheels getting 100% of the power when in the soup, on rocks, or wherever.
Hope this answers some questions, and excuse the length.
I will agree with 50% of the Detroit info posted above. It has killer traction off road and is a very solid, strong differential that will last darn near forever.
As far as Daily Driving with it, I find that it is noisey/clanky/jerky and sometimes down right scary to drive on the street with it. It can have torque steer occasionally too. This is all from a Detroit "Soft Locker" application in my Jeep TJ. Which was designed to "Soften" some of the harshness of the Detroit locker. The "soft locker" is not available for the Chrysler 9.25, so you get the old style "rugged" one.
Your wife will definetly not like driving it at all IMO.
If you off road quite a bit, the Detroit is awesome and has it's trade off's that make having one worth while. If your truck is a mostly DD and only off roads occassionally, I would not recommend one.
If you absolutely have to have a "Locker", the Powertrax No-Slip or Lock-Rite are an economical solution for the occasional off roader. These "lunchbox" lockers add strength over your stock open diff and have 100% lockup traction like the Detroit Locker does without the slop and loud noises traditionally associated with a Detroit (lunchbox lockers do make a "clicking sound" around corners, but not the clanky noises you get with the Detroit.).
Lunchbox lockers are not anywhere near as strong as a full Detroit, but are typically much cheaper. Labor to install them is way less too as you do not have to set up the differential again, not even backlash, as you are reusing the stock carrier.
All that said, if you want smooth traction for your DD, get a LSD like the Trutrac or Auburn unit and live with it's limitations off road.
A traction step-up from the LSD is to add a "lunchbox locker" to your open carrier, and a full out strength and traction improvement would be a Detroit. All of these options have their own characteristics and limitations................................................................................that is until somebody comes out with a selectable locker for the 9.25 rear and then all bets are off!
As far as Daily Driving with it, I find that it is noisey/clanky/jerky and sometimes down right scary to drive on the street with it. It can have torque steer occasionally too. This is all from a Detroit "Soft Locker" application in my Jeep TJ. Which was designed to "Soften" some of the harshness of the Detroit locker. The "soft locker" is not available for the Chrysler 9.25, so you get the old style "rugged" one.
Your wife will definetly not like driving it at all IMO.
If you off road quite a bit, the Detroit is awesome and has it's trade off's that make having one worth while. If your truck is a mostly DD and only off roads occassionally, I would not recommend one.
If you absolutely have to have a "Locker", the Powertrax No-Slip or Lock-Rite are an economical solution for the occasional off roader. These "lunchbox" lockers add strength over your stock open diff and have 100% lockup traction like the Detroit Locker does without the slop and loud noises traditionally associated with a Detroit (lunchbox lockers do make a "clicking sound" around corners, but not the clanky noises you get with the Detroit.).
Lunchbox lockers are not anywhere near as strong as a full Detroit, but are typically much cheaper. Labor to install them is way less too as you do not have to set up the differential again, not even backlash, as you are reusing the stock carrier.
All that said, if you want smooth traction for your DD, get a LSD like the Trutrac or Auburn unit and live with it's limitations off road.
A traction step-up from the LSD is to add a "lunchbox locker" to your open carrier, and a full out strength and traction improvement would be a Detroit. All of these options have their own characteristics and limitations................................................................................that is until somebody comes out with a selectable locker for the 9.25 rear and then all bets are off!
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Someone does make a selectable locker for the 9.25 axle, ARB!nhlbill said:I will agree with 50% of the Detroit info posted above. It has killer traction off road and is a very solid, strong differential that will last darn near forever.
As far as Daily Driving with it, I find that it is noisey/clanky/jerky and sometimes down right scary to drive on the street with it. It can have torque steer occasionally too. This is all from a Detroit "Soft Locker" application in my Jeep TJ. Which was designed to "Soften" some of the harshness of the Detroit locker. The "soft locker" is not available for the Chrysler 9.25, so you get the old style "rugged" one.
Your wife will definetly not like driving it at all IMO.
If you off road quite a bit, the Detroit is awesome and has it's trade off's that make having one worth while. If your truck is a mostly DD and only off roads occassionally, I would not recommend one.
If you absolutely have to have a "Locker", the Powertrax No-Slip or Lock-Rite are an economical solution for the occasional off roader. These "lunchbox" lockers add strength over your stock open diff and have 100% lockup traction like the Detroit Locker does without the slop and loud noises traditionally associated with a Detroit (lunchbox lockers do make a "clicking sound" around corners, but not the clanky noises you get with the Detroit.).
Lunchbox lockers are not anywhere near as strong as a full Detroit, but are typically much cheaper. Labor to install them is way less too as you do not have to set up the differential again, not even backlash, as you are reusing the stock carrier.
All that said, if you want smooth traction for your DD, get a LSD like the Trutrac or Auburn unit and live with it's limitations off road.
A traction step-up from the LSD is to add a "lunchbox locker" to your open carrier, and a full out strength and traction improvement would be a Detroit. All of these options have their own characteristics and limitations................................................................................that is until somebody comes out with a selectable locker for the 9.25 rear and then all bets are off!
rski,
If you want the best of both worlds buy a ARB air locker. It selectable, meaning it's a open differential until you flip the switch then it becomes a "spool" (meaning the wheels are locked together and turn at the same speed). It's a great dual purpose diff. It will allow you or your wife to drive in snow safely with the diff open. Then flip the switch to go off roading. This locker does have a few drawbacks however:
1) It's exspensive, due to it's construction and the air compressor that is needed to run the locker.
2) The added cost of the install. Due to the air line that has to be run from the compressor to the diff. The hole that has to be drilled through the carrier to run the line to the diff. And the mounting and wiring of the compressor. And the removal and replacement of the stock carrier and transfer of the ring and pinion.
If you can live with the cost it is a great diff for a daily driver. It's a nearly indestructible diff if used with common sense.
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No disrespect, but the reason your locker / LS was so harsh in that TJ is just that.... it's a locker / LS in a TJ. A 94" wheel base is going to react a whole lot different with a locker in the rear end during a turn than a 116" wheel base. Tighter turns with the shorter wheel base means you need a lot less input to load and unload that locker / LS.nhlbill said:I will agree with 50% of the Detroit info posted above. It has killer traction off road and is a very solid, strong differential that will last darn near forever.
As far as Daily Driving with it, I find that it is noisey/clanky/jerky and sometimes down right scary to drive on the street with it. It can have torque steer occasionally too. This is all from a Detroit "Soft Locker" application in my Jeep TJ. Which was designed to "Soften" some of the harshness of the Detroit locker. The "soft locker" is not available for the Chrysler 9.25, so you get the old style "rugged" one.
Your wife will definetly not like driving it at all IMO.
If you off road quite a bit, the Detroit is awesome and has it's trade off's that make having one worth while. If your truck is a mostly DD and only off roads occassionally, I would not recommend one.
If you absolutely have to have a "Locker", the Powertrax No-Slip or Lock-Rite are an economical solution for the occasional off roader. These "lunchbox" lockers add strength over your stock open diff and have 100% lockup traction like the Detroit Locker does without the slop and loud noises traditionally associated with a Detroit (lunchbox lockers do make a "clicking sound" around corners, but not the clanky noises you get with the Detroit.).
Lunchbox lockers are not anywhere near as strong as a full Detroit, but are typically much cheaper. Labor to install them is way less too as you do not have to set up the differential again, not even backlash, as you are reusing the stock carrier.
All that said, if you want smooth traction for your DD, get a LSD like the Trutrac or Auburn unit and live with it's limitations off road.
A traction step-up from the LSD is to add a "lunchbox locker" to your open carrier, and a full out strength and traction improvement would be a Detroit. All of these options have their own characteristics and limitations................................................................................that is until somebody comes out with a selectable locker for the 9.25 rear and then all bets are off!
All the "automatic" lockers / LS work under the same concept. When you accelerate, you load the locker. Decelerate, unload. When you hear that ratcheting, clanking, etc while turning with a locker, that's what your hearing, the locker doing what it's designed to do. When you install a locker in the rear of your truck, you basically have to re-learn how to drive in turns and corners with with it back there.
If you gas it during a u-turn with a locker in your rig, you're going to hear a loud pop, then wonder why your tailgate it trying to catch up with your hood. Makes for some fun (sometimes scary) driving - especially when you first get it. Again, take it slow on the road - and VERY slow on the slick stuff and you should be ok with a locker in the rear on your DD.
You CAN put a full locker in the front of our rigs to (notice "CAN" not "SHOULD"). We've got a CAD set up very similar to the Jeep YJ (88-95 Wrangler). That means our front axle isn't moving all the time. Throw some manual hubs on the front end, go get you a Detroit, leave the CAD disconnected, and have fun. Because there's nothing moving on the front end, the locker won't load and unload. :crazy: NOTE: a full locker in the front is NOT something you should do on a DD.
Wish I new about the ARB last week when I ordered a Detroit Trutrac w/my new ring & pinions! I didn't think a ARB was availible for a Chrysler 9.25" rear... Are you Sure?
I would have gladly spent the extra $ to have a selectible locker.
I would have gladly spent the extra $ to have a selectible locker.
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Just looked it up myself. It's not listed on their PDF files on ARB's website. It has a big 'ol N/A right next to it. What it does have is the D44 front part number listed just above where the 9.25 part number would be.rski186 said:
Here's a link, you'll have to scroll down to get to the 9.25 page.
http://www.arbusa.com/alac/215110.pdf
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Yes I'm sure I know 2 people that are running them in thier 1500 rams. Both with 9.25 axles.
I'm gonna have to agree with 01 offroad and say that ARB dosent make one for our 9.25, thats why I went with the detroit locker. I wanted the ARB but every offroad shop I talked to said they didnt make one for our application, and like 01 offroad said, its not even listed in their catalog, unless they have come out with one in the last month.
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Well everyone is entitled to thier own opinion. I'm just telling what I have seen.
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