[samboy1123]

Hey Guys,
After a recent 4wd trip, I've decided to look into getting a locker for my 95 sierra. Currently theres no way in the world I could afford an air locker, so Ive been looking at lockrites or detroits etc. At the moment my sierra is a daily driver/weekend 4wd, so I got convinced out of a rear locker due to the effect they have on drivability and thought about putting one in the front so i could unlock my hubs when not 4wd and make daily driving bearable. Could i Just get some opinions on lockers both front and rear, and whether or not its worth putting one in the front and not the rear.

[GRPABT1]

Rear will get you further offroad and make offroad driving alot easier due to lighter steering. I daily mine with a rear locker and other than slightly faster tyre wear on the rear, adjust your driving style to suit and it's not annoying at all.

[Fatzook]

I'm on the other side of the fence. An auto locker is a shitty thing to live with on-road. So atleast if its in the front you can unlock the hubs and chuck it in 2H and be none the wiser.

Before you buy a locker, how much experience do you have? Picking the right line is an invaluable skill....one that is hard to learn when you have lockers. Unfortunately this leads to people getting their 4wd's into procarious positions without a clue as to how to get back on track.

[samboy1123]

Somewhere between noob and moderately experienced, I spend a fair bit of time in the Vic high country but haven't really been anywhere else. A lot of the guys I talk to say that rear lockers can be a pain in the arse around corners, which made me more inclined to put one in the front. I used to drive a 4runner with a LSD in the rear and that was quite capable, can you get lsd's for zooks? And in terms of offroad performance rear locker would be better correct?

[Fatzook]

samboy1123 wrote:

Somewhere between noob and moderately experienced, I spend a fair bit of time in the Vic high country but haven't really been anywhere else. A lot of the guys I talk to say that rear lockers can be a pain in the arse around corners, which made me more inclined to put one in the front. I used to drive a 4runner with a LSD in the rear and that was quite capable, can you get lsd's for zooks? And in terms of offroad performance rear locker would be better correct?

Don't bother with the rear LSD. It may be cheaper to get an airlocker

As for the front or rear argument..... That depends on ALOT of variables. Suspension travel front and rear, vehicle balance, weight distribution, the type of terrain you drive, the WAY you drive etc etc.

IMO if you DD it, the decision is simple. Front.

[christover1]

I happily drive with 2 auto lockers,
it's my daily driver and weekend toy
but if only fitting 1,
I'd say front.
Front will improve off road a lot,
and not affect on road at all.

[bailey08]

how hard does the steering get with hubs locked in.

is it right in saying when off the throttle they unlock/ratchet. on the gas there locked up.
can you adjust driving style by being off the throttle around corners so it steers/turns fine.

[christover1]

bailey08 wrote:

how hard does the steering get with hubs locked in.

is it right in saying when off the throttle they unlock/ratchet. on the gas there locked up.
can you adjust driving style by being off the throttle around corners so it steers/turns fine.

That says it quite well.
Having power steering it is hardly felt.
Though under hard acceleration, it can understeer a bit.

[SierraDan]

I DD with an auto locker. Once you learn the way it drives on road its fine. I actually don't like a open rear diff anymore.

[GRPABT1]

Yeah basically you coast around tight corners and it doesn't understeer or oversteer. Offroad I find my front auto locker while worth every penny it does make the arms tired but I'm glad I have twin sticks and being rear locked I don't need 4wd on every part of the trail so I just go 2wd low when my arms are tired. It depends on how much you offroad and how much you value on road manners, personally I care little about on road manners, I drive a locked lifted and geared zook and an angry cammed up V8 pig.

[bjmate]

So it seems everyone has different opinions, but sounds like if it is a DD then go front. I wanted to lock front and back but was thinking over the last week i'm not doing any rock crawling or anything just hated getting uneven ground and getting stuck lol so thought might be better for the wallet to just get a locker in the rear. Should i go both front and back or just back? (while im getting the rear done might as well get the front done?) Btw this isnt my DD

[stockman]

For a daily I'd want a spool in the rear. Drive for a day or two and they become very predictable. Remember its a zook and don't corner at high speed and they become fun to drive with.

[samboy1123]

Is it a waste of time putting an auto locker in the front without toughened axles and cvs?

[christover1]

samboy1123 wrote:

Is it a waste of time putting an auto locker in the front without toughened axles and cvs?

I say no.
Have run a Sierra on 31's and a Vit on 31's over many years,
both with auto front lockers.
Never broke anything that didn't break before the lockers went in.

If you are fitting 35's then of course that could then become a good idea

[GRPABT1]

samboy1123 wrote:

Is it a waste of time putting an auto locker in the front without toughened axles and cvs?

Depends on a few things, add in some decent sized tyres and transfer gearing to suit and you have a weak point at the cv's. Personally I didn't bother locking the front until I could get the chromo axles because I hate doing things twice.

[larry]

i have a lockright int he rear of my vit, honestly i would never put another 'autolocker' into the back of a DD. its a horrible thing, and from the sounds of other peoples results mine is a nice acting one

[SierraDan]

I have zero issues with mine as a daily.

[SierraDan]

samboy1123 wrote:

Is it a waste of time putting an auto locker in the front without toughened axles and cvs?

Yes.

[samboy1123]

If I was to buy a spartan locker which uses the stock sidegears and install it in my suzuki with standard axles, then later on down the track upgrade my axles all i would have to do is find a set of 26 spline sidegears is that right?

[christover1]

samboy1123 wrote:

If I was to buy a spartan locker which uses the stock sidegears and install it in my suzuki with standard axles, then later on down the track upgrade my axles all i would have to do is find a set of 26 spline sidegears is that right?

yes thats correct

[SierraDan]

christover1 wrote:

samboy1123 wrote:

If I was to buy a spartan locker which uses the stock sidegears and install it in my suzuki with standard axles, then later on down the track upgrade my axles all i would have to do is find a set of 26 spline sidegears is that right?

yes thats correct

Assuming you mean front axles.

[shandy92]

i DD my vit on 31's and a rear lockrite, for a car that is slow/uncomfortable/loud, its doesnt get ANY worse with an auto locker. yeah give its a day or 2 to get use to but man up and have some fun. if you know how to drive you WOULDNT know its there, mine is pretty loose so i dont get any noticable tire wear. but that depends on how it is set up.

[zukmeista]

I DD mine with an autolocker also. You wouldn't even notice it was there. It's all to do with how well they are set up.

[GRPABT1]

shandy92 wrote:

i DD my vit on 31's and a rear lockrite, for a car that is slow/uncomfortable/loud, its doesnt get ANY worse with an auto locker. yeah give its a day or 2 to get use to but man up and have some fun. if you know how to drive you WOULDNT know its there, mine is pretty loose so i dont get any noticable tire wear. but that depends on how it is set up.

rear all the way. remember if you lock the front you better fit a gv steel housing, it wont last long at all. so rear is cheaper.

He is talking about locking a Sierra mate, not a Vitara.

[shandy92]

GRPABT1 wrote:

shandy92 wrote:

i DD my vit on 31's and a rear lockrite, for a car that is slow/uncomfortable/loud, its doesnt get ANY worse with an auto locker. yeah give its a day or 2 to get use to but man up and have some fun. if you know how to drive you WOULDNT know its there, mine is pretty loose so i dont get any noticable tire wear. but that depends on how it is set up.

rear all the way. remember if you lock the front you better fit a gv steel housing, it wont last long at all. so rear is cheaper.

He is talking about locking a Sierra mate, not a Vitara.

edited, cheers

[Daves4wd]

I've got a lockright in the front of my sierra only resin I went front is I take alot of corners and always run late for everything so in the rear was a big no no and woth steering when locked just drive 2h unroll you hit a track then engage 4l easy as that and front locked compared to rear if you do hills front is alot better then rear

[Gwagensteve]

Daves4wd wrote:

I've got a lockright in the front of my sierra only resin I went front is I take alot of corners and always run late for everything so in the rear was a big no no and woth steering when locked just drive 2h unroll you hit a track then engage 4l easy as that and front locked compared to rear if you do hills front is alot better then rear

Much to drink last night? Wow, that was hard to read.

I'm not at all sure about "front locked compared to rear if you do hills front is alot better then rear" I'm really not. I've seen a LWB with a front locker only and it was surprisingly good, but it was a LWB so it had much less weight transfer than an equivalent SWB sierra. When climbing, the front end gets very light so it can't generate much traction. The rear end has all the weight on it, and if one of those tyres isn't driving, the "light" front has to drag the "heavy" rear up the hill.

I will say that a front locker helps to pull the front down compared to a rear which tends to push the front up higher, so a front locker makes the car feel better, but I don't know that it's more capable.

I'd also add that locking the "weak" end and expecting it to pull the "strong" end up stuff is a bit arse-about too, unless you add Cro-Mo axles at the same time.

Steve.

[tanshi]

to add to this, considered a china air locker ?

almost as cheap as a lock right and saves the arguments

[BlueSuzy]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Daves4wd wrote:

I've got a lockright in the front of my sierra only resin I went front is I take alot of corners and always run late for everything so in the rear was a big no no and woth steering when locked just drive 2h unroll you hit a track then engage 4l easy as that and front locked compared to rear if you do hills front is alot better then rear

Much to drink last night? Wow, that was hard to read.



Steve.

ithinkishouldsaybananddomadradskids

[ZookFan]

tanshi wrote:

to add to this, considered a china air locker ?

almost as cheap as a lock right and saves the arguments

x2