It will crab. Just like a race car with a locker at full throttle once the wheel is turned.
Salsbury rear
- Thread starter Beagle Bones
- Start date
It will crab. Just like a race car with a locker at full throttle once the wheel is turned.
Basically. But there are times, such in off camber situations or sharp turning, that a locked axle is a disadvantage.
ok so having one wheel spinning cause it has no traction and one wheel stuck in the mud helps? Ok . And when I want to know about driving in snow I ALWAYS ask a guy from California. I will still take a locked rear with good tires. I understand the whole selectable idea and agree it would be nice to be able to select an open diff sometimes on a really tight turn on a real narrow trail. But I think I would still prefer a Detroit locker over an open diff. But it would be a tough choice between a Detroit locker and a selectable. After all the abuse I've done to Detroit lockers I think it's just about bullet proof.
If you hinting at me, I spent the first 29 years of my life in a town at 56N latitude, and then 2 years in Detroit (city, that is). Not that it matters much for you...
And if you're asking why a fully locked axle is bad in off-camber situations, you could use some basic physics class.
I understand that off camber your gonna have some trouble. But why choose all your equipment for that one situation. I'm sorry you lived in Detroit for 2 hrs. But don't take it out on me. I didn't make you do that. I would still prefer to have both wheels driving in the snow.
Because ALL trails in the mountains are off-camber. Not some, but all of them. And that covers about 60% of my time off pavement.
I don't. I actually liked living there, including spinning donuts on empty parking lots when the first snowstorm brought the city to a skidding stop.discostew said:
I didn't realize that all trails are off camber. I guess I would rethink it if I had that much trouble. But Chris Snell said he has a Detroit and he lives in Colorado. I'm intersted in what he's got to say about how he does. Honestly since about 10 yrs ago most my wheeling is done on a Polaris Sportsman. I got bit by that bug and love the fact that if I break something too badly I just trade up. I have bought so many machines I'm sure my dealer would bring my new machine to me and trailer my broken trade home. My disco is for winter and my 18 year old kids daily driver now. It's hard to keep a old disco in groceries getter condition, but that's my goal.
Trails in Colorado are somewhat different - in the sense that after the first snowfall most of them are shut down until June. Of course, it depends on location, altitude, etc. But when they are open, the same applies - the trails are old mining roads, and most of them were built in a way to facilitate water and snowmelt runoff.
Not just trails... On the famous Million-Dollar Highway (U.S.550 from Ouray to Silverton), all guardrails are removed so giant snowplows can clear it up. I hate to think of taking a turn a bit too fast with a locked axle.
Not just trails... On the famous Million-Dollar Highway (U.S.550 from Ouray to Silverton), all guardrails are removed so giant snowplows can clear it up. I hate to think of taking a turn a bit too fast with a locked axle.
With a locked rear in 2wd on the road at traveling speeds, you can get yourself into trouble REALLY fast. Like, driving, turn, gas, *blink* and you're facing the wrong way now. I really enjoyed my first XJ with open front/autolocker rear and the full-time 4x4 option on the snowy roads.
A locked rear isn't an issue on snowy roads as long as you drive level-headed. Especially when you have the Rover's permanent 4wd to keep you in check.
A locked rear isn't an issue on snowy roads as long as you drive level-headed. Especially when you have the Rover's permanent 4wd to keep you in check.
Yay, a locker debate! :ack:
Selectable vs non has been beat to death. If you're in the market for a new locker a selectable like ARB/Ashcroft is only a few hundred more than a Detroit.
There are plenty of situations where a selectable is highly desirable. Any kind of slippery side slope(greasy mud, snow) is going to be a problem with a Detroit. Sometimes the only thing keeping a trucks ass from sliding down the slope is the friction of the tires on the ground. Give the truck some throttle with a Detroit and now both tires have lost their friction and are spinning and there goes your ass.
I have Ashcrofts F&R. I never turn them on until I have to. Meaning I will almost always try an obstacle unlocked first. The exception is a mud hole of unknown depth or consistency. Then I'll lock up before and hit it hard.
I don't see the fun in driving around locked all the time. It doesn't really push the driver's skills or tell the driver what the truck is capable of. I've gotten to the top of a few obstacles, boulder fields and whatnot, and heard people say "Oh well, he's got lockers". I love being able to say "I didn't use them". People don't understand how far you can get with large tires aired down, a good working suspension, and a little bit of driver skill.
Man...one of the more annoying things to hear when someone makes it over an obstacle. "yea, but he's got lockers"
The popular Colorado trails close in winter but there are plenty of places that you can go and still get stuck. Divide Road up on the Uncompaghre Plateau west of Montrose is one place that I've become stuck. It happened while heading to Utah to meet the Utah Rovers crew for a trip. I was solo and it was in the middle of the night. I was able to rock it and get un-stuck and ended up backing down a mile of snowy road to get to a turn-around spot. I did experience crab-walking but I have no idea if it was caused by the Detroit or by the deep spring snow and mud on this off-camber spot.
In general, I love the Detroit. It never did me wrong in the D90. It might not be the ticket for East Coast-style park wheeling but it's perfect for out West. The bottom line is that the Sals and the Detroit locker are not a detriment out here unless you're doing some KOH or Moab shit. If you're not running "rated trails", you're not getting into anything that's going to hang you up. Everything I drive is part of a week+ long trip where the point is to see cool places and cover lots of miles. As Peter can attest, it gets rough, but it never approaches a tough Moab trail. Yes, I could save some weight and run a regular D1/D90 rear but that would mean buying an entire rear end setup since I sold my D90 gear a long time ago. Not worth it for me.
If I was building a trail buggy, it would be a D90 on D90 axles with some kind of strong, fully-lockable locker. But that's not what I do or want.
In general, I love the Detroit. It never did me wrong in the D90. It might not be the ticket for East Coast-style park wheeling but it's perfect for out West. The bottom line is that the Sals and the Detroit locker are not a detriment out here unless you're doing some KOH or Moab shit. If you're not running "rated trails", you're not getting into anything that's going to hang you up. Everything I drive is part of a week+ long trip where the point is to see cool places and cover lots of miles. As Peter can attest, it gets rough, but it never approaches a tough Moab trail. Yes, I could save some weight and run a regular D1/D90 rear but that would mean buying an entire rear end setup since I sold my D90 gear a long time ago. Not worth it for me.
If I was building a trail buggy, it would be a D90 on D90 axles with some kind of strong, fully-lockable locker. But that's not what I do or want.
I never heard any ratcheting sounds from the rear of your 90, interesting.
Well... I just know a garage with a Detroit gathering dust on a shelf.
Well... I just know a garage with a Detroit gathering dust on a shelf.
Your right about that ratcheting sound. I almost forgot about that shit. In the limited slip diffs you could fix some of the noises with the posi additive. If a Detroit locker doesn't make that noise there's something wrong with it.back in my generous motors days we could never convince people that the rear axle wasn't going to let go. They always bitched about it.
My DL in the rear would click once in a blue moon. Usually making a 3 point turn maneuver of some sort on the trail or a parking lot. They don't have the bad road manners people sometimes make them out to. A TT in the front on the other hand changes the driving experience (although you get used to it)
A friend of mine recently stuffed a Detroit in the rear of his D1 by mistake (yeah), and it was making one hell of a racket in left turns. Not on straight and not in right turns.