By daivd b. on Thursday, August 09, 2001 - 01:17 pm: Edit

How will a Detroit locker act in the following conditions(will it lock-up or...?):
1. Icy/snowy roads
2. Patches of ice on road
3. partly paved road
4. Dirt road
5. wet roads

By Alex Schubow (Alex) on Thursday, August 09, 2001 - 02:33 pm: Edit

The question is how will you react. If you drive like a race car driver even on dry pavement, you will have problems. Conversely, if you drive conservatively in the conditions you mentioned above you will stay in control of your vehicle.

Also, the DL's normal state is locked. It UNLOCKS for corners. If you corner too fast in slippery conditions it will not unlock. Emphasis on _too fast_.

Alex

By hadaz on Thursday, August 09, 2001 - 08:22 pm: Edit

If you had a 2 wheel drive vehicle you would have a lot to worry about in the above conditions. But remember you have 4 wheel drive all the time. So you are not just pushing your car around like 2 wheel drive vehicles but your front wheels are pulling you through too. I have had my detroit in the rear axle now for 44000 miles and have not had a bit of problems in any weather condition. Any way would you not want both wheels working in your favor in all of those conditions?

By daivd b. on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 04:53 am: Edit

If I take the corners to fast(any conditon of road/weather), what would happen? Will it damage the DL, or will it act like a open-diff?

By RVR OVR (Tom) on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 05:00 am: Edit

if you coast, it is an open diff, if you hammer on it like a madman, the diff may lock.

tom

By Kyle Van Tassel (Kyle) on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 05:23 am: Edit

LOL , Tom is all over this and accurate. Speed isnt the deciding factor. Throttle position is. If you are an aggressive driver just skip it , it isnt for you...


Kyle

By Moe on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 05:31 am: Edit

Are you listening here Weinstein? I think the ARB will better suit your heavy foot

By Discosaurus on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 07:04 am: Edit

I've got a LOT of experience with the Detroit on snow...

If you push it like a SCCA PRO-Rallye driver, you can really feel the difference over open diff, a feeling that you can get used to and really not at all dangerous after you get some experience. Ignore those gloom-doomer's that say you'll plant the thing when it snows - no way. It's just...sorta....you know - different. Like someone said above, the full-time 4X4 helps.

Beware of off camber, slick conditions with a Detroit. If you gas it, the back end is gonna go down hill.

Beware of situations where one wheel is on a real loose surface and the other has real good traction. If you GAS it, it'll loop out toward the low traction side.

The solution is like Kyle said - DON'T GAS IT ON SLICK SURFACES. It's a LR, it won't do you any good to gas it , anyway

keith
discosaurus

'nothin beats a Detroit Locker !'

By Discosaurus on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 07:07 am: Edit

"If I take the corners to fast(any conditon of road/weather), what would happen? Will it damage the DL, or will it act like a open-diff?"

I don't think you'll hurt the DL - not enough torque in a LR. It'll occasionally go BANG and upset your suspension big time when it does. What happens after that depends on how good you are

keith
discosaurus

By david b. on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 07:48 am: Edit

I really want a DL in my disco, I guess that i'll have to sacrifice some on-road drivability for more traction off-road. I'll change my driving style and not try to race every truck that passes me or gun it when I see a yellow light. It's worth it...I think. One last question, so I can't floor it anymore in any condition even when accelerating on the highway?

By pk on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 09:42 am: Edit

If you throttle too much for a Detroit Locker because you have some represed phsycological issues about Mario Andredii... Then maybe a Truetrac is a better choice for your differential.

pk

By david b. on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 09:46 am: Edit

I use to drive a 1996 BMW M3.

By RVR OVR (Tom) on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 12:08 pm: Edit

accelrating in a straight line is fine. the way "open" differentials work is to compensate for differing speeds and distances of wheels during a turn. with a detroit, it wants to lock when it thinks one wheel is spinning more than another. this effect is cancelled out when there is no force on the rear diff from acceleration. therefore, when there is force (gassing it like andretti) and you are turning (different wheel speeds) the thing assumes you are trying to get up a rock or through a mud bog and it locks you up. in a straight line if you are locked up, who cares! no additional stress is placed on your drivetrain because the wheels are spinning at the same velocity. it is when they shouldn't spin at the same speed during a turn and they are hooked on pavement that a locked detroit can cause snaps and tire chirping.

tom

By Blue Gill (Bluegill) on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 12:18 pm: Edit

so whose Disco's rear wheels spin when they floor it on asphalt, even when turning? I've spun the inside front on a sharp turn with a lot of water, oil, and maybe banana peels on the road, but that's about it. I even have the high-horsepower K&N turbo magic filter

or is the DL just getting confused with applied torque and different revolution rates induced by different wheel travel paths on the turns?

By RVR OVR (Tom) on Friday, August 10, 2001 - 12:31 pm: Edit

"or is the DL just getting confused with applied torque and different revolution rates induced by different wheel travel paths on the turns?"

bingo. by spinning, i meant rotating. i sure didn't mean to imply i could pull a burnout with the disco! of course, it was a bit fun when i had the rear DS out and i could light the fronts up off the line. the people next to me couldn't see the rears just sitting there! yeeehaawww

By david b. on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 09:16 am: Edit

Thanks for input guys, I think that I will go for the DL rear and change my driving habits. So I have to remember this:
1) Don't give it that much gas around the corners(less than quarter throttle)
2) Only gas it in a straight dry road
3) Drive slowly and carefully on a off-cambered road(any condition)
4) Except the fact that I drive a slow car
5) Drive like all the other cars in the snow(last year, I was really gasing it with no problems)
ok...I think I can do it. Any thing else I need to be aware of before I dive in and get the DL?

By Kyle Van Tassel (Kyle) on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 09:19 am: Edit

You will find that all thsoe rules are not needed in the end...

Kyle

By Rob Davison (Pokerob) on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 10:00 am: Edit

tha sounds like it to me.

the gassing it around a corner situation is mainly at low speeds in a parking lot (with my disco). if i'm out on the highway i havent really noticed a difference

rob

By david b. on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 10:53 am: Edit

...and why is that Kyle?

By Kyle Van Tassel (Kyle) on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 10:56 am: Edit

David , most of the things you hear are either myths from people taht have never had a detroit or stories from people who had a bad one. If its working right and you arent real aggressive you wont know its there. As far as icy side slpes and all that shit. Well , its freakin ice , your ass is going to have to adjust Detroit or not..


Kyle

By Axel Haakonsen (Axel) on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 12:00 pm: Edit

Kyle is right. Just get the Detroit, after a while you will forget it is even there. As for handling, it's kinda like driving a rear wheel drive only car. If it's raining or snowing and you floor it on a turn the rear end -may- come out on you, otherwise you don't even notice.