I had autolockers in both axles of my 40 for many years and in 4 wheel drive, the steering gets hard on high traction surfaces because of the difference in wheel speed front to rear. It is not nearly as hard as the steering in my 80 with both lockers locked. My point was that the steering would be much easier with autolockers with a open center differential, like on an 80.
Locker.. front OR rear
- Thread starter thedapperbenz
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Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
Probably the best quote I have seen with regards to lockers in an 80 for a long time!
Regards
Dave
Just autolocker in rear scenario:
First off it’s cheaper. I run 4.10’s all day (Dd) with my 35’s and would rather do the transfer case gears than to regear the axles to get the low range back.
Unless you plan on running on the fast lane in the snow, by all means go with a selectable in the rear. But with all the weight we put in our rigs, we shouldn’t be driving like it’s an STI in those conditions anyways.
Third did I mention it’s $240 on eBay, ohh yeah, and it take only a couple of hours to put in by yourself.
Rear
Save up and get a selectable locker. In the meantime hone your driving offroad and learn to pick good lines. A auto locker on the icy street at 50mph will either kill you or make a man out of you. I slid sideways for about 100 yards b4 I got it straightened out. I've always wondered what the dude in the tundra thought as I slid past him sideways on the wrong side of the road. I had the shakes for a while after that one.
I've had an auto locker in the back of a couple different trucks. No issues at all driving on wet roads. Only got a little dodgy in snow and ice, but still liveable if you're really paying attention to what you're doing. I've used both the aussie and the lock-right, they were nearly identical. Definitely go rear. There's a reason why trucks that only come with one locker have it in the rear diff. Stronger diff, weight transfers to the rear when you're climbing and/or accelerating, not going to foul up your steering, etc.
Coming from someone who has actually done it several different ways (auto locker, e-lockers, ARBs), I can honestly say there is nothing wrong with a good ol' auto locker. For the price, nothing can touch 'em and the tradeoffs aren't bad, especially in an ass-heavy rig like the 80.
Best bang/$ mod for any unlocked off-road vehicle. The difference in traction is night and day. Go for it!
Coming from someone who has actually done it several different ways (auto locker, e-lockers, ARBs), I can honestly say there is nothing wrong with a good ol' auto locker. For the price, nothing can touch 'em and the tradeoffs aren't bad, especially in an ass-heavy rig like the 80.
Best bang/$ mod for any unlocked off-road vehicle. The difference in traction is night and day. Go for it!
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With AWD, a rear auto locker is almost transparent, a very different experience than a RWD rig. The CDL almost makes it work like a selectable, nice setup.
I have all 3 Central Rear and from , but front I have never used - So I said 100% REAR
I have a Detroit in the rear of my '85 pickup. It is not bad on the road wet or dry, but snowy/icy takes a little extra attention. Every now and then I can feel a shift in power from one side to the other or hear a bang taking off from a stop, but most of the time you hardly know it is there. I have a Truetrac in the front. It is a reasonably good combination because you can still turn in four wheel drive.
That said... now that I have an 80 with selectable lockers, I now see the advantages very clearly.
That said... now that I have an 80 with selectable lockers, I now see the advantages very clearly.
inkpot
SILVER Star
I had a Lock Right in the rear of my FJ 55 for nearly 20 years. Yes, you could hear it ratcheting( click,click,click) on turns, so who cares. Handling was mostly transparent, but once in a while it would pop pretty good and remind me that it was still there. You could feel that in the steering but it was not really significant: no instant lane changes like you hear about in short wheelbase and really light weight rigs. I drove my 55 in the snow on highways to go skiing quite a few times and it did not require that much of a learning curve to adjust techniques to make it pretty smooth. Did a little slipping here and there, but really never lost control or had any big problems. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
- Thread starter
- #32
That’s some good feedback. Thanks for the info. Luckily I don’t ever have to drive on snow or ice, so the worst it gets for me is a wet road on a rainy day.
Perfect.
That’s part of the plan.. it came with the factory alloy bar on it which I’ll be replacing with a steel winch bar and adding a winch.
Setup will basically be 2.5” lift, 35” muddies, steel winch bar + winch, read auto locker, and a roof cage.. they’re the first things on the list to buy and fit.
- Thread starter
- #34
Ok so after all the help on here, I decided to call the Lokka manufacturer/supplier here in Aus... as after some more research it looks like I need a new carrier as well (as all Aus spec GXLs have an LSD). The Lokka comes with the carrier from an open centre to ensure it all fits up.
Anyway, apparently an auto locker won’t work in an EFi 1FZFE....? This is the response I got, and they were quite helpful over the phone so no reason to doubt them..
“Due to the traction of the road and how the auto locker works, the cars computer will play up and won’t drive properly”
Anyway, apparently an auto locker won’t work in an EFi 1FZFE....? This is the response I got, and they were quite helpful over the phone so no reason to doubt them..
“Due to the traction of the road and how the auto locker works, the cars computer will play up and won’t drive properly”
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
I have the Lokka auto locker in the rear of my 1994 FZJ80 (4.5L EFI petrol)...works like a champ. No issues or complaints for nearly 5 years and 50K miles. Besides gas, it is literally the best $250-300 i ever spent on the truck, period.
- Thread starter
- #37
This may be a stupid question (I’m new to 80’s).. did yours have the LSD rear? Would there be any differences in the tune/computer between an open vs LSD rear?
Box Rocket
SILVER Star
Definitely rear.
My last 80 was a '93 without lockers. 5" lift and 35's and was my wife's daily driver. We wheeled it for years with open diffs. I had always planned to install ARB's but cost kept pushing it farther into the future. I finally gave in and picked up a rear Aussie locker. My main concern was road manners with the truck being driven mainly by my wife. The Aussie was completely transparent with the exception of the "click-click-click" of the ratcheting on corners. Never once did anything weird even in the winter on icy roads. Worked like you'd expect offroad.
With that truck I never felt the need for a front locker because the rear worked so well. I know everyone looks for factory locked 80s when buying, but personally I wouldn't hesitate to buy an unlocked 80 if it was a good truck otherwise. I'd throw another Aussie in the rear and call it a day. Excellent bang for the buck!
My last 80 was a '93 without lockers. 5" lift and 35's and was my wife's daily driver. We wheeled it for years with open diffs. I had always planned to install ARB's but cost kept pushing it farther into the future. I finally gave in and picked up a rear Aussie locker. My main concern was road manners with the truck being driven mainly by my wife. The Aussie was completely transparent with the exception of the "click-click-click" of the ratcheting on corners. Never once did anything weird even in the winter on icy roads. Worked like you'd expect offroad.
With that truck I never felt the need for a front locker because the rear worked so well. I know everyone looks for factory locked 80s when buying, but personally I wouldn't hesitate to buy an unlocked 80 if it was a good truck otherwise. I'd throw another Aussie in the rear and call it a day. Excellent bang for the buck!
Anyone know where one can get an aussie locker for a 92?
I've been looking at the auto lockers on www.Lokka.com for my 91. They also sell the part time tranfer case conversion kit.
