Prado 90 Detroit Locker Experience (1 Viewer)

[xXxPradoLover69]

Hello everybody, I have an '01 Prado 95 and I'd like to enhance its offroad capability by adding an enhanced rear diff. Since money is a little tight and it's not that hardcore of an offroader anyway, I thought about getting a Detroit Truetrac, but I'm not fully convinced because it doesn't lock 100%. What about a Detroit Locker? Is it really as dangerous and hard on the car as many say? A friend told me it will eventually make the rear drive shafts snap and in turns it makes the car want to go straight.
I should also add that this is my daily driver.

 

[nOtArEaLcRuIsEr]

These are relatively inexpensive and if youre running the stock size tires you likely wont be breaking much. Ive never really suffered any understeer with lockers but Ive never run huge tires either.

Drop in

Or this.
Ive run these before (on Suzukis), cheapest option and they have worked well for me. These really only lock when power is applied and have a slipping action when coasting, making it easier to make tight turns at slow speeds on pavement.

 

[xXxPradoLover69]

To be completely honest, i dont know if i need a detroit locker. maybe the truetrac would be enough, as most of the time i drive on pavement
my friends opinion is that sooner or later the drive shaft will break because the detroit locker is locker most of the time

 

[aztoyman]

I've had both the Tru-Trac and Detroit Locker on daily drivers. On a 4x4 pickup with a 5 speed though. The Tru-Trac was in both front and rear on my 88 when I bought it from a friend. He didn't do any hard core crawling but wanted better traction when hunting and in our AZ sand washes.

It worked great for that type of application. It was barely noticeable in normal driving. When locking the front hubs in 4WD there is slightly more effort required steering but it's not too bad. It doesn't have clutches like most limited slip units have so there's nothing to wear out and need replacing. I've also had a Ford Trac-Lock limited slip and a GM limited slip. They both work but the clutches WILL wear out and need to be replaced. The Detroit Tru-Trac doesn't and I commuted 40K miles a year.

I didn't like them when I started getting into rock crawling. It was better than an open diff but it sure didn't work very well whenever I lifted a wheel. So I sold them and went with lockers. I don't know how they are with an automatic trans but they definitely take some getting used to on the street with a manual trans.

I usually step on the clutch and coast around turns to avoid the clicking and popping. It still clicks like crazy. Just not as harsh. When I accelerate it tends to push one way and when you let off the gas it will go the opposite way. They are not so good on icy roads. Either are open diffs though. They just behave differently.

I also had Detroit lockers in my service trucks when I was a Caterpillar mechanic. Also manual transmissions and definitely not fun on the street. I have never broke an axle with them. Sounded like it a few times though.

The Detroit IS locked all the time except in turns when it ratchets. It sounds like the Tru-Trac would be the better choice for you. Just my opinion based on my experience with them.

 

[xXxPradoLover69]

yeah, i think i will go with the truetrac. here in europe, we rarely do rock crawling anyway. maybe some tougher off road stuff but thats it. so as long as the truetrac can handle the occasional tire in the air, i think it will work just fine. also, i heard that left foot breaking can at least partially solve that problem (its helped by the fact that its an automatic). in the us military, this technique is even taught for the humvee

 

[aztoyman]

You are correct. The foot on the brake is effective. I think you will be happy with the Tru-Trac based on how you want to use it.

It works great in mud, sand and snow. Very durable. No clutches to wear out. Good luck with your truck.