When to use center diff lock?

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S

street tractor

10 Year 15 Year
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Jan 19, 2007
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Location
ingersoll ontario canada
Hi there,

Just a question from a new 80 series owner...

I am wondering in what circumstances would one choose to use the center diff lock versus staying in full time awd?

This is my first full time awd cruiser and I have been very impressed with the grip on some messy (snowy) roadways the last couple days...and this has been without the CDL engaged.

Should I be locking the center diff on slippery roads, or just using the awd?

I've asked a few peoples opinions on this and haven't been able to get a straight answer.

Thanks:beer:
 
The only real general rule is to not use the center diff lock on dry pavement.

Other than that, I would experiment with it locked and unlocked in various conditions.
Use what you like most.

In general:
I prefer the center diff locked off road (the absence of a road, as opposed to gravel or graded dirt).
I also like the center diff locked in deep-ish snow.

I have found AWD to work better on ice and just plain slick roads, or on well-maintained
dirt roads.

When you are lacking the traction to move forward--lock the center diff.
If you are moving and turning on slick surfaces, a locked center diff can often cause you to lose traction easier.
 
street tractor said:
The question should have been , " can a locked center diff be better than awd in certain road conditions?"

When I think about it, that's really what I have been wondering. Thanks for all your input.
Click to expand...
Yep you should have CDL lock when you expecting big difference in traction between front and rear.
Examples: Going over the ledge, going over the tree trunk or going over snow bank :)
You can have cdl locked on dry pavement but only to move few feet and with out making any turns. So if you front is tuck in the snow bank and your rear is on the dry road you can go ahead press the button and get out of the snow trap. but as soon as your front wheels are back on the dry you need to disengage the cdl.
I hope that is helpfull.
 
Also, you may want to ask yourself is ABS important as it will be inactive when the center diff is locked. (Note ABS light in cluster).
 
I found that driving on ice at slow speeds (5mph) the brakes where absolutely useless with cdl unlocked since the abs would merely pulse and not lock up. With cdl locked i could lock the tires and literally skid /plow to a stop.
 
street tractor said:
The question should have been , " can a locked center diff be better than awd in certain road conditions?"

When I think about it, that's really what I have been wondering. Thanks for all your input.
Click to expand...


There has been a lot of hints and advice given to you and from your post I take it that not only are you new to the 80, but also somewhat new to 4WD or AWD. The only thing that I would add would be to not engage the CDL unless you have a loss of traction already and to disengage it as soon as you get out of the low traction situation. Now some have already offered different scenerios to which they feel it is better to have the CDL engaged before you get into them. Don't worry about trying to remember all those situations! With experience you will learn when to engage and when not to. Most of my 4WD experience before owning an 80 was on "part time" 4 X 4 systems. Now that I have the CDL with the pin 7 modification, I'm able to enjoy a flexibility previously unknown to me. One thing to keep in mind is that if the CDL is engaged, and it is not really needed, it can cause undue strain on everything from your transfer case to your tires. The 80 is a well built rig, so it handles abuse better than most so you have that going for you! There will be those who disagree with my advice, but in the end, you have to decide what is right for you. HTH
 
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Yes, I understand 4wd and awd. This is not my first cruiser. My truck has no abs.

I understand how everything is working... I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on situations that may not be so obvious.

There certainly are some good examples above. Thanks
 
street tractor said:
Yes, I understand 4wd and awd. This is not my first cruiser. My truck has no abs.

I understand how everything is working... I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on situations that may not be so obvious.

There certainly are some good examples above. Thanks
Click to expand...

Do a search, this was covered well. I'm a rogue player in awd that believes there are many instances where CDL is beneficial to on road driving, and do it regularly. It's not 'mud' approved, but certainly the topic is well covered.

Scott J
94 FZJ80 Supercharged
 
street tractor said:
Yes, I understand 4wd and awd. This is not my first cruiser. My truck has no abs.
Click to expand...


I thought that you might (Anyone who chooses an 80 has got to have some good sense). I just wanted to bring it up in case you had no experience. One other thing - you don't say what year your 80 is, or if yours has lockers or not. The OEM or factory axle lockers require that you have the CDL engaged before you can engage them - the computer, in fact, controls or limits your usage. FWIW
 
SUMOTOY said:
Do a search, this was covered well. I'm a rogue player in awd that believes there are many instances where CDL is beneficial to on road driving, and do it regularly. It's not 'mud' approved, but certainly the topic is well covered.

Scott J
94 FZJ80 Supercharged
Click to expand...

X2.

I've used the CDL in H on hard surfaces, wet surfaces, snowy surfaces, going slow and going reasonably fast 45+ mph with no ill problems with bind or xfer case issues.

-o-
 
i always read that not to use cdl on pave surface. my cdl light on the speedo does not light up. somehow the switch was bumped on who knows when. i don't normally drive the 80 much. over the weekend i was driving with the cdl on the freeway. i was wondering why the rig would chirp the tires going up my driveway. i just changed my sway bar bushings, well when i had to make a 3 point turn it chirped some more. i looked at the switch, it was depressed.

so either i am lucky, or i have some repairs to do that i don't know about yet

OGBeno said:
X2.

I've used the CDL in H on hard surfaces, wet surfaces, snowy surfaces, going slow and going reasonably fast 45+ mph with no ill problems with bind or xfer case issues.

-o-
Click to expand...
 
CDL isn't necessary on paved snowy roads or gravel roads unless going through deep snow or mud. You'll probably be ok from this one instance but its something to avoid in the future.

If the CDL light doesn't work on your gauge cluster its most likely a $30 switch located on the transfer case. NAPA Part# ECH NS6421
 
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