Wavetrac Differential

dynoman

Well-Known Member
TurboBuick.Com Supporter!
Joined
Nov 30, 2009
I'm starting to make plans for my next winter project which include a new Moser rear end ( 12 bolt or Ford 9", not sure yet ). One of the options of the build is a Wavetrac differential . Has anyone one had any experience with them ? I read a bunch reviews , and other than early models having some problems ( which were covered under it's lifetime warranty ) everyone seems to like them . Thanks , Sam
http://www.wavetrac.net/technical.htm
 
I bought a Moser Ford 9" with a Wavetrac. I haven't gotten the car on the finished yet. I did some research on the rear and the Wavetrac. Just about everyone I spoke to said it is an excellent piece and Wavetrac is the way to go.
 
Has anyone one had any experience with them ? I read a bunch reviews , and other than early models having some problems ( which were covered under it's lifetime warranty ) everyone seems to like them .
not everyone,there has been issues,they do stand by the product though.ive run a Detroit locker in my 9inch for years now,never missed a trick.
 
not everyone,there has been issues,they do stand by the product though.ive run a Detroit locker in my 9inch for years now,never missed a trick.
From what I have read , most of the problems were with the early models and those issues have been addressed . It does force me to use 35 spline axles though .
I'm going to go with Moser and can't decide on a 12 bolt or 9 inch . This is not a dedicated drag car , mostly street driven .
 
This is not a dedicated drag car , mostly street driven .
mine too lots of street miles and spirited driving ;)an eaton posi/ 28 spline on the stock rear took a lot of hits for years with 1.4 60fts 10ses ets.
 
9 inch with 35 spline wavetrac here. Drives like stock and quiet like stock. I have 8k miles on it in a 9 sec car.

I've also had a Detroit locker in this car and the wavetrac is worth every penny over that noisy thing.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk
 
There's no comparison between a Ford 9" and a 12 bolt! Ford 9" is much better/stronger then a 12 bolt. The center section is one piece. No rear-end girdle needed. Everything stays intact. I would never use a 12 bolt. May as well stay with the 10 bolt that came with the car.... Agree the D. locker is a rattle. Good rear, or so I'm told. Just didn't want to deal with the noise they make.
 
the Detroit locker is smooth as glass and you can only here the clicking sound when making a slow turn.
 
the Detroit locker is smooth as glass and you can only here the clicking sound when making a slow turn.

The Detroit (no spin) locker works very well in the straight line as both axles are locked to the diff. When accelerating around a curve/ corner, the outside wheel is allowed to travel faster, thus unlocking and free wheeling. When this happens, all of the power goes to the inside wheel (one wheel drive) and when power overcomes traction, the inside wheel will break loose until wheel speed catches up to the outside wheel where it lock up and drives. The inside wheel will continue to spin/ slip until either; power is less than the traction of the inside wheel or you are again going straight and both axels are locked to the diff.
If aggressively accelerating and decelerating through curves/ corners is important to you I would stick with the Wavetrac, Detroit truetrac or a conventional limited slip design.

I loved the Powertrax lock right (same design as the Detroit Locker) in my lifted S-15 Jimmy for rock crawling, however, accelerating/ decelerating in the canyon was a bit quirky.
 
Last edited:
You guy's with a Ford 9 inch , what ratio due you run ? 3.50 : 1 ?
 
I've got a 9" with 3.25 gears, and a 31 spline Wavetrac. 2 weeks ago I was at the track, and doing my burnout it started just spinning one wheel. From that point on it was broken. Moser is going to swap it out free of charge, but if it's going to break again I would rather just change to a Detroit Locker, or something else. " Autotech" The company that actually makes it for Moser said this differential will not hold up in a drifting car, and would not be a good choice.
 
Last edited:
I've got a 9" with 3.25 gears, and a 42 spline Wavetrac. 2 weeks ago I was at the track, and doing my burnout it started just spinning one wheel. From that point on it was broken. Moser is going to swap it out free of charge, but if it's going to break again I would rather just change to a Detroit Locker, or something else. "
21000 miles on the Detroit locker and 9 inch here and lots of hard launches.
 
New If you're going around a turn, and hit it will it lock, and kick sideways?
I don't hit my car around a turn,my car needs a lot of straight open space;)i have driven the car aggressive in the turns and the limitation is in the tire not the diff.
 
9 inch with 35 spline wavetrac here. Drives like stock and quiet like stock. I have 8k miles on it in a 9 sec car.

I've also had a Detroit locker in this car and the wavetrac is worth every penny over that noisy thing.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk
When I put my car in gear it usually clunks pretty loud. If you put the car in neutral, and turn the Driveshaft by hand it moves quite a bit from side to side. Maybe 1/2" to 3/4". Autotech the manufacturer Confirmed this, and said it's the nature of their design. .008-.009" backlash in every gear inside X the number of gears. There's YouTube videos showing it also. Don't think I'm going to replace mine under the warranty. I'm going to see of they'll swap it out for a Detroit Locker. I'm already on the 2nd unit, and don't want to keep replacing it every couple years when it breaks.
 
21000 miles on the Detroit locker and 9 inch here and lots of hard launches.

I've been reading about Detroit lockers, and some people have said when It engages, or disengages that the rear end feels a bit squirrelly? Have you experienced this?
 
I've been reading about Detroit lockers, and some people have said when It engages, or disengages that the rear end feels a bit squirrelly? Have you experienced this?
Nope not even peddling through wheel spin.the only way I could see that is if your in a turn and go hard off the gas then hard on the throttle you could create a squirrelly situation but I don't drive mine like that and I'm not sure why one would.most of the stuff I drive swallows a lot of the road and needs to be pointed in a straight direction.if I'm driving on a road course smooth in and out of the turns yields the faster times.
 
Top