Guys with lockers... love em or hate em?

[disco stu]

Got a 9" that's going in the car, but it has a spool and 35 spline axles. So LSD options are limited. Can get ahould of a billet Lenco locker for cheap tho.

Never had or driven a car with a locker. I hear both sides, I'd like to hear yours.

 

[Steve]

I had a Lock-Rite locker in a turbo Buick a few years back and it wasn't too bad. I would prefer a clutch style unit but the clicking wasn't unbearable. It drove fine, I was more just bothered by the odd looks I got from other people in a parking lot when I would make a sharp turn and they could hear the clicking. So to cover the question in your title, I didn't love it or hate it, I would prefer not to have one but in the right situation I would use one again if needed.

Steve

 

[disco stu]

Yeah, there just aren't many GOOD options for the 9". Not to mention 35 spline. I would love a Wave Loc, but that's not an option right now.

The car I'm selling has a nice 9" in it and I'm not letting it walk off, so into the street car it's goin.

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Had a Detroit Locker in my pro street Chevelle and ended up taking it out. More of a clunk sound than click. Really weird feeling when taking a sharp exit ramp or tight turn. Not sure if having 33 x 19.50 rear tires make it worse than a normal size tire.

After burning out the clutches in my onceTracLoc in the GN maybe not a bad choice to go back again. Yes, have a 9" in my GN.

 

[chasmat2316]

Don't do a 35 spline locker! You will hate in no time!!

 

[disco stu]

Gotta be better than a spool.

 

[harris48cars]

There is a Detroit SL sold by Reider Racing, if they are still around. The SL stands for "Soft Locker". I've had two of these in GN's with the Ford 9". It has all the benefits of the original locker without the grabbing, clunking and jerking and noise. A great diff. I would have nothing else in a Ford 9". Completely streetable.
Gary

 

[disco stu]

Thinking about holding out for a soft locker but I'm eyeballing a Lenco billet locker and the window is closing. Probably more brutal than the Detroit one with my luck. lol

 

[chasmat2316]

Gotta be better than a spool.

You would like to think but I would rather have the spool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For some reason the 35 spline lockers are not nice to drive around with at all! My buddy bought one had it in his car for about a month what a P O S !
Could feel it lock & unlock driving it down a straight flat road. Any time you rolled on or off the gas at any speed you would feel it! pure crap!!!
He called detroit locker & they told him that's the way it is & can't do anything about it. One thing for sure you will not break it! He took it out & put in a spool! Atleast with the spool you know what your getting!

 

[DR BOOST]

You would like to think but I would rather have the spool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For some reason the 35 spline lockers are not nice to drive around with at all! My buddy bought one had it in his car for about a month what a P O S !
Could feel it lock & unlock driving it down a straight flat road. Any time you rolled on or off the gas at any speed you would feel it! pure crap!!!
He called detroit locker & they told him that's the way it is & can't do anything about it. One thing for sure you will not break it! He took it out & put in a spool! Atleast with the spool you know what your getting!

i agree 100%. you might as well try the spool. you will see that they arent so bad and plus you save 500

 

[chasmat2316]

Do you really need 35 spline? I've heard the 31 spline lockers are not as bad!
Something to do with the 35 spline that makes the diff so twitchy.

 

[disco stu]

Yeesh. Since you put it like that I might as well keep the spool that's in it for now. I used to drive that car around with a spool and slicks, but I drive this one around alot (it has radio and AC, other one didn't . Probably would play well with big drag radials. Or 18" wheels either.

 

[Steve]

I would have thought that a spool would have been hard to live with on the street but my buddy has a Moser M9 with a spool in his 70 Chevelle and it drives pretty nice. He races in the local king of the street races and there is a 20ish mile drive before the race to prove its streetable and I was pleasently surprised how well it drove. You could definately tell it had a spool in tight slow turns like in a parking lot but out on the street it was not very noticable. Before I drove his car I would have never considered a spool on the street but now I would consider running one also.

 

[chasmat2316]

I have driven one of my cars with a spool & 16 x 33's in the street you get use to it!

 

[disco stu]

The taller, and softer the tire is the less a spool is hard to deal with. Starting to sound downright dangerous on short sidewalled street tires, or stick and stiff 325 50 15's.

 

[WFO]

The taller, and softer the tire is the less a spool is hard to deal with. Starting to sound downright dangerous on short sidewalled street tires, or stick and stiff 325 50 15's.

My brother's '01 SS has a 9" with a 35 spline spool and 335/35/17 nittos.

It sucks caulk.

 

[Joe 1320]

Isn't there an air locker that you can engage and disengage with a valve?