So:
I would like to put a posi rear end in my '79 F150 Ranger 4x4 (9" RE) and I am drawn toward the Detroit Locker because of its simplicity and durability. However, I drive both on- and offroad and one of my favorite things about the truck is that it corners like a jackrabbit with that tight wheel base. I drive fast on the curvy roads where I live and I power through the turns, and from what I've read and heard from others the full lockers can create handling issues under those conditions (especially in the rain, which we get a lot of in winter). On the other hand, I do go off road often also and man!, am I sick of single wheel drive! I have to do something... The owners' manual says the truck originally came equipped with what they called a Trac Loc LS in the rear, but that's long been replaced with an open differential (not by me; the truck has been around, if you know what I mean...)
I think a Detroit True-Trac gear-type limited-slip rear end may be what I'm looking for. It has no clutch packs to wear out and the write-ups say it handles well on the road.
Any input regarding True-Trac or, in general, the pro's and con's of LS vs full lock would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance...

 

If you are happy with the on road manners of the truck, but are looking for extreme traction off-road, the only choice should be a selectable locker. One that will engage at your command for off- road, then disengage, and stay disengaged for those "jackrabbit" turns, as well as rainy days.

 

75F350:
Thanx for the reply:
The selectables seem prone to break-down, which I am trying to avoid. My hope was to hit a "sweet spot" in between aggressive and wimpy and also avoid over-complicating my life. I am anticipating having to adjust my driving to the LS, but from what I hear it's significantly less than what I would need to do with a locker. I don't necessarily need "extreme" traction off road, just better than what I get now.
Compromise may be required here... FBF

 

i have a detroit in a bronco that i like.it used to be my daily driver winter and summer and the locker never gave me any problems and the truck still turns sharply.i wouldn't want one in the front on a street driven truck nut in the back i wouldn't want anything else.

 

B521:
You had full lockers? Did they break that outside wheel loose or force a correction if you cornered through turns? I'm not concerned at all with in-town turns on streets or anything (have kids, drive normally), just the break-downshift-powerthru ("racing-") turns at speed on the highway. I know, I know, I shouldn't drive a truck like that, but, hey, I'm a born rebel... FBF

 

i have a detroit locker in the rear and a traction lock in the front.mine has a 6"lift and 35's so it doesn't handle like my mustang.the only time it's noticeable that theres a locker in there is when i let off the gas i can feel the locker unload.it doesn't do anything "bad" when you get off the gas at speed it just takes a little to get used to the "feel".if you take it easy around a corner,like from a stop in town,it won't chirp the tires.as far as your andretti driving school diploma,i don't know how it will help you get xtra credit.

 

B521:
Thank you for the responses.
The traction lock in the front end is the one from Ford? Sounds like a good set-up. I am slightly hampered by not knowing anyone locally with a locker in the rear so I can at least feel for myself what it's like on the road. I don't mean to imply, by the way, that I rip around and make an idiot out of myself; only that I like to drive with a certain style. I have a smaller lift than you and it does affect handling, but I like it anyway.

FBF

 

the track lock is just the regular one from dana.i had to put a different carrier in when i changed gears so rather than put another open one in i decided to use a limited slip.i don't think you can go wrong with a locker in the rear,i think you'd like one.

 

FBFord:
Really sounds like a good limited slip is what you are looking for. You know, not all LSD's are created equal. If you are looking for better than normal limited slip action, a stiffer spring pack can be added to LS units to create better traction, and still allow the diff to opperate for street use. If your truck is a DD, I really do not believe that a Detroit is the way to go. I run em both front and rear with 39.5" boggers. Mud, rocks, even sand, the truck works great. The street, , , , , kind of a pain with the rear locker. The couple of times it was in the snow (local mountains), I wish it did not have the lockers. Truck was very unpredictable, I found myself looking for deep snow to keep some control. If I could have found a way to keep the lube in the rear axle, I would have taken one of the axles out, (for the icy roads).

 

actually a locker like the detroit handles better in corners IMO, if lockers caused bad problems in corners and limited slips were the way to go don't you think the nascar guys would run a limited slip? Yet they all run detroit lockers on circle tracks as well as road race tracks. The fact is a detroit works different than a LS in that instead of slipping clutches to allow the inside tire to turn slower than the ring gear, it forces the outside tire to turn faster than the ring gear, as they use a ratchet system that forces it to overrun rather than slow down. Trust me a detroit does NOT cause steering problems on a rear end, I have had 3 of them in 3 different types of vehicles one bieng a car and it didn't cause me any handling problems.

 

B521,
Can you hear the D/L operate in the cab of your Bronco? I have a 96 Bronco and want to put in a D/L some day, I am wondering if you hear it, I heard they can be noisy.

 

So:
I see there's some difference in opinion on the subject, which is all good for me as I don't yet know enough to even have an opinion. Much of what I've come across talking to people and searching the 'Net miirors the last post of 75F350, namely that the Lockers are a bit much on hard pavement but rule offroad. However, Monster's point is well taken: if the Lockers don't work for cornering, why do the pro's run them so much? Bronco 521 runs them and digs them too.
Monster, how does forcing the outside to turn faster actually make cornering better (than the slipping-clutch method) on hard surface? It would seem to want to pivot around the inside wheel and force a correction with the steering wheels up front.
Also, what about the Detroit TrueTrac with it's clutchless limited-slip? How does that compare to a Locker? FBF

 

I have no opinion on the truetrac never ran one.
The handling thing is a personal opinion as I stated some don't like the oversteer feeling it achieves but one of the things is, in a corner the locker won't allow one tire to turn slower so the other one has to turn faster and since the inside tire is turning at ring gear speed yet is traveling the shortest distance the vehicle will actually increase speed as you corner and then pushes more with the same throttle, plus is the inside tire starts to loose traction the tire speed or ring gears speed increases (or vehicle speed reduces) so that the outside of tire then begins to pick up the slack and take out the slide.
I am not doing a good job explaining this, I have retyped it a couple times and it just isn't coming across the way I want to say it. I know with the way I drive it's better for me in hard cornering, and like I said the nascar guys and other typs of racing use them in cornering situations so I know it's not just my driving.

 

i was in the same boat as you were, i have a 93 150 with 33s on it that is a daily driver and i debated between a locker and a eaton l/s. i ended up going with a l/s and regret it for offroad. unless i am in really loose dirt, mud both tires spin but, if it is solid ground or rocks or one is solid ground the other is loose dirt then only one wheel spins. i dont offroad as much as i would like but the few times a year i do i have been gotten stuck because of the l/s. id get the locker if i did it over again.

 

nope.even back when the truck was quiet i couldn't hear it.alot of my friends have used them in pickup trucks blazers and jeeps and i've never heard any of them say they were loud.

they are as reliable as a spool but will unlock in tight slow turns like in town.

lockers don't need any special gear lube like a clutch limited slip does.just regular 80w90

i think lockers get a bad rap as far as on road manners.i think they are better on road because they are predictable.they do the same thing every time,unlike a limited slip.

like i said earlier,i wouldn't want one in the front axle if you are going to do alot of street driving.just having a limited slip in my front it would push in corners in icy/snowy conditions.now it doesn't see winter so it doesn't matter anymore to me.