Mini Spool?
Mini Spool?
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Independence, MO
Mini Spool?
A few people have run them in street rods including my self, There Cheap, and they work great, but they come with drawbacks, for a street driven car/truck there (very)!! hard on the rear axle, every little turn you make of anykind forces both tires to turn at the same speed insted of turning independent of each other which makes it hard on the tires and the axles, For a drag car or if its just a off road truck i wouldnt be to bad, but i wouldnt want it in a truck that was street drivin on a regular basis. Hope this info helps ! DW
Laughing Gas
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,191
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From: USA
Mini Spool?
I have a mini spool in my 86 beater bronco - its offroad only and with the short wheel base even on the dirt you can tell it is back there... I would not even want to think about how a Bronco with its short wheelbase would be on the street!
The Step-sides are about a foot longer in wheel base when compared to a Bronco.
The Step-sides are about a foot longer in wheel base when compared to a Bronco.
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 27
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From: PDX
Mini Spool?
Mini-Spooled 9" for 3 months now and if you can live with a locker then the spool isn't that much worse. Keep your air presure in the rer tires high so they will slip better on the street. I keep around 45# in the rear and it's not that bad. Oh yeah my 78 Bronco has a 106" wheel base and my 79 SW truck has a 110" wheelbase. The truck just has a longet hang over in the rear.
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Independence, MO
Mini Spool?
Let us all know how fast you wear out the tire's , cuz every time you turn on the pavment, you may as we'll take a grinder and gring some of your tread off, because thats what there doing is grinding insted of turning everytime you make a turn. you have to feel that when you drive it. DW
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Brett Foote
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 27
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From: PDX
Mini Spool?
To be honest at speed you don't really feel it at all it's just when your going slow doing sharp turn i.e around corners and such. Tire wear I notice it but not much more then my buddy with a detroit in his 9". I did it because I exploded a 3rd member while power braking with me 460 and it was what I had at the house. I alway said I wouldn't do it but after I did I am glad that I did. I maybe put 5000 miles on my Bronco in a year. I drive it occasionaly just because it's not the best for gas millage.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
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From: Gateway to the West
Mini Spool?
Uh, yeah well, straight line movement won't matter because both wheels are spinning at the same speed. Going around corners and forcing BOTH wheels to spin at the same RPM WILL damage something. Maybe not noticably right away but its gonna happen. Thats why lockers are made. So you can disengage or they will automatically disengage when necessary. If spools didn't cause any problems for street vehicles, there would be no need for a differential in the first place....just put a solid axle all the way across and have the ring and pinion. Thats all a spool does....mini or otherwise.
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Independence, MO
Mini Spool?
Originally posted by greystreak92
Uh, yeah well, If spools didn't cause any problems for street vehicles, there would be no need for a differential in the first place....
Uh, yeah well, If spools didn't cause any problems for street vehicles, there would be no need for a differential in the first place....
YEAH!! WHAT HE SAID!!!
DW
Freshman User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 27
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From: PDX
Mini Spool?
Have either of you driven with a spool in the rear of a vehicle ON THE STREET if not then how can you compare a locker to a spool. I don't know about you guys but I have. With lockers you worse driving flaws then a spool because of the unlocking at times. With the detroit I had in dare I say it my cheby letting off the gas and hiting the brakes would cause it to swirve because it unlocked. You guys can think what you want but I will never go back to a locker in the rear again. Yes I might get a little more tire wear on the street but knowing I have a spool and adjusting my driving sytle to it, just like you have to adjust to a locker everything is all good. besides after last night wheeling it there is nothing you can say to make me think bad about them.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 115
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Mini Spool?
Well, I used to have a 70 chevelle and with the spool on the street it actually sheared off the bolts for the lug nuts on the one side and the tire came off. I would never run a spool on the street unless you live in a city where you dont have to make very many turns! 
It will be either the bolts or the axles or worse that will end up breaking. But go ahead if you want...we dont really care...just dont say you were not warned.
It will be either the bolts or the axles or worse that will end up breaking. But go ahead if you want...we dont really care...just dont say you were not warned.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,323
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From: Montana Territory
Mini Spool?
Originally posted by greystreak92
Uh, yeah well, straight line movement won't matter because both wheels are spinning at the same speed. Going around corners and forcing BOTH wheels to spin at the same RPM WILL damage something. Maybe not noticably right away but its gonna happen.
Uh, yeah well, straight line movement won't matter because both wheels are spinning at the same speed. Going around corners and forcing BOTH wheels to spin at the same RPM WILL damage something. Maybe not noticably right away but its gonna happen.
Not if you get the tires going before you hit the corner.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
Likes: 12
From: Gateway to the West
Mini Spool?
mattsbox,
Well, ya know, I have yet to try the idea of broadsliding through turns on dry pavement but maybe you are on to something!
ultimatebronco,
Thats why companies like ARB, Eaton, OX Traxx, and Detroit make manually selectable lockers or in other words lockers than you can disengage for running on the street without sacrificing wear and tear on driveline components and tires. The ARB Air Locker, Eaton E-locker, and Ox Traxx Ox locker are all manually selectable between locked and open. The difference is the method of actuating the locking mechanism. The only different locker is the Detroit Elec-trac which even when disengaged remains a limited-slip differential. A locker merely creates the same effect as a spool with the ability to disengage when necessary. I do agree that "automatic" lockers do have an unpredictability to them that would keep me from putting one into my truck for the very reasons to stated. However, I would not use the spool for the reasons I have stated and those are the wear and potential component damaging conditions caused by forcing both wheels to remain spinning at the same RPM through turing maneuvers.
Note: Guys if I missed any manufacturers of manually selectable lockers, my apologies. These are the ones that came to mind.
Well, ya know, I have yet to try the idea of broadsliding through turns on dry pavement but maybe you are on to something!
ultimatebronco,
Thats why companies like ARB, Eaton, OX Traxx, and Detroit make manually selectable lockers or in other words lockers than you can disengage for running on the street without sacrificing wear and tear on driveline components and tires. The ARB Air Locker, Eaton E-locker, and Ox Traxx Ox locker are all manually selectable between locked and open. The difference is the method of actuating the locking mechanism. The only different locker is the Detroit Elec-trac which even when disengaged remains a limited-slip differential. A locker merely creates the same effect as a spool with the ability to disengage when necessary. I do agree that "automatic" lockers do have an unpredictability to them that would keep me from putting one into my truck for the very reasons to stated. However, I would not use the spool for the reasons I have stated and those are the wear and potential component damaging conditions caused by forcing both wheels to remain spinning at the same RPM through turing maneuvers.
Note: Guys if I missed any manufacturers of manually selectable lockers, my apologies. These are the ones that came to mind.