i was wondering which would be better to go witha locker or positrac for my truck. i drive it everyday. i know lockers can be tricky in the rain with a manual but would a locker wear out or break do to excesive driving in comparence to a posi trac.

 

I would get a powertrax, which you can get from summit or jegs or look it up on the net, they are easy to install yourself, and they disengage around corners.

 

I don't think wear is an issue. Unless you do alot of spinnin' the tires around corners, which it disengaged and grindin' away. They are suppose to "click-click-click" as you turn, they are not ment to be spun at high rpm while disengaged.

Both can be hazardous in wet weather, the locker is just a bit more positive towards power applications to both tires. The clutch type is a bit more forgiving.

I suppose it would depend on the truck and what you plan on doing with it.

 

As a former drag racer, I recommend not getting the locker. They are not ment for street use. The idea is that your drag car needs to turn maybe 2 or 3 times for each run at the track. The locker is an alternative from a true lockup diff which would save your axles from having to twist around the corner. I do recommend the limited slip positrac with the clutch system that slip around corners.

 

Thank You For The Info. Thats What I Figured But Opted For A Second Opinion.i Am Using This For Off-road/street Driving.do You Recommend A Company That Will Hold Up Under Extreme Tire Spin For Mud And Such Other Extreme Slippery Surfaces. Thanks For Any Help Possible

 

A locker would be no more tricky/dangerous on rain or snow than a good limited-slip would be. Both are going to give more aggressive fishtailing than what the standard open differential did.

A locker is going to give more tire wear and stress the axles more than what a limited-slip will. The reason is that when taking a corner, the outside wheel will disengage causing 100% of the torque to go to the inside wheel. Depending on the grade and traction surface conditions of the road, the load you have on the truck, the sharpness of the turn, and amount of throttle applied in the turn, 3 possibilities can occur. 1) The traction is good enough and the axles are strong enough that you make the turn no different than any other differential. 2) The inside tire does not have sufficient traction alone to push the truck around the corner, so it skids a little as it tries to match the speed of the outside wheel (tire wear). 3) You have a heavy load in the back increasing your traction but also increasing the load on the axle. The inside axle breaks because it was not designed to cary 100% of the torque sent to the differential that would otherwise have split the torque 50-50 in a normal open differential.

Unless you do a lot of off-roading, you would be better off with a limited-slip. It is not until you get big differences in traction between the left and right tire that a locker will begin to be of bennifit over a limited-slip such as one tire on ice, and the other on dry blacktop.

 

If your worried about it, get an air locker. It's an open rear end until you apply air from the on board compressor. Then it locks both wheels for off road use. Best of both worlds. I like the Detroit Locker myself, and have never had a problem on wet roads. In this part of Florida, when it first begins to rain, the roads are as slick as ice. I've never even been close to a wreck, due to having a locker.