I'm intreasted to hear from anybody that has firsthand experince with spools on road. I read a artical a few years ago about a guy out west that put one on his daily driver. I believe it was a jeep. He indicated that everyone told him that it would be unsafe on the road and ware his tires out in no time. Also, that he would break axles on a regular basis. He said that it was one of the best mods he ever did. He didnt have any of the bad things mentioned. He said that the tires cherp around the corners, but it drove better than with a Detroit Locker because it didnt suddenly let go half way around a corner.

When I got my new Bronco, I wanted to get spools for it, but I heard all the same lines. I have to admit, they sound logical. In Summit, they even say "not for street" But I also have to say that everybody who says that doesnt really have firsthand experince. I ended up getting soft lockers (Powertrax and Lockrite) and I cant complain. But, I still would like to know the truth. I had people tell me that even the soft lockers will have the same problems to a lesser degree. I can tell you all firsthand that this is not true.

On the other hand, I had one guy tell me that a spool equipted diff will actually be less likely to bust an axle because it's not the constant torque that busts them, it's the sudden torque when a spinning wheel comes down and hits the ground. He still said that I would have all the other problems.

Is anyone out there running one on the street? (even part time)

 

Yes, I have know a few people who have welded thier spider gears. Personally, I would not do it to a daily driver, but your nor anyone else is me.

 

I have a minispool in my 68 bronco. It is OK with new tires because when you go around a sharp corner, the treads kind of deform, and let you go around turns. At high speeds, the spool is fine, and for heavy panic stops, it is great since one tire will not lock up and pull to the side. but, it is scary to drive when it is slick (or even driving highway speeds in the rain) and I have heard that non-selectable lockers are a little sketchy also. When I had my worn tires (down to ~30% life) were on, going around corners was a PITA, and made it not fun to turn. Very noisy, and it bounced as it turned. I have driven a jeep with a detroit, and it takes some getting used to, but you can learn to drive it so that it won't let go so violently.
-D

 

You can loose control easily when driving on the streets which is why it is generally frowned upon. Insurance companies and the cops may have bad things to say if you are involved in an accident, especially if someone is injured. It may even be illegal. Be safe, save your $ up, and get a selectable locker for the front with some LS or selectable for the rear.

 

At the risk of sounding like a person that doesn't care, I can honestly say that it's the BEST 35 bucks I spent. Runnning a mini spool on a daily driver hasn't hindered the vehicles abilitis in any way. In short, I LOVE IT! It's in an 81 F150 2wd. 5.0 with C6 31X10.50 tires and 3.70 gears. Yes, it's noisy around corners but when push comes to shove, it just works. Living where I do, in Canada...with the snow... traction is not all that plentiful. Running a mini spool sure helped. And like it was previously said, under EXTREAM braking, it actually helps one stop quicker and under better control. Just my two centts worth.

 

Any time you take a corner the tires are fighting each other for traction. This means one tire has to "give" and slip but you also chance both tires letting loose at the same time. This isn't really a concern on dry roads but on wet or icy roads it can be a real nightmare. It's not necessarily a corner at an intersection either, it will do it on curvy roads as well. This is not to say you can't drive a spool on the street but it's not the safest, not to mention tire wear, axle strain and all that other stuff you've heard a dozen times. However, it does make for good entertainment watching someone try and get a spooled rig into a parking spot.

 

Yes and if you have a tire going down it will push to oneside. not a good idea in my opinion.

 

I have a spool in the rear of my Bronco, and other than the slight chriping of the tires at corners, it isn't bad. I just take it easier on corners and cut edges alittle more.

Other than that, I don't live here a icey place, so I'm not worried about that, just the traction in the mud.

I also have a aussie locker up front, just like your lock right, and I like it just the way it is, I wouldn't want a spool up front.

 

I have had a spool in the rear of my 73 F100 2wd for about 3 years. I also have 295/50-15 tires on it. I used to drive it year-round when I lived in town (snow) since there were no real hills to climb. Yep, the tires do wear out faster. Yep, it is an absolute BLAST to drive when one wishes to do sideways burnouts and powerslides around corners (when on the N2O). It is NO FUN AT ALL when negotiating icy roads at speeds above 35. Ask my wife about that one. Dry roads at high speeds, the spool is nearly transparent.

There is no question about traction. That's what I like. The high-frequency hopping/chatter around corners is something that takes getting used to, and there's no more hauling heavy loads on pavement due to the possibility of axle damage, but it's my fun truck.......

I don't think I'd run a spool in a large-tired vehicle or one that hauls anything (**** maybe).

Cody

 

Well, I guess this all boils down to what a person wants. If they want all out straight line traction, a full spool or mini spool is the way to go. but with it come some compromises. Same goes for a detroit locker. It all boils down to what each individual wants. Me, I like the idea of having BOTH tires turning... and it's cheeper than purchasing a four wheel drive if one has a two wheel drive.

 

i am running one now in my 79 f150 4x4 (other info in my sig) and i am running a spool. yes it does make sharp turning on pavement hard and it will hop alil where my gravel turns into asphalt and the tires will cherp, but so far i havnt found anything dangerous about it. its not my daily driver or anything but i do drive it on the street. but the only logical thing i see against it would be one in a front axle without selectable hubs!!! of course that would be dangerous on the road in a new f150 or ranger.

 

And with a spool, you need to watch your tire pressure, if one side gets low then it will be draging, wearing it even faster, and killing what little bit of mpg we already have.

 

My truck has been spooled on the street for the past 3 years. The only issue i've had is the tire wear, it does tear through them incredibly quickly.

And as for being more prone to lose control in wet conditions, that's a bit over exaggerated. The only time i almost lost it was going down the interstate at 90 MPH with 35's in a decently heavy rain (it would have been stupid in any vehicle). There was a pretty sharp downhill turn coming, but figured it wasn't sharp enough to be an issue. Simply, it was enough to be an issue and I went about 45* across the lane sliding through the turn.

Deal is, with a spool it's actually easier to regain control after you partially lose it. Almost always if you ease up on the gas, the vehicle will self correct and you know to slow down. That's exactly what happened in the situation above. I eased on the gas, turned into the skid, and it straightened right back up. Kept it to about 60 the rest of the way home and everything was fine.

In ice, yeah, it's quite the adventure but should you really be out driving in the ice anyway?

I say go for it and just get to be real good friends with someone at a tire store so you can get all of the used ones for really cheap. Or get tires with a warranty, you'll always wear them out before the pro-rate takes effect so you'll always be getting free tires.

Justin

 

You may get free tires if the tire store techs are idiots. Most of them around here will take a look and with a quick check will invalidate your tire warranty. For the price of a set of tires you can do it right and safely with a selectable locker. The selectable locker will retain value and can be sold for a high percentage of it's initial cost later on.