Is your rear fully locked or just a limited slip, or posi or what ever you wanna call it?

 

i can answer it for him...


its got a full on Locker Unit on it...

 

So, nflfreak.....We have now established that your new truck is a mean truck, has lots of torque, and the ENTIRE contents of the tool box....

Just bustin ***** man......Looks solid to me...

 

The old F150:



The "new" F350

 

How do you know that!!! It ain't your truck!!
Nah I'm just playing but is it like an air locker or an electronic one he can turn off?
have you ever driven a full locker on the street, I'm thinkin about getting a mini spool cuz its cheap and I wanna lock the rear endbut I'm worried about the on road performance

 

i dont remember what locker unit he has, but i had a Detroit Tru-trac locker kit in my old Flareside and it wasnt bad at all to drive on the street.. really lots of times didnt notice it was there except in rain and snow.. and even then it wasnt bad...

 

I thought I read somewhere that the tru travel was a limited slip just with some internals that had it stay locked more often than not?

So in your opinion if I were to go with a mine spool it wouldn't really be all that bad on the street?

 

Bill has a Powertrax locker.

 

Flat black'd the front bumper, to get an idea of how it would look. Not sure if I like it.

 

91Chevy-BEAUTIFUL TRUCK MAN!....

302-A minispool.....Same difference as a locker.....Cheaper though.....

BUT

Positive traction is NOT good on the street....Hard to make turns, and will eat the tires off....I was deterred away....lol....

 

.....A mini spool does the same as a full spool , it won't unlock when you turn like a tru trac or locker will.....

 

Yeah I know that, I guess I was thinkin the other ones were engaged all the time or somethin

But would that also make them a limited slip because the lock does disengage in a turn

 

My thoughts EXACTLY.....Bills is a LOCKER....Full positive traction...turns or not....

 

I have been wondering that since I started looking at lockers for my truck. If it unlock for turns then its limited slip, if equal power is to both wheels all the time then its a locker, like an arb air locker or eaton eclectic locker or the full/ mini spool . Right?, sounds right lol

 

Not entirely correct. Now, I'm no expert and this is what I've taught myself, so if I'm wrong, somebody, please, chime in.

Actual lockers like an ARB Air Locker*, Eaton ELocker*, "Lincoln" Lockers, etc are all fully locked differentials. They allow for NO differentiation action while turning. They are great for offroad use or drag since fully locked is what you want.

*(When engaged)

Lockers like the classic Detroit locker and the Detrioit Truetrac are a partial locker; they act like a limited slip but in my own mind, they are a distinct group compared to limited slip as I will explain next. The best way to explain these lockers are that they are 100% locked when on throttle (hard) and 0% locked when coasting. They work by forcing locking gears to mesh when the pinion gear is driving the carrier housing forward. However, when coasting the pinion is no longer driving the carrier forward and the gears could slide past each other if needed (such as in a corner). The complaint with this type of locker in the winter is that it will provide good traction when going in a straight line, but some people feel they are unpredictable during cornering. Most people coast into a corner (diff is unlocked), and slowly apply throttle once they've reached the mid point of the turn. A Trutrac is going to remain open until enough power is being sent to the wheels that the internal gears are forced into the locking position. This doesn't necessarily happen as soon as any throttle is applied; instead it can happen after a few seconds of increasing throttle. In slippery conditions, this can cause the rear end of the vehicle to slide out which is where the concern comes from.

While my explanation probably isn't perfect, it's what I've figured out for myself. Also, you can see this video here of where I've gotten my notion from.
YouTube - ‪Detroit Locker‬‏

Lastly, we have the limited slip group of lockers. Things such as the factory Ford limited slip, Chevy's Posi-lock, and other aftermarket posi systems like Detroit's Posi LSD, are all limited slip clutch style lockers. They can slip at any time, even under full power because the amount of force the internals can provide to keep the clutches together ultimately decides how effective the locker can be. One upgrade that people do to the stock Ford limited slip is to add clutches (more total surface area = greater friction) and to strengthen the spring force in the rear end (also, more friction).

The gear style and clutch styles are both technically limited slip, but I like to call the second group here partial locking differentials since not all of them "slip" like the clutch styles does. When they are locked, it's going to be an even 50-50 to the rear tires while the clutch style limited slip will still slip under adverse conditions (say 70-30), but it should never be a one-wheel-wonder.

While I've grouped these into 3 distinct categories, there are a lot of manufacturers of lockers that are mixing and matching different qualities, so not everything is going to be exactly like I've explained, but hopefully it can help somebody else in the right direction.