Im thinking of getting an 8.8 possi for my '87 BII Im unsure if a possi out of a ranger is the same as having a locker. There both locked up. So if there is a difference what is it??

 

NO...a possi (actually a chevy term) or limited slip out of a ranger is probably a trac-loc unit which is pretty well junk......a locker on the other hand will actually lock the two wheels together under power and not allow one to spin, which a limited slip (posi) will do, a limited slip is good for road conditions.....but not much else...

 

On a side not...lockers aren't to great on the street however....so if your b2 is going to stay on the road...a better than stock limited slip might be a good answer

 

With out getting into the pros and cons of either. A locker will never let a tire turn slower than the ring gear in the differential. It differentiates in a corner by letting the outside tire turn faster than the ring gear. If the torque from the engine is greater than the torque from the road it will engage. That is why when you corner and your on the gas it chirps. Thats the inside tire spinning the same speed as the outside which is faster than it needs to go to turn the corner. A limited slip or posi as some call it either uses clutches of some kind or a gear configuration. A limited slip will let a tire turn slower than the ring gear in the differential. This is accomplished by the clutches slipping or whatever means it uses inside. Some are "tighter" than others so don't slip as much and some types will start to transfer power to the wheel with more traction if one starts to spin just depends on the make and or type of the limited slip. Limited slips are generally more street friendly than lockers. That being said my current daily driver has a deroit locker in the rear and I don't find it to obnoxious to drive. You just have to know its there and drive it accordingly. If you've never driven one it takes a bit of getting used to. If you pretty much only drive on the street a good limited slip would probably be a better choice.

 

If you ask me a locker is the most important upgrade to a 4X4. It is ashame US auto maker don't offer them as an option. I know Dodge does with their new version of the Power Wagon. You can get after market selectable lockers. A Trac-Loc or Possi-Trac work better when they are new...but after 30,000 miles or so they give up pretty easy. Go with a good locker and you will be happy. Just remember you do get what you pay for.For what it"s worth

 

Acctually a locker will let a tire slip in a corner.A spool will not let it slip.Thats why when you go around a corner with a Full Detroit locker it will bang.All of the lunchbox lockers will allow it to slip.Possi and limited slip are for the road they dont really do that much offroad.

 

I see. So a 8.8 would be an upgrade from the 7.5 that I have but as for off road all it is is just another LS? And a locker is what Id be looking for. If I wanted to have the better upgrade? And as for the 8.8 vs a locker the locker is the better mod?? A 4x4 shop out here sells lockers. And for a lock rite 1820 its roughly around $600. which isnt really all that bad but.. Is Lock rite a " lunch box " locker? Whatever the term " lunch box" means..

 

Yes a lockright is a lunchbox locker.A lunchbox locker only replaces the spider gears in the carrier.A full locker replaces the carrier and are a lot stronger.600$ sounds like way to much for a lockright.I would do the 8.8 for stregnth and add the locker later.

 

If your gonna go the route of a locker save your money and buy a full case locker like a detroit. Most guys I know that have tried "lunch box" lockers in the rear of their rigs haven't had them last to long. Better to spend the money right the first time. Lockers also don't let a tire slip, when they disengage a locker will let a tire turn faster than the ring gear. That's why when you turn a corner with a locker and your on the gas and its engaged the inside tire "spins out" and chirps, its turning the same speed as the outside one which has a larger arc to turn. Limited slips or posi will slip and allow the inside tire to slow down to corner, how much depends on the type and design.

 

I know how they work.What you are describing is a spool not a locker.A locker will let the tire spin around a corner.With a Full Detroit it will Bang or be violent when it unlocks.That is on pavement when full traction is at a premium.Even a lunchbox locker wont slip if there is not enough force to overcome it.


And if a Detroit does not slip at all like you say, why not put a spool in it for about half the price?

While I agree to go with a full case locker you can get a Lockrite or other lunchbox locker for about 300$ which isnt that bad.Weve used them in Jeeps and trucks with good sucess.

 

Lock-Right Locker 1820 - 4Wheelers Supply Here is one for 400$ Im sure I could find it cheaper

 

A lunch box locker and a full case locker like a Detroit will have the same handling characteristics, its just that a full case locker is generally stronger. If your gonna go the route of a lunch box locker do your home work, some are better than others. What I mean by a Detroit doesn't slip is that like I put in my first post it won't let a tire go slower than the ring gear in the differential. Which means when your wheeling and you get one tire completely of the ground that tire will be turning but the tire that is on the ground that has traction is getting the same amount of power cause it has to at least be turning the same speed as the ring gear. A limited slip will let one tire go slower than the ring gear which means if the two tires have a great enough difference in traction the one with the most may get less power than the other or none at all. If its strictly a trail truck a spool will give you awesome traction and at a great price. Some guys like spools over lockers in the rear cause you don't get the banging and clunking you get with some lockers. A spool will behave the same all the time. I've ran Deroits for years in a few trucks and can predict it pretty good but every once in a while I still get the odd bang, clunk, or snap that catches me by and the motorist next to me by suprise, it can be quite loud.

There was an article in I think it was 4 Wheel and Offroad a few years ago where they compared a spool to a locker in a full size Bronco. The author didn't have alot of bad things to say about the spool on the street, the article said the spool even behaved slightly better because it was always there so it was predictable. No locker weave when changing lanes on the highway.

 

On the street, a spool will eat up tires because both tires always turn at the same speed. (No differential effect.) So in a tight turn it can actually cause you to lose traction. Which is why the differential was invented in the first place.

 

Lockers also have a tendency to accelerate tire wear. Just about any time I make a tight turn, like a right turn at a stop light, my locker is locked cause I'm on the gas. So both tires are turning the same speed hence one is spinning out on the pavement.

 

So why does your detroit bang when going around a corner?Cause its unloading when traction is at a premium.When 1 tire is in the air it has no traction at all.It will act like a spool until it unlocks.