I would have bought an Aussie for the F150 if they made one for the 9.75. My aussie was a lot smoother than the Detroit.

Str8t six, I have an e-locker up front. I love it. I had an aussie locker in front of my Sport Trac and it was kind of a pain in the snow. And I just felt like it put too much stress on the front drivetrain. The e-locker is great. It just drives like normal in 4x4 when unlocked. No extra stress, no understeering, no tight steering, etc. When you need it, flip the switch and it's 100% locked. I won't go with another front automatic locker unless it is in a dedicated trail rig. Look up part numbers on ringpinion.com, then call Wayne at diffsonly.com. He will beat everyone else' prices, I saved a ton of money ordering all of my stuff from him.

I agree with Windsor, if someone else is going to drive the truck much avoid the Detroit. My wife does okay with it, but I won't send her out with it in the snow/ice. For some people this could be a plus, if you want to keep your wife away from the truck!

 

looking into it i think i will still get a detroit. i wouldnt mind locking the rear in a skid! haha i can control my driving so it wouldnt be to much of a pain in the A. i'll just make sure my gf doesnt drive it. haha i always hate doing one wheel peels. i wouldnt mind having 2 roosters coming from behind me in the dunes! haha as for front should i go ARB or E-locker?

 

Last I looked at ARB (it's been a while) they discontinued the 28 spline 8.8 locker.
I would have still gone with the e-locker myself as there is less equipment to fail. That's not to say that I haven't heard of problems with the e-locker though too.
A lot of people swear by ARB, but you've got a compressor, tank, air lines, actuators, wiring, etc etc. I'm not so sure the ARB compressors are that usable for airing up tires but I could be wrong. I already have a compressor that works well so I just went with the e-locker.

 

I lived with Detroits day to day for years. I have a TrueTrac now in one truck. Have an Auburn limited slip in another truck.

Detroit- I wouldn't put a Detroit in a daily driver. It's bearable, if you don't mind always having to drive easy to avoid ratcheting and tire barking. It'll seem gnarly at first but sooner or later, you'll get tired of it on a daily driver even if you only drive it on nice days. The Detroit can be squirrelly even on mild rainy roads. Ice & snow... unless you are 'wheeling it it, leave the truck at home! Before my 'wheeling rig got too gnarly to drive much on the street, I used to drive it over the Rockies from the west slope to the east slope a fair bit. Sometimes in winter. Pretty hard not to get into snow sometimes and the Detroit made it a white knuckle experience all the way. The Detroit will lock up on deceleration too, so going downhill was spooky. Come off the gas too hard, on even a slight curve, the Detroit locks and you find yourself going sideways. Downhill! In traffic! If you are careful, you can avoid most problems but if you are tired or just off your game... you can get bitten in the butt. Nothing beats a Detroit for traction, trail work and pure strength but those attributes aren't needed most of the time, so on a daily driver it mostly became just a PITA. I got pulled over once and barely avoided a reckless driving ticket because, when I powered out to make a left turn in a small break in heavy traffic, of course the tires barked and the nearby cop was convinced I was doing a burnout. Talked my way out of it, but barely.


TrueTrac- Very smooth on the street and much smoother than a clutch type LS with the same bias ratio. Because of the way it's made, it doesn't need preload (though there have been some gear type lockers that are preloaded). What that means is that in slippery conditions, you don't have the preload (as with many tight clutch limited slips) exceeding the traction available and slipping the tire in a turn, causing squirreliness. The TT has differentiation in the turn, much like an open diff. I've been amazed how docile the TT is on slippery roads. It'll do the burnout thing very nicely and is a very good mud unit and good for most trail situation. Where it falls a little short is as a rockcrawling unit. If there is a huge difference in traction side to side, such as one tire lifted, it tries to do an open diff imitation. No problem really, because all you have to do is apply a little footbrake and it grabs like crazy. This is the technique called "Brake Pedal Modulation" they have taught Army HUMVEE drivers for the past 25 years, or so.

The DL and TT are both stout units, and long lasting but totally different in character day to day. Both require the same work to install. The TTis a little more money than a DL, but it won't break the bank. Go with a Detroit if your rig spends most of it's time on the trail, or on a drag strip, but if you drive it day to day, my advice it to go TT.

 

I don't find the Detroit (or the aussie) squirrely in the snow/ice, but some people sure do. You're right, if you are screwing around and not paying attention it can bite you. If you have good reactions and handle slippery conditions well it's not a big deal generally. I guess it's like anything, it comes down to the driver. It really is a love it or hate it kind of thing.

I lived in Oregon when I started using the Aussie locker and loved the way it got around in the snow. I even pulled a 6x14 enclosed trailer behind my sport trac from Oregon to Kentucky through the Rockies, during a blizzard. Even with the front and rear aussie lockers I didn't find it unbearable or white knuckle.

However I never recommend that people run automatic lockers on daily drivers with manual transmissions. That truly gets to be a pain in the ***. And yes in that setup you the locker can lock on deceleration. Torque goes both ways, if you're downshifting and compression braking it can lock. The backlash is annoying when shifting, especially if you're turning and shifting gears with a short wheelbase. My old friend had a jeep wrangler, lifted, manual trans with a Detroit. I didn't mind driving it, but it would definitely get old as a daily driver!

 

Well, it's squirrelly or it's not, Brian? If you need "good reactions" to keep a rig under control in inclement weather, then it's gotta be in the squirrelly category, wouldn't you say? Sounds like you mean to say, "Yeah it's squirrelly but I choose to live with it," .... as I did for about 10 years and about 80K miles.

The veiled insult on my driving skills aside, nobody is 100 percent "on" all the time. If a person chooses to drive a "high strung" rig, it should be done with full knowledge of the potential pitfalls, which is why I don't pull any punches when talking about it. You can choose to live with the downsides in a daily driver but I've found that most people who don't use their rig much in the venues where a Detroit is best suited often come to regret it in large or small ways later. They don't get to balance the benefits very much against the liabilities. IMO, the TrueTrac is 75% of a Detroit on the trail but almost transparent on the street. Makes a nice combo that you can relax with.

I will testify that Detroits lock on hard deceleration with automatics too. More so when they are low geared rigs, because mine got progressively worse as my rig progressed from 3.08 to 4.88:1 axle ratios in several steps. But, yeah, manuals are much worse! In general, heavier, larger rigs will handle a Detroit better, and vice versa.

 

I didn't insult you or anyone so I don't know where the defensive attitude comes from. Interesting that you took it that way though. What I said was "it comes down to the driver". That could refer to personal preference, experience, skill or any number of other things.

What I said was I don't find it squirrely, but it can bite you if you're screwing around and not paying attention. I don't find it squirrely when driving normally on snow and ice, like anything else. But if you're screwing around and hard on the throttle you have to be prepared for the back end to come around. Happens with limited slip differentials too. I have met a lot of people who did nothing but complain about their rigs with factory limited slips because of this even, and I really don't find the locker that much different in slipper conditions. I'm plenty comfortable with this, a lot of people aren't. My wife isn't that comfortable with a pickup in the snow regardless, so I especially don't like to send her out in the truck when it's snowing.

As I already said several times, the Detroit is not for everyone. I'm giving my thoughts on it, nothing to get all bent out of shape about.

As for locking on decel with an automatic trans, I'm sure it could but I've never noticed it or with the aussie lockers (4.88 gears w/ 33" tires on a sport trac) or with the Detroit (4.56 gears and 35" tires).

So take it however you want, this is an internet forum, here for people to share their experiences and opinions.

 

I have a stick and even with the stock LS if i downshift hard and dump the clutch the back end will kick around. I find it fun, but I know when it will do it and how to not do it.
It actually saved me one time. I was coming down a slick snow covered road and forgot about a serious left hand curve and the drop off on the otherside didn't look too pleasant. I slammed it in second and dumped the clutch, back end kicked around and a littler countersteering push the clutch in after the curve and all is good.
It's all about knowing your truck and what it will do in these type of situations. If I downshift on a snow road, but I double clutch and match RPM's then it won't do this.
Personally I find this to be very fun and I am looking forward to a locker.

 

i agree, i love drifting around corners!!

 

It is really fun with the country roads I live around.
I once met my match with my sisters little hyndai, E-brake and a nice patch of ice.
Thank god for big piles of soft snow or I wouldn't be sitting here now.

 

I didn't take it as an personal insult, Brian, but I was responding to a little "attitude" from you by trying to be funny. Perhaps I need to use more smiley faces. But, while your first comment could have been an accident of words, the second, in the quote above, wasn't.

Anyway, I responded, then and now, because I think you take recommending a Detroit a little too lightly and wanted to provide a counterpoint. My opinion in an internet forum. I've lived in three snowy areas over my life, Vermont, Colorado and Ohio, and have some perspective on it. Plus I've travelled a lot, and have been deeply involved with four-wheeling in one way or another over about 40 years. My work also keeps me involved in four-wheeling.

Beyond my own experiences, I have observed people's reactions to products and how those products effected their lives and driving. Tough guy attitudes and braggadocio aside, it's a fact that Detroits or tight limited slips (as you rightly pointed out), can cause trouble in daily use on the street when it's slippery. I'm just the old guy saying that it makes no point to buy a product that puts a sharp edge to daily driving if that's what your truck does 99 percent of the time. There are products that suit that situation better. But, like John Wayne said in The Shootist, "If you needs six, load six." Trouble is, I've seen a lot of people who thought they needed six and then shot off a toe so I've taken this opportunity to speak up. I'm kinda tossing rocks while living in a glass house saying that, given my past, but I guess you can say that I've learned a bit over the years. All ten toes are still here but I have had a coupla near misses.