Hello all, i had a question for anyone out there with any experience with lockers...I have a 91 f150 xlt lariat with the awesome 300ci l6 and wanted to get a locker for the rear so i could at least go through some snow without a hitch (or so i hope) i think i have the 8.8. I was doing some research on the powertrax and the lock right but was unsure which was better of if there is a better one other than those? Any help would be great! Also i noticed today that my truck was making a weird vibration at around 1500 rpm's on the highway, in overdrive. this vibration only occured when for example i was going up a hill and had to give it gas, almost to the point where it will auto downshift. Thats when the vibrations would hit. I took a look at my drive shaft and none of the POR15 i used to undercoat the whole thing was on it so im kinda lost. I dont know if my recent removal of my manifold had anything to do with it (i took it out and cleaned out all the gunk) but i used a new gasket and everything so i got no clue. Any help would be awesome!
Thanks!
-Aaron

 

You may not like a locker in the snow, they tend to be a skosh twitchy since there's not enough traction to unlock them going around corners. Look into the Detriot True-Track torque proportioning diff. or even a plain old Ford Trac-Lok limited slip.

 

look at an Auburn PRO(way different than the OEM replacement). after 3 detroits i love my auburn

 

He's looking for better traction in the snow. A really tight LSD like the Auburn is not noticably more forgiving than a full locker. If there's not enough traction to get it to slip, it wil still get squirrelly. A torque-proportioning rear (Totsen, Quaife, True-Track) is the best solution but a loose LS like the factory one isn't bad. If you're going to play in the mud, a locker is worlds better but he's just trying to get through the Mass. winters

 

yeah i mean it performs pretty good on the road in the winters even if theres a inch of snow its just since i am a 18 yr old kid i would like to once in a while be able to get off the main road and into say my friends yard with 6 inches. But anyway a LS would be the best option you say?

 

No, a Detroit True-Track would be the best option. They sell it as a limited slip, but it really isn't. It proportions torque between the wheels based on the amount of traction they have. The wheel with the most traction gets the most torque. That's the exact opposite of a limited sliip where the free-spinning wheel gets the most torque but the loaded wheel gets some. Unlike lockers and LS's True-Tracks do not get twitchy in the snow and ice. They have one weak point. They are useless for rock climbing because if you hang a wheel in the air they act just like an open diff.

 

ok so the detroit true-track is the best, how many miles would i get out of it before it would need to be replaced? Also you said if i hang a wheel its useless, currently if i go in deep snow my tires just sink and one spins out while the other just hangs out. Would that be the same as hanging the wheel of would the true-track make the non moving wheel move and then make both catch some traction?

 

holly crap i jsut was looking into the prices of those detroits but thats 2 much 4 me i was thinking like 200-300

 

And remember that those full carrier replacements will also require the gears to be set up again, so figure another $200+ for that too.

If you want a limited slip find a good used factory rear end with a trac lok, rebuild the trac lok, and just swap that in.

If you want a locker get a lunchbox locker like the lockright or an aussie locker, they are in the price range you set out and won't require that you set up your gears again. They aren't the strongest, but they should hold up fine in your 2wd truck.

 

I say Trac-Lok or Detroit Tru-Trac.