Anyone about lokka lockers in front and use of auto 4wd ?

[maikan]

When you install lokka lockers on your front diff, does that make your pathy less road friendly?

 

I want to keep the use of the auto 4wd system for when I'm on the road in winter, but I dont know how the truck will behave.

 

Anyone with experience with the lokka lockers who can shed a light on that for me please?

[Radwaste]

Looks like you have manual hubs. Just ensure your hubs are unlocked while on asphalt and the road friendliness will remain unchanged.

 

I've tested my Lokka out on pavement with the hubs locked (just to stress it), and you can turn tightly on pavement, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you had to. I can feel and hear the locker functioning.

 

I would not keep the transmission in 2WD and both hubs locked just to have 4WD available in winter driving. While the locker is not stressing the transmission in 2WD, you will still have to deal with driving on pavement with a locked front. I would recommend locking one hub only if you want standby 4WD. While not as great as having both front wheels available, at least it's something.

 

Of course, you being in the great white north...add a couple inches of packed snow, and you might as well be offroad in sand or mud. In that case lock away, just be careful of sudden jerks while the front pulls you left or right.

 

I haven't had the pleasure of navigating thru much snow in the truck. Not a daily driver and not much snow.

[Precise1]

Do you have a shifter or a knob? I seem to recall that the later model (luxury model?) with the knob traction setting needs to have the front CVs turning for proper lubrication (manual hubs a bad idea). I can't recall the exact parameters, but it was discussed here so search for the info and if you can't find it, let me know, I wil dig it up.

 

B

[Radwaste]

Sorry I missed the part where the 99 is an old vehicle and you've moved on to a 2004 without manual hubs.

 

I have no info concerning Precise1's point about front lubrication and how the front cvs play into that for the 2004. That being said, I wouldn't want to drive with a fully locked front end full time. If this is an offroad/snow only truck; then sure.

[Slartibartfast]

I'm assuming you've got the front hubs locked (or just hub plates) if you're using the auto mode. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with manual hubs and the auto t-case so long as it's not in auto mode with the front end unlocked (it would be like jamming a manual box into 4x4 at speed with the front hubs unlocked, lots of grinding).

 

From what I've read with the lokkas (no personal experience), they'll let the faster wheel overrun when going around a corner, unless you get on the gas. Takes some getting used to apparently. So when the 'auto' box kicks power to the front end, the front end would probably lock up, which could make control interesting.

 

Might check this out, it's not with the auto t-case but it would probably be a similar effect with solid hubs or with manuals locked:

 

I'd be a little leery of an auto locker on ice, after seeing how easily my LSD slides the rear end out. Oversteer is fun... understeer, not so much.

[maikan]

I have the knob selector for the use of the 4wd, and I recently install Mile Marker hubs.

 

From what I read here there is no problem if I don't switch from 2wd with hubs unlock.

 

After reading the feedback in the link, I don't thnk that would be a great idea to install mechanical dissengaging

front lockers.

 

I shoud save up and take the bite for ARB front and rear maybe.

That way I keep road drivability and extreme traction when necessary in the snow.

[shoesandsocks]

get a lsd from a z31 then its better than open but way less stress on the drivetrain i welded the diff on a frontier and it had great traction but had massive understeer and was difficult to maneuver on narrow trails