Lokka in a 03 Question

[scottander]

I have been thinking of installing a Lokka in the front but am worried about loosing winter street drive-ability. Quite often in the winter where i live it goes from pavement to snow and vice-versa. I had heard that it is common on other vehicles to simply lock only one hub to get similar function to an open diff. My question is will this cause any issues on the pathy? I think that if I run my current setup in 4wd drive with one hub locked i might run into issues? However i don't think this would be an issue with a lokka installed, Anyone care to confirm or deny or offer any thoughts.

[Slartibartfast]

I would expect the Lokka to act like a welded diff and put power to the one wheel you locked the hub on. I'd also expect the steering to pull one way or the other when you got on/off the power, which is probably not what you want on the street. My understanding is that locking one hub is a workaround to make steering easier with a welded diff; I'd expect the ratcheting action of the Lokka to make this unnecessary under most conditions.

 

One hub locked with an open front diff wouldn't break anything (provided you didn't try to shift to 4x while moving) but it wouldn't get you anything, either. One hub unlocked means the diff can piss away any torque it gets through that side rather than powering the one wheel that's actually connected. (This is how 4x4 disconnection works on a lot of trucks; they don't have a 2x/4x slider in the transfer case, or locking hubs, they just have an electronic or vacuum disconnect on one of the front axles.) If you wanted to engage 4x with an open diff and one locked hub, you'd have to stop and get out to lock the hub. If you had one hub unlocked and tried to engage 4x while moving, the front driveshaft wouldn't be spinning and you'd chew up the transfer trying to engage a spinning input to a stationary output. (If you've got the electronic transfer case, you'd want to keep it out of auto mode, just like driving with both hubs unlocked.)

 

Hopefully someone on here who's running a front Lokka can give you a better idea of their street manners. I would expect it to behave itself with the hubs locked if you left the transfer in 2WD and only engaged 4x when needed (which is how I drive on patchy snow anyway). Lokkas are out of my price range, unfortunately, so I have no first-hand experience with them.

[scottander]

Thanks for your thoughts, after reading some accounts of the lokka it was my understanding that you would get the chirping chattering anytime the hubs were locked and it was not recommended by lokka to drive on pavement this way 2x or 4x. My theory with one hub engaged is that everything would work correctly as the front gearing/ drive would be spinning with only one or two hubs locked- with the lokka installed. But with one hub locked you would not get the chirping in 2x or 4x and could still engage 4x to get an extra drive wheel around town for light snow duty.

 

Anyways hopefully someone with first hand knowledge can confirm or deny.

[TowndawgR50]

I run the Lokka in snow, on and off road with no problems. Steering is heavier and the turning radius not as good but overall works fine for me. Keep your speeds low with throttle light and controlled, as it should be for all motorists in snowy conditions regardless of having 4x4 or not.

[mjotrainbrain]

I run the Lokka in snow, on and off road with no problems. Steering is heavier and the turning radius not as good but overall works fine for me. Keep your speeds low with throttle light and controlled, as it should be for all motorists in snowy conditions regardless of having 4x4 or not.

 

You say steering radius is not as good...is this noticeable on the open road, or only when making sharp turns (like at an intersection or in a parking lot)?

[TowndawgR50]

slow speed, tight turns

[scottander]

Thanks could you clarify how it handles with hubs locked in 2x4 on pavement in snow vs clear?

Edited December 29, 2017 by scottander

[TowndawgR50]

I couldn't tell you. Only time I lock my hubs is when I use 4x4.

[hawairish]

Just to give my $0.02 or affirm other answers here...

1. In your current setup (open), running with one hub locked would have no benefit. In 2wd, it's just stuff spinning. In 4wd, any applied torque just goes to the wheel with least resistance...a CV disconnected from the wheel is about as least resistance as you can get, so that CV would just spin without purpose, never transfering power to the other wheel. Unnecessary wear and tear.
2. With a Lokka and 2wd, running with one hub locked would have no benefit. The other CV and front driveshaft would just spin. Unnecessary wear and tear.
3. With a Lokka and 4wd, running with one hub would not be good, particularly around turns. Inner and outer tires spin at different rates around turns...but if one wheel is locked, it will handle differently between left and right turns. Factor in an open rear differential, for one turn, both tires on the same side will drive the vehicle (normal), but for the other turn, opposite tires will be driving...I'd imagine the vehicle would want to push straight around that turn.
4. A Lokka in 2wd is fine on any terrain, including regular roads. It is designed to disengage around turns, when the rotational difference between tires exists, specifically around turns if there's enough friction at the wheel. That's when you'll hear the clicking...normal operation. In very loose terrain, the locker might not disengage around corners because the tire breaks friction on the terrain. But even in snowy terrains, it should be enough to disengage the locker. In either case, the steering might feel a little firmer during low speed turns, at least before the locker disengages. Until it disengages, steering will be firm as both tires will want to straighten out.
5. Lokka or not, you should only engage 4wd on loose terrain.

In your case, if you're going between pavement (dry?) and snow frequently, you'll need to be conscious of your terrain and shift between 2H and 4H appropriately, which you can do on the fly under 50mph if you have the Part-Time 4wd system (the All-Mode auto system will do it whenever in Auto mode). I'd imagine you'd have plenty of heads-up on terrain changes. You will need both hubs locked for either system, otherwise the transfer case might not engage the front output. If the terrain changes abruptly between loose and dry conditions, you'll need to stick with 2wd and drive with care.

[scottander]

Thanks for all the replies, i think i will go ahead with the lokka sometime soon. Will report back with driving impressions when i do.

[RainGoat]

Towndawg has convinced me, it's just a matter of time!