Auburn or Detroit? Limited slip or locker? Car to be driven mostly on street and crusin. But I want to be able to drive it hard when allowed. (Ya know what I mean.) Where can I find the best pricing?
My experience is if you want to know for sure you have both wheels spinning, a locker is the only choice. Clutch types, although smoother and quieter, wear out and dont always grab under all but perfect conditions. I wont waste my money on anything but mechanical lockers. JMO
I have an Auburn mini spool. Perfect price (like $40 or so). Mine is 99% street driven, and I have had no problems. Plus, 100% lockup when needed You get used to that rubbing you hear/feel on tight turns. But, I have the clutch type on my truck. There is a bit more maintenance, including special oil additives and frequent lube swaps, which get a bit expensive. So take that into account when deciding which is cheaper in the long run.
I am running the Powertrax unit locker. Very happy with it. A bit louder than the clutch type, but nothing to wear out.
Does welding the spiders actually work? How much weld do you need to lay down for it to hold? I went with spool, and kept the spiders incase I wanted to swap back to open, for whatever reason...
Welding spiders, spools, and mini-spools are all very bad options for the street. I don't want to sound like I am preaching, I have been in this arguement before... However, you are not only ruining your tires with these setups on the street, but you are also risking breaking an axle. The big thing though, is that you are putting yourself and others at risk for injury/death. Last time I had this arguement, I told the guy I was argueing with "If someone ever lost control of their car, hurt my family doing it, and I found out they were running a spool on the street... they would get a severe case of 'lead posioning'!" Save your tires, axles, and lives... do not run a solid axle on the street. That is what lockers and posis are for. That said, I would run the Detroit. A locker puts more power to the ground than a clutch posi. You lose power to clutch slippage. Locker is a solid link with no losses. Some posis, Auburn included I think, are not rebuildable either. Ford T-loks are, but they are an exception. The PowerTrax is okay... I have one in a 1 ton van with a Powerstroke (Dana 60). It is noisy, similar to a Detroit, but it is not as durable IMO. I have had a breakage with mine. Had to tear it down and replace the tab collars. Dave
Don't mean to start an argument... I do agree that spools are dangerous on the street, but so is any 500 HP vehicle. Or any vehicle, for that matter. All tools are only as safe as the person operating them. I heard (probably from ratio411) that the spool will put your ass in front of you, and I heeded his warning, and found out once coming out of a gravel driveway. Since I had it on the back of my mind, I caught it early and corrected it with no mishap, and nobody new better, probably thought I was doing it on purpose. Good tool, minimally skilled operator, but learning. But, to argue the other way, I just did the same thing in my 360 HP dodge truck last week. And I was not expecting it, and still had to correct and save it. Good tool, moderately skilled operator. Watched a kid in a souped up truck pull out in front of a school bus yesterday, pulling a fishtail just barely missing the bus, and cutting me off at the same time. Good tool, poor operator. I believe a spool is safe on the road if you know how to handle it, as well as any other street legal modification. BUT!!! I agree that they are still hell on the tires and axles.
Nothing personal, and I don't want to stir anything up. Just, IMO, it is one of the most dangerous mods you can do. You are right, a lot of idiots can endanger the lives of you and your loved ones with a Honda and fart pipe. Dave
Hey Ratio, WHAT YOU GOT AGAINST FART PIPES!!! Just kidding I really do agree with you that the spool can be very dangerous if not used appropriately. But the price was just soooo right...
For that matter, my locker can easily get squirrely on the street. The car can lunge from one side to the other if it shifts while in a turn at moderate RPMS. (Think leaving a stoplight and making a left turn) It also can be interesting in the 1-2 shift at higher RPMs if it breaks loose. I agree with a lot of the comments made, horsepower and traction breaks parts, horsepower and no traction can hurt things like people!
Scotty, that left turn from the light was what got me last week with my truck and the clutch-posi. The kid I had in the car got a little nervous, his eyes lit right up.
personally, I just want to blow the rear out of the car to persuade me to moving to a 9". but I feel the same way about powertrax and detroit e-lockers and such, I hate the way they operate, a good limited slip works just as wel IMO, and if they made an Eaton limited slip/selectable locker for the 8", that's how I would go, but I don't think there is one for that axle. Shaun
Shaunh82, you mis-read my post. I LOVE my unit and would never go to a limited slip. There is NO comparison.
