PDA

View Full Version : More newbie crap-locking



Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 09:33 PM
so from what ive seen and heard im thinking seriously about locking my XJ(yeah i know i cought crap for the lift questions but i got a friend with a shop in butler haha) and was wondering if its practical for a DD. i found this locker you could turn on and off at rustys - http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RD101&Category_Code=LOC and was wondering if its really worth the investment cause im on a budget but this would be my DD and i dont think a locked XJ is legal... any thoughts?

Mykal
08-31-2009, 09:38 PM
Buy an Aussie locker and call it a day. $240 shipped and youll never notice. I daily drive mine. They are invisible.

http://www.aussielocker.com/

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 09:40 PM
for front and rear?

Mykal
08-31-2009, 09:54 PM
I would only lock the front at first. Being that your new you wont need both at once first. Youll get yourself in some trouble. Otherwise, yes. Front and rear. Locking the rear end it will only be noticeable in snowy and wet turns if your on the throttle. Drive with some sense and youll be fine.

ridgerunner97
08-31-2009, 09:59 PM
Hey Sloth, after wheelin with mykal and seein his in action its the way to go. I'm in the same situation, only i decided i'm doin the rear first, then the front. I just think it will behoove me in the situations i'm normally in to do the rear. I've talked to tons of people about the aussie and everyone loves em and say they kick ass. Mykal's does.

limegreentj
08-31-2009, 10:04 PM
im poor...id like to have a locker but cant afford it right now, and you dont really need it...if you havent wheeled much yet, wheel it open for a while and hone up your driving skill, then after a while lock it...lockers get noobs in trouble.

Sycotik Skier
08-31-2009, 10:09 PM
I'd wheel it open for awhile. It'll make you choose your lines better thus making you a better driver. I have my cj locked in the back with a lock right. it does like to hop a bit when turning but a lot of that could be the combination of tires, shorter wheelbase and the fact that my tires are all probably at different pressures. Lockers can make winter driving very exciting. sudden downshifts or even accelerating can cause the back end to switch with the front end. It's fun

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 10:09 PM
haha what kinda trouble?


and is it just me or am i realizing rustys charges out the ass?

Sycotik Skier
08-31-2009, 10:11 PM
generally with an open vehicle you'll lose traction before your tipping point. Lockers make flops easier. Lockers also let you dig yourself deeper into holes and also make it farther into hard stuff thus harder to recover. Also lockers can lead to axle breakage.

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 10:19 PM
but im not gonna go like on a medium trail and get stuck right away with an open vehicle right?

Mykal
08-31-2009, 10:19 PM
Do not order anything from Rustys, I forgot to add that.

Honestly, Id wheel it open for awhile as well. Unless you plan on traveling well out of your area there isnt much here that you will absolutely need a locker for. More often then not youll be hunting for a place to use it around your area. Save the money and invest in some armor like rock rails or skids if you already have tow points. They will help you no matter where you are or how skilled of a drive you are. If you dont have tow points, get some of those before you do anything.

limegreentj
08-31-2009, 10:20 PM
i once knew a kid with a brand new rubicon that tried to drive through a creek in the winter time (in the summer this water is about 3-4 feet deep) he said oh my lockers will pull me through (i wasnt there, some other friends were) drove into the creek and sunk it up past the roof and almost drowned.

Sycotik Skier
08-31-2009, 10:20 PM
not always. you might just be surprised. I'd spend money on a lift and tires before a locker. If you get a good off road tire it'll make up for being open

Mykal
08-31-2009, 10:21 PM
You seriously just need to take what youve got out on a run and see what it does. You need to build with a goal in mind. Right now it seems that you dont even know what you need because you dont have any experience. Unfortunately, you cant buy that.

Get out and wheel it.

Sycotik Skier
08-31-2009, 10:23 PM
that is one of my biggest pet peeves. People who automatically feel they need this this and this before they can wheel anything.

limegreentj
08-31-2009, 10:26 PM
i agree guys...no offense to you sloth....

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 10:26 PM
haha i get the car thursday. daydreaming/trying to learn a little bit

SirFuego
08-31-2009, 10:27 PM
What tires are you running, Sloth? Good tires and sway bar disconnects (if you don't already have them) make life MUCH easier on the trails. It was almost as if I had a locker when I switched from ATs to Swampers...

limegreentj
08-31-2009, 10:30 PM
first thing you are doing wrong is calling it a "car" you need pimp slapped...lol

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 10:34 PM
haha i get the xj thursday. and im not sure whats on it now but i think that might be the first thing i get for it assuming it dont need a damn done clutch

Sycotik Skier
08-31-2009, 10:34 PM
he'll figure it out soon enough. He is from seneca valley afterall

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 10:36 PM
haha whats that supposed to mean? that school are excellent.

Mykal
08-31-2009, 10:38 PM
assuming it dont need a damn done clutch



that school are excellent.


Did you or do you goto that school? I hope for ****s sake you do not teach there. :005:

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 10:40 PM
haha i graduated and saying "damn done" is some stupid thing i picked up saying recently idk from where

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 10:40 PM
dude my name is sloth. from the goonies. haha what do you want

Sycotik Skier
08-31-2009, 10:42 PM
just my $.02 but I'm all about telling people to buy two sets of tires. a nice AT or street tire for the road and TSL, LTB's or iroks for the trails on separate wheels. that way you can have your decent street handling/tire wear for dd duties and then when you go play off road you can have some serious rubber

limegreentj
08-31-2009, 10:44 PM
just my $.02 but I'm all about telling people to buy two sets of tires. a nice AT or street tire for the road and TSL, LTB's or iroks for the trails on separate wheels. that way you can have your decent street handling/tire wear for dd duties and then when you go play off road you can have some serious rubber


thats exactly what im tryna do now...that is the best bet...and your good mts last waaaay longer then

justin'sbig7
08-31-2009, 10:45 PM
the advice here is all very good. i would wheel it a bit first, maybe get a 2" bb, definitely some swaybar discos, and absolutely positively no matter what GOOD SOLID tow points front and rear. take it out on a few runs and see what you want to do from there....

as far as lockers, i have a detroit in the rear of my cj7 and an ARB in the front. i hate the detroit on the road, it throws the jeep all over the place when it locks and unlocks in turns since its torque sensitive. you may not notice the ratcheting type locker as much in an xj. but personally, unless i am going to lincoln lock something, it will get an ARB. they are well worth the money and tough as nails. i have one in the rear of my DD TJ. it drives like stock and goes great on the trail.

the best reason for holding off on lockers is that if you decide to go bigger and want to regear, it is best to do the lockers at that point as opposed to locking stock gears and then finding out that the locker wont fit the gears you decide to change to.... example, you probably have 3.55 gears, if you buy a locker for it now it may only fit 2.72 to 3.73 gears. a year down the road and you are on 35" tires and want to go to a 4.56 gear, now you need a locker to fit a 3.73 to 5.38 ratio so you have to buy a new locker.

Sycotik Skier
08-31-2009, 10:47 PM
I did that for awhile. running 31" mud kings on the road and my 35" boggers off road. Those boggers just get damn heavy taking on and off all the time. Then I realized I usually only drive my jeep when i'm going wheeling and I sold my 31's. I regret it now.

limegreentj
08-31-2009, 10:50 PM
just like you'll regret selling your jeep!!!! dont do it

justin'sbig7
08-31-2009, 10:52 PM
I did that for awhile. running 31" mud kings on the road and my 35" boggers off road. Those boggers just get damn heavy taking on and off all the time. Then I realized I usually only drive my jeep when i'm going wheeling and I sold my 31's. I regret it now.

i used to think about doing that for my cj7 cause i missed having a jeep to joyride in without burning off the iroks.... then i got the tj, now i have the cj7 for most trails and the tj for light trails and i get to drive a jeep every day.... i feel like the luckiest guy in the world :059:


sloth, whats the specs on the xj? year, engine, manual or auto 4 door or 2 door?

Sloth_Fratelli
08-31-2009, 11:13 PM
1996 4 cyl standard tranny 2 door.

Peccavi18
08-31-2009, 11:21 PM
Tow points, basic recovery gear then tires or armor would be the first things to get. Like every one has said lockers cant make up for skill run it as is till you get a feel for it then start building it.

And a second set of tires isn't a bad idea especially since yours will be smaller and easier to swap, atleast for awhile.:077:

Jeepin'Jones
09-01-2009, 09:11 AM
Tow points and armor gets my vote. I jumped in with the lift and tires first and now my once mint condition 2000 XJ has some nice dents in the rocker and door and some rock stripes on my factory gas tank(thanks to Eau Claire this spring).