What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

255s?

 

Yessir

Maybe, depends on how long these STMaxx last me and what $$ looks like come time for new tires

 

My tall skinny’s were 500+Utah tax

 

Okay I know theres tons info out there which is better but it's back and forth. I also know this isnt really the place to ask, but people with aftermarket lockers past or present which do you prefer and why. A electric locker or a air locker? I plan on installing a compressor for onboard air so that additional cost doesnt bother me.

 

I put Monroe complete struts on my truck today. Did the rear shocks last week. With the worn out suspension replaced I’m sitting about 1/2 inch higher. Anyone considering doing the replacement for stock ride height equipment, be confident it’s a pretty straightforward job.

 

I prefer the elocker. You can either get the Toyota one or go for one of the aftermarket elockers. Harrop is supposed to be very good.

 

Which electric locker we talking?

The 8.4 diff is stronger than the Toyota diff due to design. Adding an arb to it makes it even stronger.

Air lockers can leak air though. And lines can break.

Top of the line is the electric Harrop locker for the 8.4. few nice features that make it better than the arb. If I could do it again I'd do dual harrops. However they cost an arm and a leg.

Can't go wrong with either though really .


The Toyota elocker isn't always instant on, the actuator can die from mother nature induced problems. But they are not bad. If you don't have one with the truck from factory I wouldn't pay over 300 for a elocker axle. Might as well get one of the other options with the strong 8.4 diff.

Which is worth mentioning, you can not swap a factory elocker into a non locker axle. Not without major modifications to the axle.

There's a nice summary for you

 

I swapped in a tundra axle and had to lose out on the elocker found a

$1,110 arb rd129 air locking differential

arb rd129 for 500 bucks and already plan on adding onboard air

I have the 8.4 I swapped a tundra axle into my truck hardly ever used the elocker that came stock in my truck but like having it just incase its needed found a arb for 500 just not sure if I should do it. A friend is trying to get me to buy a truetrac as that's what he runs and loves it.

 

Love my pro's so far! 900 mounted and balanced! Not bad

 

I got mine for 450. Well worth it.

I'd do the arb. Selectable is great

 

Got some tube doors for the taco

 

Did you do the install yourself? I'm mechanically inclined but not sure I'd be able to do this even tho it looks simple.

 

The Detroit TrueTrac is a mechanical limited slip not a locker, a locker is much better offroad if that's what you want it for.

Detroit does make a lunchbox locker too but selectable lockers are far better than auto lockers imo

 

My friend is supposed to pick up the arb for me tonight but he falls threw with alot of things so hopefully he doesnt with this. If he does and the guy doesnt sale it I pick it up Saturday. Said fuck it for new and half price I can resale it if i dont like or use it. But I'm already trying to find a shop to install it. Going to call my transmission shop in the am and see what they say for the install

 

Yeah I did.

You can probably do your own rear diff. The front I would NOT recommend doing yourself.

It's a bit of a pain to do the rear on the 8.4 as the master kits come with worthless "shims" to help place the ring gear. So really the only way to do it, is to put it back to stock and the check the wear. It'll be off. Then you have to guess how much further you'd want to move it and order what Toyota calls "washer plates" which are the actual shims. Not very cheap either. I order what I thought would be perfect then also got a set the next size up and down. You order 6 total plates as you need them both to offset the ring gear so if you need it to move left you get a smaller one on one side and larger on the other.

Doing this means the truck is down for longer than you'd like as you have no idea what the plates are you need until you take it a part and measure. So its a pain.

Also Toyota diffs are super picky about how they are set so if you fuck up a little bit..in 5-20k...boom

 

You'll feel that weight right away and likely take an MPG hit.

Not sure what your previous wheel/tire combo were and how it compares, but I went from 33x10.5-15s on steelies to 285/75-16s on SCS wheels. Both are very similar in diameter but the Pro's with the Ray10s outweigh the BFG KM2s on D Windowed steelies by 11 lbs apiece. Makes a huge difference on pavement. I lost 2-3 MPGs depending on how much city stop and go there is.

 

Only got one side done tonight, still hear a creaking popping ish noise hopefully after I do the next side it clears it up.

 

Can you tell which side it's coming from? Mine was pretty easy to tell since one was making a lot more noise than the other. Hopefully you'll get rid of it when you do the other side but it might end up being your UCAs making the noise especially if you only hear it on turns. My spherical bearings were mostly noisy going straight especially during stop and go.

 

I'm pretty sure my arb is beginning to leak air again for the 2nd time in the 4 years it's been installed. If I had the cash to ditch it and go with Harrop I would.

 

In the Harrop thread on here I've been reading that people have been having issues with the Harrop lockers disengaging when the truck rolls backward, does that happen with the ARBs? I've never had that happen with my TRD elocker, seems like something that would become really annoying.