Locking differential

If you're only worried about driving in snow a locking diff isn't much help and could make things worse. Most newer vehicles have some form of traction control which is better in snow/ice anyway.

I drove trucks and SUV's from 1976 to 2007 and none of them had a locking diff. I managed to get where I was going pretty well. My current 2007 Tacoma and 2014 F150 are the only vehicles I've ever owned with a locking diff. I think I've actually used it 2 or 3 times. But I'd not buy a new truck/SUV without it anymore. It doesn't cost that much more and there are times where it could make a difference. But I don't think I'd spend the money to add it to a vehicle that did not come with it

I do recommend engaging both lo range and locking the rear diff regularly just like driving a little in 4X4 occasionally. From 2007 until 2016 my Tacoma was my daily driver. But after buying the F150 it became my primary vehicle and my wife drove the Tacoma for several years. About a year ago we bought her another vehicle and I kept the Tacoma as a 3rd vehicle. Over the last year I've driven it more often than the Ford.

When I first started driving it again the locking diff would not engage due to lack of use. I kept trying it several times each day for a few weeks. After about 3 weeks it started working again and still does.

 

I use it all the time. Instead of engaging 4x4 if im just slipping starting off in snow I can flip a switch and be going in a second. Same on the trail. Something that is going to twist me up slightly but I don't want to lose momentum or wait for 4x4. Flip my switches up and it's pretty much instant. Plus it make drifting in the snow unreal fun and easy. Lol

 

I went to great lengths to find a 2nd gen ACMTOR - the manual made it hard AF to find but the OR/AC/MT combo was a super PITA to locate..
but I would spend the time/do it again..

I don't /need/ a locker now BUT in the past, I have needed a locker - in mud, in the Everglades @ work - and going up the mountains in W Carolina..
While it has only been a handful of times, it was super handy to have it available and it made my life much easier -
Could I have made it without? probably but I am getting a tad old and don't wanna keep learning the hard way if I can avoid it

I would like to do more real/off roading in the future & I wanted my truck to be as capable as possible..

I also know how to use said systems, exercise them every few months, and keep an eye on things

 

I use AutoLSD in those situations, except drifting in the snow. I think AWD is best for that. Next up is 4hi. I’ve never tried it with the locker engaged in 4lo or maybe I did and forgot. 2wd is fun in higher traction situations, but can be annoying when you can’t get going. Also I like how 4wd/awd is able to power out of an overseer

I was out just last night drifting. We had 3-5” of powder yesterday.

 

Nobody wants a truck that refuses to coddle you.

 

I think that is true overall. But, we usually hear about them getting snapped up pretty quickly when available.

 

I had two 2nd Gens in that configuration, definitely not easy to find. Don't waste your time trying to find one in a 3rd Gen cause they don't offer it unless you go to Canada.

 

My opinion on lockers is, TC gives you a chance to reconsider, locker go until it breaks. Never had any issues on a variety of different types of terrain, never needed a locker, but I have adjustable TC, (crawl control)

 

Depending on the trail. You're not going far on fordyce or rubicon without atleast a rear locker. I use my locker a ton. It 1000x better than terrain control

 

I think you mean Multi-Terrain Select (aka MTS) rather than Crawl Control. Yes?

 

I think 1000x is a gross exaggeration. Do you have a truck with both?

 

Trd sport with ARB locker. I wheel with TRD offroads quite often.

 

Yep front and rear lockers make rock crawling so much more fun and enjoyable . Then add in a low range ratio of 140:1 or higher and crawling over rocks is even more fun

My old Jeep was okay for off roading but kept getting stuck on easy trails . Spent some money on improvements such as Detroit lockers front / rear , re geared the axles from 3.58 gears to 5.38's and then swapping out the stock 4spd manual trans for SM465 Granny gear 4spd . Turned the jeep into awesome rock crawler with an overall low range ratio of 140:1 low range

Low range was so low geared I could get out of the jeep on the trail and walk besides the driverless vehicle

 

You should have a good sense then that TRAC/MTS is much closer to a rear locker and it is to an open diff. I have both on my OR and am an experimental type.

One experiment that comes to mind is on a short piece of trail at an off-road park I go to several times a year that is designed to flex the rig and cause tires to leave the ground. I have gone through with with ATRAC and ATRAC+locker. With ATRAC only, the truck pauses briefly each time a wheel leaves the ground, ATRAC sounds off, and the truck moves forward. With the locker, it just drives through for the most part; not perfectly though. I still get some wheel spin in the front.


I have not tried open diffs, but I suspect I might get stuck. I also haven’t tried with rear locker only, but I suspect that might be worse than ATRAC only because a majority of traction comes from the front axle. (Note to self: try that next time).

 

Tacoma off roading pre 09 didn't have ATRAC and you were lucky to have TRAC on early 2nd gens from what I've been reading. People relied on their abilities and the rear locker to get them out of a bad spot.

 

Yea, I know . . . . when I was searching and realized it didn't exist in the US, I was kinda pissed off b/c it is the coolest of all configs

 

I don’t know about the front locker but he did use the adjustable suspension to lower and raise the body for more clearance in the deep snow. He got himself in trouble and ended off the trail so ended up getting yanked out. I’ll be honest he did really well and put that truck in some pretty intense situation and got out of the worst bits and at end went in the woods off trail a bit where he couldn’t move. I went slow and steady and not saying he wouldn’t have made it but like I said his ego got the best of him and tried to prove he was the man

 

I have always liked the idea of adjustable suspension, but I have seen plenty of them that have failed. Electronic dampers are a big thing on bikes these days. Knowing the costs, seeing pigtails coming out of forks / shocks gives me shivers to think about the nightmare that would be to own.


Ego issues seems to go hand in hand with the Ram / Stellantis crowd.

 

MTS, Crwl control, I’ve heard it called both
Gone through mild rock gardens, mud, felled tree areas, slopes, culverts, sand, snow, and some walls, truck went right through without need of a locker. Had so many friends snap axles and grind diff’s on lockers. For me, not knowing when I’ve reached the limit of my truck (lockers will get you into anything, but may not get you out)is important when I’m out in the woods. Not saying lockers are bad, just saying I’d rather know when I’m out of my depth before something breaks.

 

Crawl Control and Multi-Terrain Select are often confused. Multi-Terrain Select, like ATRAC, uses the ABS brake system to sort of simulate a locking differential. Crawl Control builds on top of Multi-Terrain Select by adding a sort of off-road cruise control so that the driver doesn't need to control the throttle and brakes while navigating obstacles.