TRD locker speed q

for sand and desert, once locked and a moderate take off, Pin it!

 

I had the locker in my '99, and I'd done the grey wire mod in it so that I could kick the locker in when I was in either 4-lo, 4-hi, or 2-hi. I used to lock it in in 2-hi and pull donuts and drifts in the parking lots after a good snow storm. I usually had it in either 2nd or 3rd (manual transmission) for that, and I never had any issues with the locker malfunctioning. I also changed diff fluid every year, and never found any shavings/shrapnel in the fluid.
On the other hand, snowy parking lots offer only slightly more traction than ice (which is to say, nearly zero), so strain on the locker was probably minimal. But during those parking lot drifts the speedometer frequently touched 40-50mph.

Honestly, I think the locker is less sensitive than the ring gear would be. Probably you'd be more likely to cause damage dumping the clutch going up a rock face or something like that.

What I'm trying to get at is, sudden shocks will do more damage than high speed. But, maybe don't lock it up and then drive around on paved roads all day....

 

I've driven with mine locked on the highway plenty of times, on accident mostly. You have to worry about your tires getting ate up before you snap an axle. The axles in the rear of these trucks are tough. It didn't really drive much different on dry pavement but it is quite scary on wet roads because it tries to push the front end. But the point is that you can goes as fast as you want with it locked and chances are that it won't hurt the truck at all. People have been Lincoln locking the rear of their cars and trucks for years and driving them everyday.

 

ok thanks man. im going to glamis for the TW meet

 

false. many people have run their lockers at 60+ in the desert. As long as there is enough of a lack of traction...pin it and go for it! Just dont forget to turn it off

 

sweet so it will help me through the dunes

 

speed is your friend man. Get started where its flat and keep that speed up! The locker helps but in RWD your ass end can still just dig and hop. Also depends on the sand of course too. Not sure what its like at glamis

but im sure you knew that

 

ya some other guys do fine. they said air down and keep on the skinny pedal

 

amen

 

+1

just dont lock it above 5 mph.

 

i dont think you can with the factory ecu can you? I thought there was some fail safe.

but in case you can (i can because i have a separate circuit) please dont do that lol. Just engage it while stopped. It makes bad noises when engaged while moving

 

Yea there is a fail safe. The light will blink slowly until you are under 5mph or stopped. I can only imagine the noise it makes if you engage one that doesn't have the fail safe lol.

 

know what sounds even worse? when it disengages half way and you mash on the gas coming out of a hole in 2wd. I thought i destroyed my locker gears

 

IF you can drive 60-80 mph (or even over 5 mph), you don't need the locker on. The locker is to get unstuck, or at the very least to cross through or climb up something that would normally lose traction on one of the rear tires. The 4WD Tacoma locker only works in low range, and as said above, how high are you going to rev your motor just to have both tires spin the same rate? Letting air out of your tires does a lot more good than a rear locker for traction, especially in sand! If you are 2WD, then air pressure alone (10 psi) will get you through a lot more than two spinning tires, guaranteed!

 

ok thanks for the info. its all in preporation for the TW dunes meet. i will take all advice

 

Oh Jesus, I bet that was horrible.

 

I baja through the snow with mine locked while in 4HI (grey wire mod) at speeds averaging 40 MPH regularly during winter with no problems. It is getting it locked/unlocked that it is important to be at a crawl/stopped, and yes, getting it locked/unlocked is a pain just like it was the day I bought it.

 

please dont use your locker in the winter dude

that makes your ass end shifty as hell and can cause you to wreck faster than not having it locked