Air locker Versus electronic locker which is the best way to go?

I am going to install differential locker in my 2016 Tacoma Trd sport RWD any suggestions?

 

depends entirely on your goals.

air lockers are generally cheaper and more prevalent, and if you're using it for trail purposes, it's not unheard of to need a compressor for airing up/down, so adding the compressor and a small storage tank is inconsequential to the overall goal to be more self-reliant out in the woods.

electronic lockers seem to be more expensive up front, but only need a switch in the dash to work. but the options for brands seem a little more limited.


but don't worry, if i'm wrong about any of this, someone will be by promptly to correct me.

 

An E-locker need some movement of the axle for the cams in it to engage and fully lock. This could be a problem depending on the situation you are in.

This video has a great explanation with cutaway center sections
https://youtu.be/x40WGUtdaLI?si=ge1YCQLvswai4aHE

 

I am pretty sure both air and e lockers need to the differential to 'clock' in order to engage. I am not sure how many points of engagement there are in a full 360 rotation for either type, but I cannot imagine they are vastly different, given they use the same diff. So for me e-lockers are about the same as air lockers in that respect.

On the other hand air lockers require a long run of air line with lots of air fittings in between, any one of which could fail. That is a lot of potential points of failure just to be able to air up from the one compressor.
And of course it needs an electrical supply as well. Also one of the well known brands has had a decades-long string of seal failures.

E-lockers cost slightly more up front. But not after buying that fancy compressor.
I'd rather my small 12v Viair 90 for airing up than risk getting an air leak on a dual-use system.

 

A good locker is good. A bad locker is bad

Here is my opinion on them

ARB air locker
Harroop (Eaton) elocker
Tacoma stock elocker





way down here is everything else, Chinese elocker, etc

Auto lockers are not bad either, but not truly selectable

 

If it does the air locker needs far less rotation. The video didn't mention needing any. The internet generally refers to air lockers as instant. An elocker also needs rotation to reset when going to reverse, air does not. The video describes this almost completely, I'm sure someone can find something they missed.

Why not just go with a manual if you don't want points of failure?

 

What about a manual(cable) selectable locker?

 

Manual ones can (and do) fail too.
Any & all lockers that require an external driver input to lock can potentially fail, it's really 6-&-one-half-dozen of the other.

Care during installation is the primary determinant of how reliable any locker will be. Most problems can be traced back to installation errors (poor routing of control lines/wires/cables, nicked seals, etc.). The ARB does have the external compressor that it relies on, but I have not seen many failures of ARB compressors (especially of the single, rather than the twin units). A failed compressor will not prevent you from driving your vehicle anyway (you just wouldn't be able to switch the locker from open diff to locked is all).

I've had ARBs installed in my rigs for over 25 years and 140K miles collectively (my Taco being the most-recent, 5 years ago). None have ever had an air-engagement issue.

As for which is better (E-locker vs. ARB)... If we're talking about aftermarket E-lockers, then like was said, many don't stay solidly engaged when you're changing directions from forward to reverse and back again (unlocking, then relocking again). This isn't something you'd want if rock crawling or for other activity with a lot of back & forth (such as rocking the vehicle forward & back trying to get it unstuck).

The OEM Toyota locker I suspect engages more like the ARB does (haven't actually looked at one yet though). Instead of air pressure, an electromagnet pushes against the clutch gear inside the locker, and at most all that is needed for it to engage is slight movement for the teeth to line up, then it clicks in--- Locked (and stays locked).

 

Unless you're modifying the truck for drifting, I would suggest trading for a 4x4... Rear locker on a 2WD doesn't offer enough benefits over the brake-based Auto LSD that you activate by pressing the VSC button.

If you're dead set on adding a locker, YouTuber experience says air locker is less reliable, with high likelihood of leaks at the diaphragm seals inside the diff. You'd notice the pump running all the time and air rushing out of the diff breather.

In high-torque applications (Hellcat swapped Jeeps on 40"s) the Eaton e-locker is known to skip teeth, but that is far beyond what a Tacoma could do.

Getting the push-pull cable routed from the cab to the diff through the full range of axle articulation is tricky.

 

Trickier than routing an air hose or wires so they don't kink or rip off?

 

I hadn’t considered the potential difficulty of ‘rocking’ with axle(s) locked.

I have freed myself in snow before by rocking. Because I had the clutch in on the back roll, I am not sure how being locked would have affected it. (OTOH I would have likely just driven out drama-free with even just a rear locker, lol!)

I started life on open diffs but just corrected that. I went with Eatons over ARB so I will FAFO and report back.

 

Very much so. air lines have hard angled fittings and wires have very short minimum bend radii

 

I guess I didn't want more leak points so I have a single air line run front to back with a big sweeping arch to the axle, same route I'd route a cable. Some people overthink things and make it harder.

 

Yes. If the push pull cable length changes, the locker can inadvertently engage or disengage during articulation. It would be a good fit for the front diff, though I'm not sure if they offer a cable locker for the 8" clamshell.