Detroit locker

So I've seen a couple of threads on lockers and the general consensus is "get an ARB". I don't want to deal with air lines and extra moving parts on the trail so I'm thinking of a Detroit (not truetrac) locker. Most of the complaints I see are in regards to icy roads and zipping around corners. I live in Tucson so ice isn't a thing and I mostly drive like a church lady. Does anyone have a Detroit on their 2nd gen? I'd like your input and advice. Any problems towing? Anything I should consider before the install?

 

First, I don't have one. If you off road a lot, really a lot, then it will probably be tolerable on road. If most of your driving is on road, there's a good chance you'll regret it.

 

I currently have an ARB on mine and have had Detroits on previous vehicles.

I prefer an ARB in the rear and a Detroit in the front. Opposite of what 'most' people will tell you. The compressor, airlines, and switches are not very difficult to install. And they are considered very reliable. I've had zero issues w/ the ARB lockers, airlines, switches, and compressors. And having a reliable, fast, permanently installed compressor is much more useful for me than the locker itself.

Both are great lockers. I would still suggest the ARB for a few more $$ than the Detroit.

I ordered a complete 3rd member from ECGS and it was fairly easy and straight forward install. The only issue is the weight of the 3rd members. I just laid on my back and put the 3rd member on my chest/stomach and bench pressed it up to the axle while my wife and son pulled the axle shafts out enough to slide in the 3rd member. You can remove the shafts completely but this adds some steps to the install, mainly removing the brakes which then requires you to bleed the brakes and why I opted to install it with the shafts still connected to the backing plates/brakes. Honestly it was very easy. Mostly just turning wrenches. Not to technical.

 

That's a really clean set up. I'm liking the ARB but still am a big fan of simplicity. I'm mostly trying to figure out if the benefit of not having air hose and switches is going to outweigh the downside of decreased on-road performance. The on board compressor is something I may do either way.

 

Is your truck an auto or manual trans? If it is a manual, just get a selectable. Trust me.

Opposite of Jefe, I prefer a Detroit rear and selectable front most of the time. Everyone has their own preference. I like automatic lockers in the rear of automatics but I'm the oddball. For a lot of drivers they can be a handful. I liked the traction always being available. But I'm an agressive driver sometimes too. The Detroit will be kind of clunky on and off throttle, due to the inherent backlash of the design. Noisy and clunky. I don't usually recommend them if you haven't driven one before.
I went with arbs from and rear of my Tacoma for a couple of reasons. Smooth operation in day to day driving, and no difficulty in rain and snow (for the wife). I like being able to kick the rear around in slippery conditions, my wife not so much. I wanted an on board compressor anyway. It was a no brainer..

Without going into all of the little details and handling traits, I'm just going to say "go with an ARB" like most people will tell you. It takes a special person to like an auto locker in a rear axle IMO.

You can order factory looking switches from aironboard.com (and probably other sources). With a little effort you can interpolate the wiring diagrams and use it with the arb harness, and you can relocate factory switches to mount them next to each other. ARBs are very reliable.

Here is my switch setup.


Lit up (wrong colors on the compressor switch)

 

Where did you move the inverter switch?

 

Mine doesn't have an inverter, so I lucked out with 3 blanks on the left hand side. I only had to relocate the fog light switch. I didn't realize before, but each factory switch has different notches on the side (like a key) matching the dash. Just took a few seconds with a small hacksaw, but could be done with a knife or file or something.

 

Thanks for the info. Mine's an auto trans and bring In Tucson I never see ice rarely see snow and seldom see rain. On the road I'm a very laid back driver for the most part. All the wheelin I'll be doing is gonna be rocks, boulders and some sand all on uneven terrain. I had thought about the truetrac but everything I read said they were unreliable if one wheel is of the ground. One wheel up is a pretty common thing off road here. your ARB set up looks awesome. I've never driven with a locker so the selectable sounds appealing but I'm still skeptical about all the extras (switches, lines and compressor) being as reliable as the differential.

 

It is hard to beat the reliability of a component that does not require any electronics, however that does not mean the electronics or locker is necessarily unreliable. I've run pneumatic lockers (OEM TJ Rubicon, same style as ARB) for years and abused them on trails far worse than my Tacoma is capable of, in water cresting the hood, extreme high temps and below zero snow camping off trails in the mountains, under heavy load pulling out full size 2wd trucks that buried them selves in the sand. Never once failed. The selectable is definitely the better route IMO for a daily driver, it is there when you need it, and transparent when you don't. You can also pro-actively engage the locker prior to the obstacle being tackled vs the truck reacting once traction is lost.

 

I would not recommend a Detroit in the front, unless you run exclusively in the mud or loose sand. I tried saving money and went with a Detroit in the front if my '90 Blazer. First off road trip, regretted that decision. I was on a mountain jeep trail with loose and solid rock and was getting too much traction with the front. Even with power steering, it was very hard to steer. I could have unlocked one hub, but we can't on our Tacoma trucks. I had no complaint about having another Detroit in the rear. Worked flawlessly in the corporate 14 bolt rear end I built for the Blazer. I haven't heard anything bad about Tacoma rear ends, so hopefully the axle shafts/spines can handle the Detroit. If money is not the problem, I'd go with the ARB all the way around, but definitely in the front. IMHO.

 

I'm not yet planning on a locking front diff. I'm hoping a locker in the rear and the yellow wire mod will suffice. I would be more inclined to do a mech lsd (maybe when they get a truetrac made) in the front. If I still need a front locker after a while with the rear locked I'll weigh my options, ARB being the best looking at this point. From the research I've been doing I think a Detroit in back will fit the bill for me.

 

Sounds good. I would like either an ARB or Detroit in the rear, just a matter of the $$$$$$$.

"Yellow wire mod"? I forget, is that to affect traction control? I don't remember if I saw a write-up on it.

 

Yellow wire mod allows the limited slip to engage without the engine output being regulated in 4 lo. The $ isn't the reason for wanting to do the Detroit over ARB. I like the simplicity and don't see snow or ice and think I can deal with the inconvenience of locker all the time.

 

Thanks! Agreed on the Detroit. I saw no ill affects, way more predictable behavior than a limited slip. I'll look into the Yellow wire mod.

 

I went back and forth on the same issue. I have an 05 with 126k miles and would have been fine with the detroit I think. But, now that I have my ARB compressor/ locker I use it a ton more than I would have thought for tires etc. My thought was that with a detroit you will chew up more tires and my guess is that you will scare away people if you try to sell it. The other thought is to see how many times you get stuck with LSD now. I never did which made it a hard sell for my wife... which is why I ended up getting a used RD89.

 

Hi Austin,
I'm not sure what you mean by "chew up more tires", especially if on the rear. The Detroit works the same as any ratchet locker, in that (except under power) the outside wheel turns faster to allow differentiation. This doesn't wear or "chew up" tires any more than open in my opinion. If you are always hard on the throttle, then I can see some faster wear, due to one tire having to slip going around corners. Personally, I think the tire wear is less than you'd get from any 'slipper, since you have to wait/slip until they transfer power.

 

I was under the impression that if you accelerate say out of a parking lot onto the road the tires will be locked under the load. I understand that if no power is applied it will work as it should. With that said. I don't have one.... I was also concerned with being able to make tight switch make turns which can get dicey out here...

 

I believe you are correct. I don't have experience with one... Yet. I drive like a granny most of the time and I think, from what I've read, that I can deal with the changes in on road handling downfall if it means a bullet proof locker off road. I haven't seen anything related to a downside off road. I'll let you know how it works out. I found the part for $550 and local install for $325. I'm gonna do that as soon as I have a couple of days I could do without a ride.

 

Make sure you keep us posted. I am curious since I looked before with not much feedback.

 

Hey guys, Does anyone have the schematic for the Trac control on the 2008 and newer Taco's? I've tried the Toyota site but it didn't have the trac control schematic and I'm trying to find out what the true use is of the yellow wire mod. I mean I know what it does and why folks do it but I need to see what systems it affects. Thanks guys, Wyatt.