TORQ\Aussie\LunchBox Locker in Front?

5 months ago I had 5.29 gears installed but didn't have an air (ARB) or electric (Eaton E-locker) installed in the front diff; since I was already spending $3100 an additional $1100-$1200 just didn't feel right. I have kind of regretted it since then and now it would cost me an additional $800 - $110 for someone to install one and re-set the gears (setting up the gears is the only thing I don't want/know how to do).
Now there is a TORQ locker available for 8" front IFS clamshell I am seriously considering it. I ran a lunch-box locker in the rear of a Wrangler I had years ago, but have never had one in the front. How bad are these in the front? I think the clamshell front diff COMPLETELY disconnects when in 2WD, if true you would not notice it al all in 2WD. Living in CO I will deal with snow, sometimes deep do these ratchet enough to not be terrible when in 4WD on the road in snow?

 

I would not put an auto locker in the front of anything that is not 100% a trail rig.

That said you'll be hard pressed to find a trail where you need a front locker, if you need a front locker you likely need 37s and prepare for body damage.

 

For street driving in the snow/ice conditions here in Colorado, that front locker will be a quick way to cause an accident.

 

Hmm, I will have to think about this, it seems the locked front (outside wheel would be able to ratchet) would pull the truck into a turn. But I guess you are going to bind the the entire driveline and cause a push (understeer).

 

An front auto locker only on 100% trail rig - but with the ratcheting it seem the bulk if the issues are taken care of, the driveline as a whole will bind when turning, but I am interested in why you said this, what is your reasoning?

I don't completely disagree that generally a front locker is only needed on hard trails that likely or could have large obstacles/rock boulders, however (1) there a lot of steep trails without large rocks/obstacles where being fully locked would give you best traction available and (2) if you going to lift a tire it is most likely going to be a front tire therefore a front locker might be better/more useful than a rear. Thought?

 

Its not that the driveline binds while turning it's that it binds under torque, they basically act as a spool when power is applied which makes them somewhat unpredictable on non-trail use as they will lock and unlock sometimes in the wrong moments. Wheel chirp and scrubbing is common for autolockers forcing tires to break traction so in winter conditions in 4wd you are forcing tires to break traction by simply turning. Even on trails in snow or ice it's often recommended to turn lockers off as it will pull or push into places you have no desire to go.

A front locker is great for traction, no argument there but I haven't found a trail in Moab or Colorado that I couldnt do with just a rear locker that wasn't a dedicated buggy trail or wouldn't require lots of body damage.

If you want to put something up front, I recommend a selectable.

 

Thanks - that was helpful. I really didn't notice the lock/unlock or barking tires with the one I had in the rear of the Jeep I had, but I have seen reviews stating this. It is probably is overkill for the trails I will find myself on anyway.
I doubt I will have someone re-open the clamshell to put a locker in unless I get very serious about off-roading.
- Hope to see you on the trails sometime

 

I have front and rear grizzly’s on my Jeep so I get it

 

After I put a locker in the rear of my previous Tacoma, I never used 4x4 on pavement again. The rear locker (and decent tires) did all the work I ever needed in snow and ice on the street.

Since you already have a locker in the rear, just use that in the snow and skip 4wd. That allows you to run an autolocker in the front.

Or if you want to run 4x4 on pavement in the snow with a front autolocker, just drive slowly (which you should be doing anyway in conditions that require 4x4) and don’t use your rear locker.

The real PITA comes from locking both diffs at once on the pavement. Just lock one or the other and drive slow and you’ll be fine. A lot of Ultra4 rigs are spooled in front with selectable in rear.

 

Hi TomHGZ,
Can you explain the rear locker? I have a 2019TRD 4x4. How is that engaged? You mention using that in snow and skipping the 4wd.
H.

 

I was simply suggesting to forego 4x4 on pavement as a way to accommodate installing a front autolocker for offroad use. I found my rear locker (and good tires) to be sufficient for gaining traction on pavement without using 4x4.

Are you TRD Offroad or Sport? If you have a Sport, you can install a locker in rear that can be engaged in 2wd.

The Offroad comes with a rear locker from Toyota and you can install a wiring harness that allows for rear locker use in 2wd. It’s called the “freedom locker” from experimental Inc.

 

TRD Offroad. Thanks for replying.

 

Just circling back here to say I had the opportunity this week to drive my GF’s TRD Off Road 4runner with ATRAC and crawl control in the rocks and mud, and was really impressed by how those systems worked for the front in conjunction with the rear locker.

If I had a TRD OR I would not bother with a front locker, specifically because of of how well those systems work. IMO, the TRD OR drivetrain is optimized and complete just like it is from the factory.

That said, I have a 2nd gen TRD Sport without ATRAC. I have a selectable rear locker, and I plan on installing a front locker to stay somewhat competitive with the OR trims. I’m opting for the TORQ autolocker after good experiences with having an autolocking single axle in the past.

 

I got the Torq locker installed on my truck on Monday. My first impressions are highly positive:

in 2WD, it is absolutely invisible. It makes no sound, and it does not affect steering. I have logged both city and highway miles and looked for any pull on the steering, or any affect at all, and there is absolutely none.

In 4x4, the truck’s turning radius is not noticeably affected from regular 4x4. You point the front tires where you want to go, and go.

The locker is throttle activated; if you give it gas, it locks. The turning radius with the front locked (i.e. stepping on the gas in a turn) is tighter than the turning radius with the rear locked (unless you hammer the gas enough you break traction on front or rear, causing either understeer or oversteer.)

To be honest, I delayed installing a front autolocker for years because of all the doomsayers on Tacomaworld — none of whom had actually run an autolocker in their Tacoma. My current findings with the Torq locker are that much of that doom is overstated and in some cases outright false.

To be sure, I plan to try to find some snow this weekend in the Cascades, to fully exploit the strengths and weaknesses of the Torq locker; will report back here.

(Of note: You need a 4-cylinder carrier in the front differential housing to install this. That costs another $375. I already happened to be running the correct carrier from a gear swap I did a few years back, so this upgrade cost me less than $1K total — the cost of the locker, the gear oil, the axle seals, and labor for install, which, if you have a garage and tools (I don’t have a garage), you can do yourself.)

 

https://experimentalinc.com/product...kcJgkznzWmRQ3Trv4tHpFqEvVjPGVnbhK6UGmvV5dhwm-

 

I’ve taken the Torq locker out in snow a couple times now (ranging from packed icy stuff to powder that was so deep I had to climb out my window when I got stuck because I couldn’t open my doors), and I only have positive things to say about the locker.

It’s completely invisible in 2WD, and well mannered and predictable in 4x4 offroad. It modulates easily between locked and unlocked according to how much throttle you give it.

It may make the steering a touch heavier, but doesn’t affect turning radius that I can tell (as long as you unlock the rear for tight turns).

With just the rear locker locked, when you try to turn, the rear axle fights you and want to push you straight. With just the torq locker active, you point the front wheels in the direction you want to go, and it goes there.

If anything, playing with the torq locker has made me dislike my rear locker at times, as when the rear is locked and I’m driving in reverse in slippery stuff, the rear of the truck wants to slide sideways. (This where I think having ATRAC as an option for the rear would be perfect, but my truck doesn’t have it.)

So, I’m guessing that when driving in reverse with the rear locked, it’s possible the torq locker is now giving the front enough traction that I am able to “wag” the rear of the truck through my steering. If that is the case, it’s going to take some time to get the hang of reversing in slippery stuff, and that would be my only possible critique of the torq locker.

Bottom line: I’m really happy with my decision to install it, and it makes the truck much more capable offroad, without being unpredictable or causing understeer if you aren’t smashing the throttle too hard for conditions.

 

Update #3:

I ended up grenading my rear differential while offroading in Canada this past fall — completely unrelated to the front locker. However, I had to drive home to Seattle from rural British Columbia in front wheel drive (that is, 4x4 with the rear driveshaft and ring and pinion removed). With the front autolocker at highway speeds, this was a two-handed, white knuckled drive.

The front locker is not well suited to driving in 4x4 above, say, 30mph on pavement. It causes sudden and sometimes hard to anticipate steering changes as it modulates between locked and unlocked, especially without power pushing forward from the rear wheels to dampen the effect. This would usually not be much of an issue, because there is really no reason in normal circumstances to drive in 4x4 at that speed on pavement with shift-on-the-fly 4x4 available. But in this circumstance, when all I had for power was the front wheels, shifting to 2x4 was not an option. It’s just something to be aware of.

I have since repaired my rear end and driven off road (and in the snow) many more times. The front locker is a huge advantage for traction, and I have gotten used to driving in reverse in the snow too. It does require one to be a little more deliberate.

Also, while the front locker does not noticeably reduce the turning radius like a rear locker does, it does make the steering heavier, and driving with two hands is more comfortable in some situations. This might be something to consider for manual transmissions.

Finally, I changed the front differential oil for the first time since install. This was for the break-in period of new front gears, so I anticipated finding more metal on the drain plug magnet than one might find for subsequent oil changes (especially since I used Yukon gears). This was indeed the case. But I also found a tiny piece of metal that might have been from one of the small springs in the autolocker. The autolocker has performed smoothly and as expected this whole time, but finding what might be a piece of spring might point to a given life expectancy for the locker, as can be true for any autolocker.

In all, I still view it as a cost effective way to gain lots of traction and capability when compared to the price of a selectable locker, but there are some tradeoffs. (And I have run a rear autolocker before with similar positive impressions, although I’m not sure I’d want to run both front and rear autolockers on a vehicle. My current rear locker is selectable.) I’ll update in another 50k miles when I change the differential fluid again.

 

Hey im also a trd sport owner thinking about installing a torq locker upfront and wanted to know what was needed to buy besides the locker and gear oil of course. Also if you have the part number for the 4cyl carrier.

 

You’ll probably want to replace the axle seals on each side. It might not be necessary but it’s best practice, and you’ll at least want to have some new ones on hand in case it’s needed.

I believe this is the part number for the carrier. I bought mine used from another member on Tacomaworld, so don’t quote me on it.

41301-71040