Thoughts on Detroit Tru Trac?

Mikester86 said:
We are using it as a warm weather toy, stored winters. But of course the possibility is always there for it to see some snow. How does the rear locker behave on the pavement?

With all that being said, and the light duty trail riding it may see, probably better served with the TruTrac LSD. Most likely one on the rear will suffice my needs. What are your thoughts?
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A Detroit Locker is the best behaved automatic locker available in my personal opinion. So long as you are not accelerating or decelerating through turns, i.e. keeping a neutral throttle, it unlocks so easily during turns that you won't even notice its presence. Accelerate hard or decelerate hard through a turn and it will have a hard time unlocking for the turn so it would chirp tires in that situation. After a couple days of driving with my Detroit it had "trained" me so well that I barely noticed its presence.

But if you're only doing very easy flat trails a Detroit Truetrac would be fine. I replaced my front & rear Truetrac LSDs with lockers because the trails I enjoy are too uneven (they lift tires up off the ground) for them to help.
 
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The biggest down side to the TrueTrac is they only come in a 27 spline version for the Dana 35 in our TJ's. I guess Eaton made a 30 spline version at one time, but I've never seen one or talked to anyone who had one.

@Jerry Bransford is correct in that they don't work nearly as well as a locker for the conditions he wheels in. Work just fine 95% of the time around here though. Lots of uneven, not a lot of boulders. I'm probably over estimating their utility, from my experience. Jerry may be underestimating their utility from his. Like everything else, ya pays your money and takes your chances. Not picking a fight, just sharing my viewpoint.

(Edited to fix omission)
 
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StG58 said:
. I'm probably over estimating their utility, from my experience. Jerry may be underestimating their utility from his.
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Not likely since it cost me big $$$ to convert from the Truetracs to lockers. What finally convinced me the Truetracs weren't working for me was after multiple people kept informing me I had a single front or rear tire in the air spinning like crazy while I was trying to get over obstacles/up steep trails when I had f/r Truetracs yet I was stuck and going nowhere. All that stopped once both Truetracs were replaced with true lockers. :)
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Not likely since it cost me big $$$ to convert from the Truetracs to lockers. What finally convinced me the Truetracs weren't working for me was after multiple people kept informing me I had a single front or rear tire in the air spinning like crazy while I was trying to get over obstacles/up steep trails when I had f/r Truetracs yet I was stuck and going nowhere. All that stopped once both Truetracs were replaced with true lockers. :)
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Oh, I totally get that Jerry. Trutracs are not a viable substitute for lockers, and that's been my decision point problem for awhile now. We wheel in different terrains though. It's far from easy and flat around here. It's steep. It's snotty slick. It's very tight. You end up with a wheel in the air four or five times a road trip, and twisted up a lot more than that. It's also snow and ice country. To be fair, the one TJ that I've wheeled with that had front and rear TrueTracs didn't have any more issues and went everywhere the rigs with lockers did. Without drama. He was a skilled driver though.

My position is that f/r TrueTracs have a place in the wheeling universe. And that place is beyond easy flat trails, but short of the very technical trails. Just like there's people on 35's that would be better off on 32's or 33's, there's people with lockers that would be better served with TrueTracs.

Does that make sense or am I FOS again?
 
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StG58 said:
Does that make sense or am I FOS again?
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I've never thought you were FOS, I just said I wasn't underestimating the utility of the Truetracs where I was concerned on the type of trails I enjoy. I do believe some overestimate how effective Truetracs are on very difficult trails. I had f/r Truetracs and found them to be too ineffective on my type of trails to keep them installed. Truetracs aren't viable on the type of trails my groups enjoy wheeling on. :)
 
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Thank you Jerry. I used to run trails in northern MI with a Chevy S-10 4x4 with a LSD in the rear. It was helpful and for what I do, good enough. I am leaning towards a Truetrac LSD in the rear, and might get a little more adventurous having a more capable vehicle now. Still, nothing close to what you run.
 
MellowYellow said:
Disconnects are planned, airing down is easy, still learning how to choose lines. My front lunchbox concern was for snow/ice covered roads. They are a non-issue when in 2wd. Tru Trac both ends looks like where I'm headed as soon as I sell my motersickle. Thanks for the input.
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I wouldn't hesitate running front and rear Truetracs if I thought I would need 4wd in snow/ice conditions. I chose the front lunchbox locker because I liked the idea of a full locker option if needed, snow/ice are rarely seen in these parts, and I was able to install the lunchbox myself in the existing carrier.
 
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StG58 said:
The biggest down side to the TrueTrac is they only come in a 27 spline version for our TJ's. I guess Eaton made a 30 spline version at one time, but I've never seen one or talked to anyone who had one.

@Jerry Bransford is correct in that they don't work nearly as well as a locker for the conditions he wheels in. Work just fine 95% of the time around here though. Lots of uneven, not a lot of boulders. I'm probably over estimating their utility, from my experience. Jerry may be underestimating their utility from his. Like everything else, ya pays your money and takes your chances. Not picking a fight, just sharing my viewpoint.
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For Dana44: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GC90A2/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
I've never thought you were FOS, I just said I wasn't underestimating the utility of the Truetracs where I was concerned on the type of trails I enjoy. I do believe some overestimate how effective Truetracs are on very difficult trails. I had f/r Truetracs and found them to be too ineffective on my type of trails to keep them installed. Truetracs aren't viable on the type of trails my groups enjoy wheeling on. :)
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Lol, right!? My poor little SE probably wouldn't go 200 yards where you wheel...
 
StG58 said:
Dana 44, yes...Dana 35, no.

Thanks for catching that. I meant to say the Dana 35's in our TJ's.
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They are available for the Dana44 and Dana30. I have not looked for the 35, as I do not have one.
 
Bob in Texas said:
I’m running tru-tracs both front dana30 and rear dana44 with 4.88 on 33 km2 on my 04 LJ. I’m really impressed with the way they are performing and very happy with this combination for now. Who knows what will happen in the future when you have the TJ/LJ virus.
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Oh ya, the TJ virus ("TJMS" - Terminal Jeep Modification Syndrome) - it's the worsto_O

Left unchecked, this is what ensues (photo below):

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abart said:
I have had TT front and rear for around 8 or 10 years now. Dana 30/35, 33" BFG Muds, 4-inch lift, disconnects and a Dana 35 c-clip eliminator. I have been to Moab, Colorado and locally (Iowa) on old reclaimed mine land and never had a single regret about going this route. My Jeep has decent articulation and the occasions I lift a tire I can keep going the vast majority of the time. On snow they are awesome as well. I have been impressed with the TT and have no plans on going after lockers.

View attachment 71486
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Nice fender-stuff photo :)

@JMT maintains an affinity for the same - in his red TJ :)
 
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So many choices. TT is a compromise, great for a Mustang, less so off road in a Jeep. The Wrangler is the most capable off roader today. Toyota and Suzuki had a few comparable but the TJ is the best, no compromise choice. And Selectable Lockers, air or electric, are the no compromise TJ choice.

A Wrangler can and will put you in a spot you will regret any other choice. Likely the cost of rescue will be more than the cost difference to install selectable lockers.
 
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Mikester86 said:
What are your thoughts?
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I don't do anything abusive to my TJ. I like the TJR Lockers because they let me tread lightly. Up a skinny gravel trail from the beach, every 4x4 digs ruts and pot holes as they scratch for traction. True Selectable Lockers let you crawl up that 2 track with zero drama or wheel spin. EVERYONE looks like, "How did you do that ?"
 
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