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Old Aug 17, 2011 | 03:28 PM
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Got a question in regards to rear ends. I've read a few post on spool vs locker and there pros and cons. Some peoplehave differnt opions which is cool but what got my attention was the popping at lowspeed turn of a locker. anybody have a video of this?
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Old Aug 17, 2011 | 08:26 PM
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No video, but it is loud,loud,loud at low speeds,,The first carrier I put in my 9" was a detroit locker,, Absolutely one of the worst mods I ever did. I drove it for a week and sold it on ebay. I swapped to a spool. Taking slow turns with the spool is hard on the driveline, So good axles are a must, you can hear the tires squeel sometimes, (with the locker people would stop and look) you can get away with it easier by running a hard tire with a taller sidewall, this allows the tire to scuff and slide, and you will wear tires out faster. If driving the car at speed you never know the spool is there. My biggest complaint with the locker wasnt even the loud clicking, it was all the backlash that was in it, I thought mine was defective, but after talking with techs, thats how they are, compound that with the backlash in the driveline, and it sucks. What would happen is when I would accelerate real hard and let off, the car would float around back there, and it is not a good feeling. My car was a 6-speed at the time, I have changed over to auto, and the spool is the only way to go, but I am close to 500 rwhp and spray the car at the track. My only real complaint with the spool is when the roads are wet,, all bets are off, it will get out from under you in a hurry. I hope this helps you out, this was just my personal experience.
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Old Aug 17, 2011 | 09:58 PM
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See my reply #2 at this link

https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-...guys-come.html

good luck ,Johnny
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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 12:16 AM
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Originally Posted by RARON455
No video, but it is loud,loud,loud at low speeds,,The first carrier I put in my 9" was a detroit locker,, Absolutely one of the worst mods I ever did. I drove it for a week and sold it on ebay. I swapped to a spool. Taking slow turns with the spool is hard on the driveline, So good axles are a must, you can hear the tires squeel sometimes, (with the locker people would stop and look) you can get away with it easier by running a hard tire with a taller sidewall, this allows the tire to scuff and slide, and you will wear tires out faster. If driving the car at speed you never know the spool is there. My biggest complaint with the locker wasnt even the loud clicking, it was all the backlash that was in it, I thought mine was defective, but after talking with techs, thats how they are, compound that with the backlash in the driveline, and it sucks. What would happen is when I would accelerate real hard and let off, the car would float around back there, and it is not a good feeling. My car was a 6-speed at the time, I have changed over to auto, and the spool is the only way to go, but I am close to 500 rwhp and spray the car at the track. My only real complaint with the spool is when the roads are wet,, all bets are off, it will get out from under you in a hurry. I hope this helps you out, this was just my personal experience.
thanks my amigo, so why did you go with the D.Locker anyways(just curious)? A guy I know has one with a pretty soild setup and he tells me he likes it a bunch. I might ask him for a ride when I get the chance. As far as what you say about it backlashing I've read a lot of people say that. Thats sort of a concern but other say you get used to it. So because i'm in washington the weather is pretty wet a majorty of the time and I'm seeing the spool may not be an option. (sidenote) I got an auto myself and I just now have come aware of rearends and how long they might last with certain power output (straight newb right). If you come across a video of a detroit Lkr. shoot my way when you get a chance....thanks man
Originally Posted by SS SLP2
See my reply #2 at this link

https://ls1tech.com/forums/gears-...guys-come.html

good luck ,Johnny
The link didn't work for me....don't know if its my computer or what.
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Old Aug 22, 2011 | 01:02 AM
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It depends on what you use the car for. You don't want to have a DD with a spool. Strip only car, it's the only way.

Al 95 Z28, TH400, S60 w/spool
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Old Aug 24, 2011 | 09:33 AM
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@Big Al I'm on the fence with that decision among others...I'm leaning towards a DD but I'd like to see the strip a few times. I can't believe no has a video of D.locker or spool in a parking lot...
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Old Aug 25, 2011 | 09:43 PM
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I've seen a video of a guy with a locker in a parking garage, but the title was weird and I can't find it.

My opinion, your mileage may vary...

Spools are really for drag only / non daily type cars.

Lockers are more forgiving and can be driven more often than the spool without issue but they do have their quirks. The looseness and popping is like gear whine, some are worse than others and I have no idea why.

I prefer the gear driven rears like a tru-track or wave track. Smooth and pretty much invisible when you need to turn but locked solid when you want to get raunchy.

I think of it like this: how much comfort vs. how much performance are you looking for?

Last edited by gofastwclass; Aug 25, 2011 at 09:57 PM.
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Old Aug 26, 2011 | 01:28 AM
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I have a car that is not a DD, but it does see the street, it has a 9" with a spool and Moser axles. It's the 73 Nova. You can see a picture in my garage. It has Mickey Thompson 33X14.50-15 slicks on it. Make a sharp turn and it really tries to plow, makes all kinds of good noise in parking lots and so on. But so far (About 20 years) it hasn't broke anything.

The 62 has a 9", about the same size tires and a Detroit Locker. It also sees the street. Much better to drive rear end wise. But it's less predictable than the spool. The spool has no surprises, it's always a spool. The Locker is a different story. It lulls you into thinking it's a limited slip then sneaks up and bites you in the ***. If you ever get on a car with ***** and a locker going around a corner, you're in for a BIG surprise. The noise thing is a non issue. It clunks and ticks, so what? With a solid roller cam and 3" Magnaflows who would know?

Al 95 Z28 w/spool.
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Old Aug 28, 2011 | 09:09 PM
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This info is good info guys...but I'm pretty sure my ride is gonna be a DD and because it rains up here a lot I'm guessing a spool is out of the question. I would like performance over comfort but because its the DD I'm thinking comfort...I've looked into the wavetrack Moser but that seems like a grip of money..
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 01:23 AM
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For a read DD get a regular limited slip unit. There are lots of them around, just pick the flavor you like. Stay away from a Locker or a Spool. One word of caution, if you end up with a 9" Ford axle the factory LS units are all pure crap. Factory 12 bolts and 8.8 Ford's LS units are good. Stay FAR away from the GM's Eaton built Gov-Lock. It works well in some situations but not in any HP vehicle.

Al 95 Z28
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 06:04 AM
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Originally Posted by oxblood!z28
Got a question in regards to rear ends. I've read a few post on spool vs locker and there pros and cons. Some peoplehave differnt opions which is cool but what got my attention was the popping at lowspeed turn of a locker. anybody have a video of this?
Since your car is mostly street driven, and you're in a wet climate, I would eliminate the spool and the locker from your available choices.
How much horsepower is your car producing, or how much hp do you think you'll put into it in the future? I use to sell a lot of Moser rears with the Truetrac, but back in '05 or '06 the parent company of Truetrac was sold, and soon after that a lot of my customers started breaking their Truetracs. I don't know what was changed in them, but they aren't the reliable differential they once were. Since then I have sold a lot of rears with the Trac-Loc, and I can't recall anyone ever having a problem with one. I recommend the Trac-Loc for up to 500 rwhp, I have some customers running closer to 600 rwhp with the Trac-Loc and I haven't heard of any problems. The only problem is if your car has ABS and no traction control (3 channel) then you cannot go with the Trac-Loc as there is not enough room in the center section to add the ABS reluctor ring. Below are links to my shipped prices of the Trac-Loc or Truetrac, and the Wavetrac rears. Hopefully this helps. Bob

http://shop.brutespeed.com/Moser-9-I...c-Truetrac.htm

http://shop.brutespeed.com/Moser-9-I...h-Wavetrac.htm
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by oxblood!z28
Got a question in regards to rear ends. I've read a few post on spool vs locker and there pros and cons. Some people have different opines which is cool but what got my attention was the popping at low speed turn of a locker. anybody have a video of this?
The guys that welds up all the housing and suspension parts in our shop said he would never run a locker again and put a spool in his car this year. We use his car for testing because he street drives it a ton on 17" wheels.

A spool isn't for everyone that is for sure, if you have a weekend bruiser you are just fine with one(Drive responsibly). Here is an issue with these cars and spools, they can really play havoc with your ABS & TCS. Keep in mind so can lockers as well. All though we do not see the issue as much with lockers but we also barely sell them any more.

There is a ton of choses out there today for diff units that you can build something for a good budget to suit your needs. Heck we have six different styles of diff units to chose from with our builds. We can also make ABS or TCS work with any style diff unit on the market. We sell the ABS as a kit unit so those building their own rear end or have an old rear end can now add it back to their vehicle.

Hope this helps.
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 05:20 PM
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To the OP: Check out the Wavetrac. I too was caught up in the "locker vs spool" concerns, and I ended up buying a Wavetrac. Yeah, it's spendy....but there are more than a few folks out there that swear by them. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 07:05 PM
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I daily drive a locker and it takes a LOT of driving to get used to it. Occasionally, when you take off, one axle will make a snap and the car will shudder like you just broke the dif. You can never get used to that, but it only happens once a week....roughly. I've got 20K+ on it and when needed, such as wife in the car, I can drive it without drama. All the other time though, I drive like an *** and experience its bad behavior in all its glory. The faceplated trans adds to the fun!
I'd say for most, get a trutrac or a wavetrac. I wouldnt be happy with a spool because I pull into and back out of tight parking spaces regularly.
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Old Sep 1, 2011 | 12:27 PM
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Well I should shed a little light on my use to be motor, it was suppose to make at least 410 HP but it didn't even reach that. So with my current and still going dilema put my car on hold. It was brought to my attention that I might need to put money aside for a rearend if i plan on going bigger something like 408 being that seems to be the norm and I can swap over more my bolt ons to a short block. I would like to achieve 460-80 hp if I go with a 408...anyhow that being said is the reason why I asked about rearends I have ABS and traction control but I don't know what channel, and I don't know how to tell what channel I've got.
Thanks for the links Bob@BruteSpeed
There's a lot to choose from and I'd like to get a good understanding on rear diffs before I make buy.
Thanks @ MidwestChassis for input
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Old Sep 1, 2011 | 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by oxblood!z28
Well I should shed a little light on my use to be motor, it was suppose to make at least 410 HP but it didn't even reach that. So with my current and still going dilema put my car on hold. It was brought to my attention that I might need to put money aside for a rearend if i plan on going bigger something like 408 being that seems to be the norm and I can swap over more my bolt ons to a short block. I would like to achieve 460-80 hp if I go with a 408...anyhow that being said is the reason why I asked about rearends I have ABS and traction control but I don't know what channel, and I don't know how to tell what channel I've got.
Thanks for the links Bob@BruteSpeed
There's a lot to choose from and I'd like to get a good understanding on rear diffs before I make buy.
Thanks @ MidwestChassis for input
When you have ABS and TCS (traction control) you then have the 4 channel. The Wavetrac is more expensive but ultimately is the way to go for future power increases. Thanks. Bob
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Old Sep 1, 2011 | 01:31 PM
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With 4ch there isn't much issue to worry about retaining it with any diff unit. Minus the quirks with using a spool or locker like I mentioned before. Also keep in mind Stranges new Diff unit is available as well and we have personally tested them for a couple years now with great results. They are for higher HP applications and also carry a limited life time warranty.
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