I have a few questions that will probably be dismissed by the first person to read this haha.. buttt w/e

first, i was reading Pertersons 4WOR mag covering the UA 06 challange and noticed that one of the rigs was running different gearing in the front and rear diff's... 4.88 rear and 4.56 front, i was always under the impression they had to be the same or something is gonna bind up and break b/c one is pushin/pulling more? My question to this is. Can i gear the rear diff to 4.56 and leave the front at stock 4.10, until i get the rest of the money to upg the front? i use 4wd almost weekly, nothing hard for the most part, will it hess anything up?

My other question is, i heard from someone to lock the front Diff bc i already have L/s in the rear, and ill notice a difference, which im sure i will. but would it be better to lock the front or rear first?

AND if i lock the front w/ 4.10 and re-gear the rear to 4.56 would that cause a big problem? (if it doesnt w/o the locker that is..)


Dana 35 Front
Ford 8.8 Rear L/S
Factory 4.10

 

you need to regear the front with the rear.....you can run the fronts different than the rears, BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE FRONT WILL SLIP! if it wont slip, it will twist your transfer case in half.............i would lock the rear before doing the front....

to make it easier, just be able to do both gears at the same time since you use 4wd alot.......

 

I wouldn't run different ratios in the front and rear for the same reasons that Maurice elaborated.

I'd also be careful running a full time locker in the front differential. A member here has one and regularly breaks CV joints because of it. If you can find one, get a L/S for the front diff, or a selectable locker. Otherwise, buy a few extra CVs.

If you've got the ford trak-lok l/s, I'd probably go ahead and lock the rear instead. I hear the trak-loks are a bit wild.

 

he has the regular limited slip in the rear....if you are going to lock one or the other, i would go rear......because they are cheaper and easier to find....

 

The regular one ford l/s is the trak-lok

And having a rear locker is much more drivable on the street than a front locker. With a front locker you can have difficulty steering or even some pretty bad understeer if your locker engages while turning.

 

i would do a detroit tru-loc.. but would ultimatly prefer an on-demand locker... ARB or something but i dont have that deep of a pocket haha

point taken, thanks guys, ill put the locker on the rear and eventually l/s or full on demand locker up front

1 more q, if i have them at the same ratios will it still snap them? and is it the trails or the street i have to worry about if i get a locker thats not on-demand?

 

if you have the same gear ratio's, then it will not snap anything........on the street.....the locker disengages when turning so the outside wheel will spin faster than the inside tire......since the outside tire has to take the longest route to do the same turn as the inside tire, it has to turn faster...

 

Nobody makes a production limited slip for the 98+ Ranger's unique narrow D35. There are 3 lunchbox lockers that will fit, 2 models by Powertrax and 1 Aussie Locker.



Other than a mild click on tight turns, the Aussie front locker's operation is completely transparent when operated on the street in 2WD. It is impossible for it to lock without a torque input from the driveshaft. From what I understand, the operation of the Powertrax No Slip is similar.

Some say that this kind of locker can make steering more difficult under power in 4WD on snow covered pavement. Others say that it is not a problem. I'll know soon enough.

 

front lockers are cake in the snow... just very interestin the first few miles till you know what it will do

 

how much of a difference in price is a l/s for a D35 and a full locker?
and which would be worth the money?

i hit the trails. but nothing extreme, so far i have done w/ the open front and the trac-lock rear. just looking for a little extra

andddd, are the smaller lockers as rare as an L/S for the short D35?


finally, how was that guy running 4.88 rear and 4.56 front?

 

he was able to do it because he put his truck in situations that the front tires WOULD slip when it was in 4x4....and the gears were such of a close ratio......if the front tires will slip, then you can do it......it is pretty popular with mudboggers.....but they DONT drive their truck in 4wd unless they are in the pit.......

DONT JUST CHANGE 1 SET OF GEARS! you WILL mess something up and then you will be pissed....do it right the 1st time.....don't halfass it......

 

10-4
just need to secure funding

 

now would it make a difference if the front hubs arent locked? I beleive the 99's have the PVH system like my 98, and not the live axle set up on the 00 1/2 and newer, meaning cvs would not being turning unless it is in 4wd. I may be wrong, but I do believe he would be fine with a locker up front in 2wd, reason being both front driveshaft wouldnt be turning, AND cv's would not be engaged via the hubs, this is only true if he doesnt got the live axle mod.

 

Please read this carefully:

 

It doesn't matter if it has live axles or the Pulse Vacuum Hublock system. As long as the transfer case is in 2WD, there is no input torque applied to the diff from the driveshaft. The torque transferred from the driveshaft to the ring gear to the crosspin is what forces the drive gears against the side gears of the locker. This type of locker cannot lock without torque being applied through the driveshaft.

 

What is a "lunchbox" locker?

 

Thanks for clearing that up Bob! I must have misunderstood when I talked with Gil, who has that locker in the front (Powertrax I think?). All I know is he seems to roast alot of CVs.

 

ok, thanks bob for clairifing. so I was halfway right. cool.

 

That is the danger of a locker.

An open diff can transmit a maximum of 50% of the steady state torque to either halfshaft. That is with perfect traction on both sides. When one tire starts to slip, the torque can only be reduced to both halfshafts.

Going straight ahead in 4WD with perfectly matched tires and equal traction at both sides, a locker will also transmit 50% of the available differential input torque to each halfshaft. When one side begins to lose traction, the other side receives more torque. With no traction on one side and perfect traction on the other, 100% of the diff's input torque will go to the side with traction.

So, under the right circumstances, the same mechanism that gives you great off road performance will also double the torque through either of the halfshafts. This is why a locker is more likely to break CVs. The ultimate failure may occur in either 2WD or 4WD but the damage could only have happened in 4WD.

 

i just did that PVH mod the other night, it seems to have locked the driver side hub but not the passenger side one lol