I am thinking about getting a Detroit Locker for my stock 10-bolt. I have heard that they are not very street friendly. I'm just looking for some input from people who are or have run a Detroit Locker.

 

I would X the locker and go for the tru trac if you havn't bought any thing yet..

 

+1 on the Tru Trac

 

definately get the detroit tru trac and not the detroit locker....

 

with the locker your driving both wheels all the time, (which I like), and it's not bad at all on the street, however, if you want something you'll barely notice then it may not be for you. In terms of strength, it doesn't get any stronger than the locker (unless you spool). Maybe you know someone who has a locker that you might take for a spin to see if you would be good with the way it drives.

 

Why the tru trac over the locker?

 

with the tru trac it makes turning quite and easier

 

The trutrac is a limited slip so you won't have the dragging tire issue when turning under power and the clunky lock and unlock like with a full locker. Personally I don't mind driving with a full locker, it's not really a big deal and they are pretty much indestructible. However for a street truck daily driver I would probably lean to the trutrac as it would be less noticeable and would lead to less tire wear.

 

Less tire wear and less strain on the axle.
both wheels can't possible spin at the same speed around a corner so not only is your tire breaking loose but that is also strain you are putting on the axle IMO

 

At one time, I had a truck that I used mostly off-road. I removed the open rear diff and installed a Detroit Locker. It worked extremely well off-road, and they are just about the strongest thing out there for extreme abuse & oversize tires.

However, its on-road characteristics were less-than-desirable. Here are a couple of examples of what I'm talking about.

When driving on the highway, if you are holding an even steady speed, you will not notice anything at all. Coast, and it usually unlocked, and the truck changed direction which required a minor steering correction. Accelerate, and it would ALWAYS lock, and the truck changed direction(usually the other direction), and a steering correction was again required. If there were ruts in the asphalt, and you were on/off the throttle, it could be a handfull. Put somebody behind the wheel who isn't aware of the "nature-of-the-beast", and the truck probably would have been wrecked.

When driving in the city, intersections and parking lots became a whole new kind of fun. The thing WILL lock anytime you accelerate, regardless of how light you think you are on the throttle. It will also unlock every time you coast. That said, every time you leave a green light at a turn, you will chirp the tires as you go around the corner. Cops love to hear and see this. If you get used to everything and pay attention, you can coast around most corners, and not chirp the tires. But red lights happen alot, at least to me.

Lastly, we have winter around here. Maybe you don't. If you see snow & ice with your Detroit Locker, you will learn how it does not like to turn if it's locked. I remember trying to back out of parking spaces, and dragging the front tires straight back, even though the wheels were cranked all the way to the steering lock. Learned a trick for that too, punch the gas to get moving, then coast & turn out of the space. Again, put someone behind the wheel who isn't used to your truck, and they will probably wreck it for you.

Detroit Lockers work well as designed, and they are tough as all hell. Tru-Trac or Eaton LSD are much more street friendly, and also very strong.