blown rear end. fantastic.

[mike.germann]

blew my rear end today. scared the $hi* outta me, truck stalled out mid-intersection, nearly got hit by a moving truck.

It currently has the Sterling 10.25 rear end with limited slip. That's a pretty good rear so I'm thinking of just rebuilding it.

I need to know: what spline is it? 35 spline? other pertanent info I may need in searching for replacement parts.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to play with some options...since i gotta put money into it anyway. I use the truck mainly as a daily driver, not as much as a mud toy. But I still wanna be able to trust the truck if I gotta get muddy. I also like to go fast. So....

What are my pros/cons of going with:

Full spool:
I've heard of this being done, but I've never considered it myself, or if it's a practical option.
Keep in mind my tire size. I mainly use the truck on the road, even though it's built for the mud.

Locking read diff:
seems like the more expensive option. A locker in the rear would gurantee me true 4x4 since I have the locking front diff. I'm assuming the truck would be virtually impossible to get stuck, if i took it off-roading?
Also...manual locker or auto locker? Maybe it comes down to driver preference, but what pros/cons are there with either??

I'm not really sure what other options I have. I'm very open to input. Curious question: I use the truck as a daily driver, not so much a mud toy. I've had more people want to race me than I go off-roading. Is there any differential that would increase performance for going fast/launching/etc?? I don't EVER take it to the track, mainly just silly Hondas on the street. And the occassional Cummins/Duramax.

Just something that crossed my mind. THANKS FOR THE HELP GUYS!

 

[mike.germann]

Just found this. It says for "maximum traction off-road or racing."

DETROIT LOCKER-FORD Sterling 10.25 10.50 225SL-56A

I don't understand it. Does it just engage on its own..when it wants? I imagine turning would be hell. And that i'd stress out my axle and tires way too much if driven on the highway, or as a daily driver (in my case).

I guess what I really want is a selectable locker. Lim slip when I don't need it, full locker when I do. I guess ARB air locker is the only one...?

 

[BJS]

the detroit will lock up when it gives senses a significant difference in wheel speeds however this often ocurrs in turns and this can make turning a bear with wheel hop

I would recommend that you do not do a spool if you are using the truck as a daily driver. Unless you like buying tires and screeching tires whenever you make a 90° turn

Look into ARB or detroit trutrac instead of a traditional detroit locker.

 

[jpringle83]

the detroit will lock up when it gives senses a significant difference in wheel speeds however this often ocurrs in turns and this can make turning a bear with wheel hop

I would recommend that you do not do a spool if you are using the truck as a daily driver. Unless you like buying tires and screeching tires whenever you make a 90° turn

Look into ARB or detroit trutrac instead of a traditional detroit locker.

Definitely stay away from the spool on the street. You're a little backwards on the detroit in that it's locked until those unique load situations where it disengages and it doesn't doe it nicely. I have one in my wheeler and wouldn't put one in my truck. The trutrac has a high bias ratio and if you do any towing it might be a little more rough on engagement than you want. The arb is what I would do and if I ever get around to a gear change in my truck I will use one probably front and rear. The benefit of the ARB is that parts are widely available they're near bulletproof and have years and years of R&D behind them in a community that tends to grenade axle parts. The initial investment can be a bit overwhelming but you'll love it.

 

[commanderjjones]

I agree with the below......stay away from the Detroit. They are very stout and function well but they ratchet a lot, are noisey, and have a tendency to drag the tires around corners and cause accellerated tire wear.

ARB is the shizzle. You'll pay more for them, but they're well worth it. I've had them (front and rear) in my last 2 crawlers and never had a lick of problems out of any of the 4.

 

[mike.germann]

i think i decided on the ARB air locker mainly due to its selectability. From wat i've read about them, they are more prone to fail than the Detroits becuase they have more parts...but in all fairness, I also read that the usual cause of failure in ARB air lockers is traced back to the installation.

Also..of the many testimonials I read, all the people that had failures were full time off-roaders, crawlers, etc..

I just want it for when i need it. I want the trust and dependibility, but practicality when the truck is safely on the road.

one more question: am I correct in my logic that when the ARB air locker is disengaged, the differential is lim slip? or is it open until you engage the locker via switch??

 

[DaveBen]

It is open until you engage it.

Dave

 

[jpringle83]

i think i decided on the ARB air locker mainly due to its selectability. From wat i've read about them, they are more prone to fail than the Detroits becuase they have more parts...but in all fairness, I also read that the usual cause of failure in ARB air lockers is traced back to the installation.

Also..of the many testimonials I read, all the people that had failures were full time off-roaders, crawlers, etc..

I just want it for when i need it. I want the trust and dependibility, but practicality when the truck is safely on the road.

one more question: am I correct in my logic that when the ARB air locker is disengaged, the differential is lim slip? or is it open until you engage the locker via switch??

The only reason you see more broken ARBs in crawling is more people run them. Detroits usually blow up side gears if you break an axleshaft where the ARBs tend to just keep on ticking. They have also redesigned most of the applications as a 4pinion unit vs. the old style 3pinion. I wish I had the extra time and money right now to throw a couple ARBs in my truck.

 

[mike.germann]

Would a full-time open diff (when the locker isn't engaged) help my mileage at all?? just curious. money will be the deciding factor (as always) but I'm pretty convinced i want this

 

[DaveBen]

Anything will help these beasts in the mileage dept. But not very much. I doubt you will notice the difference between having the ARB locked or free in the mileage dept.

Dave