New Ranger Owner - Rear Locker Question

[Dr. Zaius]

With today's litigious society, an auto locking rear would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I have a full Detroit locker in the rear of my Bronco.

In the wet, the rear will come around in a heartbeat if you're not accustomed to its behavior.

If you floor it pointing straight, it will lurch to the left every time. Nothing out of control, just not what would be expected.

The Bronco has a TrueTrac (torsen) in the front axle and if I had it to do over I'd have put that in the rear too.

I saw a discussion about a lawsuit someone tried to file against all manufacturers of 4x4 trucks because the trucks weren't really 4x4 (open diffs front and rear). Thankfully it went nowhere.

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[docarter]

So you cant get an off-road focused chevy/gmc with a user selectable e locker? Not surprised if true.

Nothing wrong with a GM, I'd prefer an auto-locker, even a G80.

 

[KnightWolf]

Open diffs are better for predictable donuts in the winter.

That's not the reason, but it's the reason I like them.

My '99 F150 had a clutch type LSD in the rear and would light up the tires like no tomorrow. But it would go full Tokyo Drift in the winter if you weren't careful. Had to put like 400lbs of salt & sand in the bed to bring it under control.

So you cant get an off-road focused chevy/gmc with a user selectable e locker? Not surprised if true.

Chevy Colorado ZR2 has selectable front & rears. But to get it equipped the same as my Lariat would have been ~$5K CAD more.

 

[docarter]

Chevy Colorado ZR2 has selectable front & rears. But to get it equipped the same as my Lariat would have been ~$5K CAD more.

I think the ZR2 is in a different league, though. Remote dampers, and it's a bit bigger than the Ranger.

The suspension setup alone would cost 5k to buy aftermarket.

 

[RedlyrsRevenge]

Open diffs are better for predictable donuts in the winter.

That's not the reason, but it's the reason I like them.

A fellow man of culture I see. ?

I had a Detroit locker in my '67 F250. It was a wild ride when it would engage halfway through a turn because of some gravel or loose pavement.

 

[Floyd]

Limited slip would have been my first choice. All the advantages of an open rear end with the traction and tire wear of a posi.
The electronic controls on the stock open rear end work equally well though, so I'm happy.

As for donuts, they're just about impossible with the traction control on. In fact even induced oversteer don't come easy due to vectoring , sway control , etc.
A very stable truck at the expense of driver control.

My last two Rangers were "sports cars with big trunks" in comparison.
This one is pure truck.
The old Rangers were 2WD trucks with a 4WD option, The new one is a 4WD truck with a 2WD option.
I love this truck , but If they ever built a dedicated 2WD Ranger again.....

 

[Langwilliams]

I've had several Fox Body mustangs with the limited slip an I used to hammer the crap out of them. Good off the line traction at the drag strip an nice donuts in a snowy parking lot (yes I drove them year round). Dry parking lot donuts were fun too but the noise attracted too much attention an was hard on tires an limited slip clutch packs.

When I had my wrangler YJ the forums recommended if you wanted a limited slip to run it in front since it would not be powered when the road was mostly clear an either leaving the rear open or having an air or electric rear for low traction situations. A limited slip in the rear on a road with part dry an part ice/snow/wet would cause unequal traction an spin a little wrangler quick if one side was ice an one side dry traction.

 

[docarter]

Lots of people commenting on open differentials being best for limited traction situations, but my ATS has a Torsen limited slip and it is extremely predictable and it puts power down extraordinarily well.

It'll move the car with one tire having almost no traction with confidence and composure. A limited slip in the same situation would just spin without any forward effort.

 

[Floyd]

I can't speak to the nuances of 4WD in off road situations since I have found that there are roads pretty much everywhere I have had a mind to go. ( I live in ILLANNOY not Wyoming).

It seems obvious that 90% of 4WD trucks never get more than two wheels off and spend their entire lives on pavement and grocery store parking lots. There are a LOT of "posers" out there who actually help 4WD buyers by increasing demand for 4WD, making it more available to those who really use their trucks off road... This is unfortunate for those of us who prefer the better development of 2WD.
So it is nice that Ford has made the Ranger a very capable truck with available options to make it perform well off road (including the locker.)

A locker ain't much use on the street and certainly doesn't help much for truck stuff like hauling or towing, whereas limited slip makes a huge difference when towing and real world daily driving on pavement .
Each has its place, but I do wish Ford would offer a little more street oriented options and packages in their trucks. And I don't mean Splash stripes or tailgate spoilers.

 

[KnightWolf]

@Floyd I can understand buying 4WD without the intent of going off-road. In Canada we don't have a 2WD option for the Ranger. I had a 2WD F150 with a LSD that would get wild in the winter & a manual 4WD Blazer with open diffs that struggled to get into my driveway without 4WD (stamped concrete in the winter is like a sheet of ice). But a lot of people buy the off road package for the looks & bragging rights.

I agree it would be nice for Ford to offer a LSD or Torsen option especially for the 2WD models. While I don't tow, I can see how it would be beneficial. The type of off roading I do - mostly muddy trails - a torsen would be more than enough. That said, the trail I was on last weekend I had 1 or 2 wheels in the air at points and with the terrain management doing it's thing it practically wasn't noticeable.

 

[Floyd]

@Floyd I can understand buying 4WD without the intent of going off-road. In Canada we don't have a 2WD option for the Ranger. I had a 2WD F150 with a LSD that would get wild in the winter & a manual 4WD Blazer with open diffs that struggled to get into my driveway without 4WD (stamped concrete in the winter is like a sheet of ice). But a lot of people buy the off road package for the looks & bragging rights.

I agree it would be nice for Ford to offer a LSD or Torsen option especially for the 2WD models. While I don't tow, I can see how it would be beneficial. The type of off roading I do - mostly muddy trails - a torsen would be more than enough. That said, the trail I was on last weekend I had 1 or 2 wheels in the air at points and with the terrain management doing it's thing it practically wasn't noticeable.

That's really my point, with the Ranger you can get 4WD which is still "driveable" on the street or you can get several "off road" enhancements for more aggressive off road use, but if you want 2WD you get basically a "4WD" with no front drive, but absolutely no options aimed at enhanced "on road" use.
I "get" the Canadian need for 4WD and the Wyoming need for 4WD or the "off road" need for 4WD, etc. , I just don't get the Red-Headed step child treatment of the 2WD, not even a few crumbs like suspension packages , limited slip or even street tires.
Heck, I haven't even seen a commercial showing a fun to drive, practical and versatile street image for the Ranger.
I admit that most trucks of all stripes sell more 4WD than 2WD , half due to advertisement.
Just image the improved utility of a Ranger which sat just 3" lower when getting in and out or accessing the box or had an improved handling package

Don't get me wrong, I don't really resent the compromises necessary to buy a Ranger, I just think that they are all one-sided.
At least they offer a 2WD and a SuperCab, or I'd still be driving my 2001 Ranger.

 

[docarter]

@Floyd I fail to see the point in offering a street tuned Ranger. At best you have a 4,400 lb truck with a solid axle and high center of gravity. For what?

 

[Floyd]

@Floyd I fail to see the point in offering a street tuned Ranger. At best you have a 4,400 lb truck with a solid axle and high center of gravity. For what?

That would be a 3900 pound light truck which If lowered and a little more street tuned, would be a bit more accessible, and driveable . Your question really shows the unintentional bias. Oh, and I like a solid axle on a rear drive vehicle
I realize that it would never compete at Road America ,but it would sure be extra cool pulling a G-prod to the track.
I personally fail to see the point in offering an "off-road" tuned Ranger, but there are many folks who do find that it works well for them because they do "get" the point and the advantages.
Let's face it, a 4500 pound 4 door pickup tuned for off-road, still ain't no "dune buggy" either.

I actually drive and tow on the street and enjoy driving,
So to answer your question...here's an example of the point... ( much heavier than my SuperCab's 3960#) and the Ranger could be even cooler.

 

[towpro]

When would you need to spin one wheel rear? In other words, when is the automatic locking not useful?

Every 2wd Dodge or ram truck I had I bought with a anti slip. sure its not a locker but in the snow, in PA, where the roads have some crown on them, any time I was unfortunate enough to have my truck out in the snow it would just "crab" everywhere it would go. even with snow tires. The back end would just slide down the crown and you just kept steering to make it go straight.
With the electric locker just flick the switch and your back to a one wheeler which gives you stability in this situation. Oh, I got to use it on the boat slip the other day

 

[docarter]

Every 2wd Dodge or ram truck I had I bought with a anti slip. sure its not a locker but in the snow, in PA, where the roads have some crown on them, any time I was unfortunate enough to have my truck out in the snow it would just "crab" everywhere it would go. even with snow tires. The back end would just slide down the crown and you just kept steering to make it go straight.
With the electric locker just flick the switch and your back to a one wheeler which gives you stability in this situation. Oh, I got to use it on the boat slip the other day

I haven't really had this issue with my Cadillac ATS and its Torsen LSD. I can put one side on ice and the other on pavement and hit the gas and it will drive straight.

Traction and stability control mean you can really use all of that extra traction without the drawbacks of "crabbing."

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