Test Drive

I've always been told that automatic lockers are bad for daily driver 4x4s because they have so much backlash and suffer from strong throttle-steering around corners. That is, when you're going around a corner, the vehicle tends to try to go straight when you get on the throttle, and tends to turn harder when you get off the throttle. Hence the term, throttle-steer. And it's true, you do get that with automatic lockers. By the same token, lift kits degrade the handling of your 4x4 and bigger tires do the same. The question is, how much are you willing to accept in exchange for the improved off-road abilities?

With my Lockrights, the throttle-steer was noticeable but manageable. It was always predictable so I was prepared and could easily deal with it. The fact that Project YJ has an automatic transmission also reduced the effect which is stronger with manual transmissions. With the Detroit Lockers, however, I was absolutely amazed at how much the throttle-steer was minimized. The transition between locked and unlocked was much smoother. The click-click-click that is typical of lunch box lockers was also gone, although I must admit that, in a weird way, I kind of miss that sound.

These surprise benefits in my Jeep's pavement manners were just the icing on the cake because as I stated in the introduction, the reason I went with Detroits is for their legendary reliability. To have that, and then discover that it also has better highway manners has put me over the top.

The following weekend I took the YJ for a test drive on some of our more difficult local trails and the Jeep performed flawlessly with the new Detroits. One thing that I was concerned about was the effect the front Detroit would have on my steering. I had heard from a few people that a Lockright in the front axle allowed for easier steering because it "unlocked" more easily. I found this not to be true. There was no difference in steering effort required between the Lockrights and the new Detroits.