looking at an ecoboost couple of questions

Lessmore wrote:

APT wrote:

Lessmore wrote:
Over the 10 years I had it...the locker made the whole vehicle slide out in a nano second....on a couple of occasions when I hit unseen glare ice. Those automatic lockers can be lethal in ice country.

Different strokes. I still rather have two wheels driven instead of one in any low traction situation. While that is riskier to lose control of the back end, it also allows a higher level of control and acceleration.

I have a T-shirt from college auto club. "If you can't make the turn, drive sideways"

I don't disagree with you. I prefer to have two wheels driven in a low traction situation too.

But my preference is to be able to control whether the traction device is switched on or off, by the operator of the vehicle.

I remember years ago there was an ARB locker system. I could be wrong but believe you could switch the locker on and off from a switch on the dash.

I like locking drive axles...also limited slip drive axles. But do prefer the action of a locker.

Traction is always good.

Les

Part of my control strategy was just a courtesy to the guy in the lane next to me.
But yes, sideways can be fun in a safe off-road environment. :B

Les, the ARB airlocker preceeded the electric locker, and it, too, was controllable from the dash.
The air locker was less reliable in that it was difficult to prevent the development of air leaks and also needed an onboard compressor. In contrast, the electric is so simple and reliable, it has become offered OEM. And it is much safer in traffic than the old clutch lockers, always a plus.

These two types of dash-controlled lockers are nearly the only safe locker for front differentials used on the highway. One other exception is the constant Torsen differential, now sold as the Eaton True-Trac.

The reason the Torsen "gets by" with this is, it has a low friction level at the slow differential axle speeds that occur in a turn, whereas clutches have a nasty tendency to have increased friction at slow slip speeds, somewhat mitigated by special axle lube friction modifiers on dry road surfaces.

Just FYI, the Torsen/True-Trac works by a worm/spur gear in wholly lubricated friction. We all know how a worm gear can easily drive a large round helical-cut (slanted teeth) spur gear. But it is difficult for the same big spur gear to drive the worm gear. The Torsen takes advantage of this high friction by first forcing a spur gear to drive a worm, at a difficult super-fast spin rate, that is then re-converted to a mating worm easily driving a spur on the other axle. The complicated, convoluted gearing never wears out like clutches, yet matches their lock-friction in high wheel-slip differential instances. Very nifty invention.

Wes
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