I've heard bad things about every product I've ever researched.

He wants something for extra traction in the snow during the winter, not hardcore offroading with e.g. a 500 HP motor and 39" tires. Not only is the Detroit Locker almost twice as expensive, but most people can't install them themselves, because they replace the entire case assembly, so you are also looking at a hefty install charge. So-called "lunchbox lockers" like the Powertrax Lock-Right and Powertrax No-Slip can be installed by backyard mechanics, and can easily be returned to stock form as well.

BTW, you have now heard good things from Crazy4x4RT about the No-Slip (which is made by the same company, and is essentially the same thing aside from being quieter and a little more expensive), and he's doing more with it than driving on snowy roads.

 

Ok, well you know what I was talking about. I've heard more bad than good. I'm glad it worked well for Crazy. He probably installed it properly and some people might not have. I'm not sure. I did a lot research into lockers last summer when I was looking to get one and it seemed like half the people had good luck and half didn't. I don't know why this was, if it was mostly becuase of the product its self or if it was installation error, or a combination of both. I'm just tell you what I've found out. Of course I like the idea of something that is easier for people to instal, but I want it to work perfectly as well. Sorry to offend you or whatever but I'm just saying what I've found out from looking into a lot.

 

I would expect that installation has a lot to do with it. The Detroit Locker has two things going for it in this regard, (1) it replaces the entire case assembly so you're getting all new parts in there, and (2) it is generally installed by qualified professionals. With lunchbox lockers, you reuse a lot of the old parts, which are supposed to be replaced if they are not in good shape, but probably are often not replaced. Also, its purported ease of installation might tempt people who are not qualified to change a battery or a tire, much less drivetrain components, to attempt it.

I've heard that a lot of people forget the thrust washers (like this guy did), or reuse badly worn ones.

I wasn't offended. I'm just having a discussion.

 

By the way, another option is the Detroit Truetrac, which I'd personally prefer for snowy/icy public road conditions to a locker, due to it having road manners that are as good as an open differential. It should work as well as a locker when driving in a straight line on slippery public roads, and handle better than a locker around corners. Plus, since they act as an open differential on dry pavement, you don't get the excessive tire wear and weird handling and noises in corners that you can get with lockers.

Edit: Here is a quote from someone with experience with lockers, clutch-type LSDs, and the Truetrac on snowy roads:

 

i was havin a burnout contest with some buddies of mine the other day and only one of my tires were spinning lol. it was hilarious. i read somewhere that you can make them both spend by lightly pressing on the brake and gas at the same time. what does limited slip acctually do? or what is it for?

 

If your loooking for something Cheap and easy for the winter, go get studded tires. done deal..

 

How long do the studs remain effective? It seems like they would wear down pretty quickly when driving directly on pavement. I've never seen any on a tire-in-use that weren't already worn down to the point that they looked like there were doing nothing (i.e. completely flattened and sitting level with or below the tops of the holes they were in). For example:

Are they still effective even after the little top spikes are worn away? I don't see how they could be doing much good after that point.

 

It uses friction packs to apply some traction to the opposite wheel. In effect, it does what you did with your brakes.

 

To answer your question, with all seriousness Studs arn't ment for pavement and yes they will Wear But Less wear on Ice. They are ment for Ice conditions only. Actually in some States/provinces you will get nailed wit a ticked for driving on pavement with studs.

2ndly, the lugs in your tire open up when accelerating so it gives the stud grip thus your car/truck traction.

Usually you have a 2 sets of tires, winters and summers to swap. Youd probably wanna change the studs after 2 seasons, after they they get warn out like you said.

 

Yeah, but the problem is, most of winter driving is directly on pavement. There are relatively few days where there is actually enough ice and/or snow on the roads, even here in Maine, to prevent tire studs from contacting the pavement.

Around here you don't get a ticket for driving on pavement with studs; but rather, the law is based on what time of year it is:

"Maine Permitted Oct. 1 - May 1."

I suppose you could change your tires every time the roads are snowy/icy, but that would be quite a hassle, and I've never known anyone who does that. There's a good chance you would be changing your tires more than once on any given day in the winter; like when the plow truck comes by and clears the road, you'd be stopping to change your tires.

I suppose; but when they are worn flat instead of having little spikes, I can't imagine they are adding much, if anything, for traction. I had some studded snow tires on the back of a 2WD pickup (they came on the truck) that were worn flat, and I never got the feeling they were doing anything on snowy/icy roads.