So I've been looking around for a good deal on a powertrax locker. I've heard alot of good things about the No-Slip locker that they have. It has an easy install and ver good street maners. I e-mailed this guy at Soth East RT and this is the response that I got from him. I was curious if you all thought he was right or if he is misinformed. I had heard that the powertrax had issues at first but there locker the "No-Slip" didn't have the same issues.

here is the e-mail from him.

Hi Chris,

Lot's of companies have dropped the PowerTrax unit due to breakage. They do have problems so the suppliers backed out rather than getting into liability situation.

If i may suggest two items that are better suited for you and are proven to in terms of endurance. Probably the better of them for you is the Auburn Posi.

the Auburn Posi is best for Steet / Strip/ Offroading

Retail $498 Summitt sells for $472.39 Your Cost $389.95 + $25 ship

the Detroit locker is best for Street strip/ Offroading/ Climbing/ Crawling


There is one more called the Lockrite unit. these are made to drop into an Open Carrier. If you already have a stock posi installed, you would be forced to buy an Open Carrier to install the Lockrite into and pitch the posi carrier.
IMO: if you spend the money for an open carrier and then the Lockrite, you would be at the pricing of the Auburn and Detroit Lockers.



Let me know which you would like to persue. I would be glad to help.

John

 

I put over60,000 miles on my LockRight without a problem in my 93 Dakota. And I abused that thing the whole time, I'm talking burnouts, power slides, hard 4-wheeling, drag racing, etc..

BTW, PowerTrax is just the company, LockRight and No-Slip are 2 of their products. And the only breaking problems i've heard of came from people who didn't install exactly as the instructions described. I know I'mnot the only person who's had great success with this product.

I won't comment on the detroit and auburn because i've never used them. But when tax return season comes around again I'll be buying 2 LockRight lockers, 1 for each of my dodges.

and i'll be buying them from here(where I boughtthe locker for my 93, and best price i've found)

http://www.rocky-road.com/lockright.html


my experience and my $.02

 

Here is another e-mail I got from him. It's wierd because I've never heard of a bad story about these lockers. It not easy to find a bad review of these lockers.

Here is the e-mail

hey Chris,

the locker is high $500's + ship. Retail is $680'ish think summitt sells for $626 + ship. they are good units and no way to destruct them. nature of the beast is to slightly chatter around corners. the newer ones have less noticable noise than older versions but it is a good unit.

The Auburn uses a cone clutch design that transfers more power to the high-traction wheel for quick acceleration and tight cornering.
Auburn Gear limited-slip differential is achieved through the use of cone clutches coupled to beveled side gears. As torque is transmitted through the differential side gears to the axle shafts, the side gear separating forces and spring pre-load firmly seat the cones into the differential case. The cone design, along with the applied force, determines the torque transfer capability of the differential. When torque levels decrease, as in a cornering maneuver, the gear separating forces also decrease, allowing the axle shafts to rotate independently.

this is another reason noone goes to Powertrax or Richmond Lockrite. Even though they wer bought by Richmond gear still issues with it. suppliers just do not want to get involved with damages and returns.

Lockrite Info
Pauly
04-01-2007, 10:27 PM
The Powertrax lock rite is garbage, I broke 3 of them, it is similar to the Detroit EZ locker. Both of these require an open dif case which means you have to buy an open carrier to install it. These units add a lot of drivetrain lash and will mess with ABS, it makes horrible noises when turning into parking spaces, it sometimes sounded like the rearend was going to break. I tried to save some money by using the Lockrite but it ended up costing me more money than a proper Auburn, would have cost, because the lock rite wrecked the splines of my axles. The Powertrax no slip system is different but slip uses some of the same parts as the lock rite uses which will wear out in a daily driver. Both the lock rite and the no slip are engaged all the time and cause the truck to want to go in a straight line on the freeway when going thru gentle curves. Both axles are locked so the truck fights steering inputs, this would be very dangerous in winter conditions.
I hate to be so harsh about the Powertrax "lock rite" but I just dont want others to be sucked in by its low cost. It does install easy, but isnt ideal in my opinion for a daily driver, maybe in an off road mud machine or something. Powertrax did warranty my Lockrite 3 times and even the Warranty representative said that they get a lot of these Lockrites that come back under warranty..

Pauly

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Haun"
To: "John Mercedes" <john@southeastrt.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:47 AM
Subject: RE: Posi


John,

I have a couple of questions for you. How much is the Detroit locker? Is the Auburn posi a gear type or is it a clutch type Posi? Who makes the Lockrite?

My last question is that I had hear about the issues with the powertrax units but, I thought they had started making a newer unit that was supposed have all of the issues worked out. It didn't have the ratcheting sound that the first one had. The first one had a cross pin made of steel but, the second one used some weird metal called zytanium or something similar to that. Are you talking about the first unit breaking a lot or is it the second unit?

Thanks for your help

Chris

 

The other thing that I'm not sure of is that according to everything I've seen you can install the powertrax in a carrier that had the factory lsd in it.

 

I have installed the powertrax noslip into my truck No problems at all. Like OlsenG_360I aslouse the sh*t out of my truck. I have had no problems with it at all. even with a 5.9 high horsepower engine. So If anyone does have problems they istalled it wrong. I do hard offroading rock crawling and fast sand driving. I also go out to the drag strip and have won a burnout contest with it. It was against 5 carmaros. 2 were alcohal burners too. You can only install them in an open case. It does not mess with the abs. It can be a little rugh on steets when makeing a tight turn from a dead stop. Just remember when you press on the gas it will stay locked. when you are not on the gas or verry litte it will unlock when it needs to. So just keep your foot soft on the gas when making turns from a dead stop. If you dont you will just slip the tire a little. which is not bad but can be anoying. I still love mine tho. As for the sound I only have the ratching sound when ever Im making a tight turn when I have momentum and a keep turning for a while. and the sound is not bad. ITS IMPOTANT TO SET UP IT CORRECTLY. the instutions include everything you need to know.

 

yeah, as forthe lockrightmaking "unsafe conditions" in inclement weather. whoever said that must have never driven an open-differential vehicle before on sloppy streets. open differential will either leave you stranded in the middle of an icy intersection with it's one-wheel peel effect, or you'll start to slide with both wheels turning, but then one will just decide to stop while the other continues to spin, throwing the vehicle into an even harder slide or a spin.with anylocker, when gas is applied, both wheels will spin no matter what, making bad weather driving much more predictable. whoever you're emailing doesn't know their *** from a hole in the ground apparently, these "lockers" all function the same, it's their design. one is not going to outperform the other given the same vehicle and conditions, they lock the axles together, nothing mystical about it.

the only downside to them is the slight "ratcheting" sound when turning a corner, which i only noticed in the summertime when i had the radio off and windows down. it's not a big deal at all. if anything, i'd buy a locker just to save my tires, can't even count the number of times i've turned a corner and that right rear tire wants to light up even at light throttle. i guarantee you that won't happen in a locker equipped vehicle unless you're deliberately trying to smoke both of 'em.

 

For strength and durability there is no product better than the Detroit Locker for your 9.25....period.

Now that said. the Detroit can be a bit harsh to use on a daily driver. They often make loudnoises and have some binding feelings and the occasional huge "BANG" that sounds like your rear end just blew up. These noises and feelings are very normal with the Detroit Locker and if you can learn to just tolerate them, the Detroil locker is the king for traction off road.

Limited slip differentials are not a great addition to an off road truck, but are good alternatives to full lockers for the daily driven truck. The problem with a Limted Slip is the second you lift a tire off the ground, the limited slip will act like an open differential and apply all of it's power to the wheel in the air. That sucks and it drives you crazy especially for what they cost. Limited slips are great for snow/ice and loose gravel and sand, but if you go over rocks or washes and lift a tire, you will be sorely dissapointed in the performance. They have very nice road manners though and are extremely smooth. You won't notice them at all and are great for a daily driver.

Lunchbox lockers, or "drop in" lockers just replace your exsisting spider gears inside your carrier. While nowhere near as strong and dependable as the full case Detroit Locker, most guys who have used them find them quite adaquate. They will make clicking noises when going around corners, but they are a bit tamer than the Detroit. Much more traction than a LSD, and if you lift a tire off the ground, they will still supply power to the wheel on the ground which is a good thing! Cost is usually about 2/3 of a full case Detroit, and installation is cheaper too because they don't require resetting the backlash like installing a Detroit would. You get what you pay for here vs. the Detroit, but like I said, most guys find these very adaquate.

Someday maybe one of the selectable lockers will be available for the 9.25 like an ARB or a Auburn ECTED, but for now, only the Detroit is available as a full case replacement locker, and then you have the lunchbox lockers and the Limited Slips.

You really cannot go wrong with the Detroit locker, but if you decide you don't want the baggage of the harsh characteristics of the Detroit locker, my second choice would be the Detroit Truetrac which is a Helical Gear driven Limited slip and it won't wear out like the other limited slips that use clutches for engagement like the Auburn unit, or the Tracklock(which is junk by the way).

 

Well as far as I know this would work for you guys. An ARB lockerhttp://www.ringpinion.com/ProductDet...px?ProdID=2505
It says 9.25" IFS with 33 spline axles. As far as I know the fronts dont have 9.25 axles in it. So its gota be the rear. As long as it has 33 splines.

 

good discussion above. everything said by forum members is true. (well, except that the 9.25 is actually 31 spline, not 33) some of what john the mechanic said is not quite true, but he's trying to steer you to the heavier duty detroit, which is heavier duty, so he's mostly right, and doesn't want you coming back with a broken powertrax.

Detroit is the best. its also the most expensive, and requires 'expert' install.

Powertrax (the company) has LockRight and Noslip products. They are good light/medium duty lockers. Traction is great. Install is cheap/free/ do it yourself.

LSD is a compromise between traction and smooth driving. Traction is better than open, but not as good as locker. Parts are expensive, Install is expensive, not a diy.

If you go locker, I'd recommend you put a locker in the rear and leave the front open. i think it will take you where you need to go. if not, then add it to the front. the concern over the front is two things. its a much bigger install job. the other thing is the way the locker works, is it stays locked until sideways friction tells it to unlock. this is good in that it digs like hell in low traction conditions. it also digs like hell on damp pavement, leaves, tight turns, grass, etc. this is more tolerable in the rear than it is in the front, because you can get some sideways slide if the front doesn't turn and this can be dangerous for driving on the road.

i like my noslip in the rear. it takes a little getting used to, but i've not been stuck since.

check out this site. 'best pricing on the internet'.
http://www.performanceoffroadcenter.com/

i also recommend a posi-lok. it lets you putt along in 2wd low.

 

There is no selectable locker available for the Chrysler 9.25 rear axle.

The 9.25 IFS is a front axle available on a 3rd gen Dodge. The "IFS" is the big red flag here which stands for "Independent Front Suspension".

Don't feel bad thoughI know several guys that have made that mistake, even one that ordered that locker only to find out it's not for his application.

The frustrating part for Dodge owners is that the 9.25 rear axle is extremely plentiful, but the aftermarket world is justnot interested in coming out with a selectable locker for it. ARB has been contacted by another Dodge off road forum before with a list of confirmed potential buyers if they would design one, but they just are not interested. So for full caseautomatic lockers, your best and only choice remains the Detroit Locker.