Hello All,

So i brought my 97 ram 1500 5.2 to the shop the other day because the rearend needs to be rebuilt. i talked to the guy today and he told me that he needs to do a total overhaul, pretty much what i expected. He told me $1100, which i think is a good price.

Heres my question...

he also told me if i was interested he has a richmond lock right locker at his shop that he would put in for me instead of keeping it open at a cheaper price that oem. Ive been researching it and like most things some love some hate them. And i just thought i would get some opinions from your guys.

Let me know what you guys think.

 

If it is primarily a pavement pounder then I say don't lock it because I don't think there any selectable lockers available for the 9.25 rear end.
An automatic locker will eat up your tires faster and can spook you if you happen to gas it in a turn.
LSD is a good way to go because it gives you better grip than open while running unnoticed at the same time.
The disadvantage of LSD over a locker is that you don't get 100% lockup at low speeds like you do with a locker.

 

Nonsense.

If you feel you need/want the extra traction, go for it. I've been driving automatic lockers daily since 2007 and wouldn't change a thing.

 

i've also got a powertrax noslip. i like almost everything about it. its awesome in mud and the little bit of snow we get. road manners are good except that with slick tires its loosey goosey in a 90* turn on wet pavement, so you have to be gentle on the gas. the only thing i don't like is that its full time, non selectable, and it tears up the grass when driving in the yard.

the powertrax is rated a little better than the lock-right. they're similar, but the slipping mechanism is a tad different. check them out.

 

Having had both, I prefer the Lock-Right, YMMV.

 

what was the difference?
and why one over the other?

 

Powertrax is the brand of lockers, made by Richmondgear. There is the Lock-Right and No-Slip, those are the 2 style of lockers they make. http://www.richmondgear.com/powertrax/ tons of videos and info there. Also YouTube has tons. You can see prices at www.ringpinion.com

Lock-Right is the basic locker less priced, some claim noisy and harsh engagement.

No-Slip is the higher priced unit, less noisy and more steetable manners.



I had the Lock-Right at first, it was never noisy except for fast tight turns in reverse. Sometime when engaging it can make a loud clunk, normal. 4-5 years.

I have the No-Slip now, same thing not noisy and the engagement is un-noticable. 3 years.

When installed correctly they can handle any abuse. I have killed 3 front diffs before and no problems from the rear lockers.

The only negative thing about both is when turning from a dead stop you have to be very light on the gas to keep it from squealing the
tires. Or give it hard gas before the turn then coast into the turn.

 

I only said that because Max (dodge15004x45.9) told me that his Detroit locker was chewing up his tires.

 

So I've been going over the same thing and think that I'm going to put a no-slip in the rear, but I for the life of me can't find where to buy or how much they cost, can anyone give me a hand?

 

Check post number 7, there are links.