Limited slip vs Locker.

[Chocko Louie]

I am aware that limited slip let's off power whilst turning a corner, same as Locker but you have to apply a fair bit of force for a locker to slip and if you engage power than it will be both tires turning around a corner (not good.)

So what I wanted to find out was... with limited slip do the tires always spin equally when going straight or is there a difference? And are Lockers really that dangerous. I'm tossing up with buying 1 of the two at the moment for a eventually serious street/strip car 90% street though.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

The names of each should give it away.

Limited Slip: does have the ability to slip, thus allowing the car to corner. Both rear wheels will drive under load, if you break traction, both wheels will spin.

Locker: no slip, completely locked all the time. Rear tyres will skip going around tight corners and you will lose steering ability in slippery conditions, then you have to steer with the rear wheels.

Sorry, was talking about a spool.

A locker will "unlock" when cornering, but will provide positive drive 100% of the time to both wheels in a straight line. Same as a limited slip if you break traction, both wheels will spin.

The differences are a locker is mechanical and a limited slip has clutches. A locker cannot wear out.

[torana355]

Lockers are not as dangerous as some people make out. If anything they are extremely predicable as you don't have one wheel under load then suddenly hooking up two wheels half way though a corner.

[GTP 85]

From my own experience.

Holden LSD's work great til they wear out.. did that a few times, and spent a lot of money.

Have been for a drive in a vehicle with a ratchet style locker center, drives nice just a tad noisey.

My street reg track car has a spool diff drives beautifully on the street and on the track, wouldnt do it any differently. Though this car has had ALL the suspension bushes and components refurbished.

My daily just has a freshly built LSD as i dont do skids or slides in it. Though, if i didnt have to tow cars on trailers i'd spool it in a heart beat.

[sweefu]

From my experience the holden LSD's in the earlier models don't stay locked up for a long time of hard abuse. Spool's are a great cheap way to get 100% lockup, they are predicable to drive with and not as deathly in the wet as some people say. They are annoying through slow corners, I haven't bothered to try maccas drive through, it will chirp going into driveways etc. Will also put harder wear on other components (suspension, bushings, driveline etc) but still better than an LSD in some situations, cheaper than a 1.5 or 2 way diff.

[blueVP]

The mechanical locker your thinking of don't really take much force to unlock, I had one in the vp for around 6 months and never had a problem with it locking up and sliding around corners. However I wouldn't recommend them for a street car and if i could go back i would have gotten an LSD.
I'm talking about the Australian LOKKA and not the detroit lokka. I found it to be 10 times noisier then the detroit lokka in dads torana, it was rough as guts when it unlocked, (would actually jar the whole car), It made the car a pig to do a U turn with.

The only good thing I've got to say is when you wanna use em for burnouts and stuff the 100% predictable and tough as nails.