33's, leveling kit, open diffs vs. 35's, 2.5" lift, rear locker
How much more can a JKU with the second setup do compared to the first? Do 35's + rear locker open up the ability to go on a lot more trails or just a few more? I'm thinking about areas like the Sierras, desert Southwest, Moab, and Colorado.
Lockers are the single biggest improvement that can be made to an off road vehicle's capability.
I would also note that a winch may become necessary soon after as you will get into MUCH more difficult situations if you actually put the locker to use
Even the difference between going from a limited slip to a locker is incredible.
A word of caution: Lockers are awesome off road but they are NOT very street friendly, especially in inclement weather.
A locker in snow or heavy rain can spin you out before you know it, so if your driving is going to be primarily street with a bit of off road get a selectable locker that you can turn off on the street.
Now that all of that has been said about the lockers, if your off roading doesn't include rock crawling, I would without hesitation recommend the TrueTrac.
Exceptional traction in snow, rain, mud, and it requires no driver input.
It is basically invisible to the driver, you just have incredible traction in all circumstances (except if a tire is in the air, then your tire in the air spins which is why they're not good for rock crawling)
Go on youtube and watch some videos of them in action.
Now that all of that has been said about the lockers, if your off roading doesn't include rock crawling, I would without hesitation recommend the TrueTrac.
Exceptional traction in snow, rain, mud, and it requires no driver input.
It is basically invisible to the driver, you just have incredible traction in all circumstances (except if a tire is in the air, then your tire in the air spins which is why they're not good for rock crawling)
Go on youtube and watch some videos of them in action.
I have f&r TrueTracs and after the 14.7" dump of snow I had the pleasure of driving down the mile of dirt road that I use to get to the main road that had some nice 3ft drifts. And did not have a single issue.
Half the cost of lockers and no modifications for a air/electrical line.
They are not rebuildable, but they don't need it. The hardest part is finding gear oil without friction additive.
When 1 tire is off the ground, the free wheel will spin. Slight breaking will get them working again. For the rears it is pretty simple, a couple of clicks of the e-brake will take care of the brake gas dance. The fronts as mentioned before only work when in 4wd, both high & low. And the dance is required.
I drove Olive in JP Dirt 'N Drive 17 this year. Everyone keep telling me I should not be on the trails we were on with without lockers. One trail the guide said we could not join them and then finally agreed but said we would only get two tries on a problem. After that we would have to get pulled out. He did not want us slowing the group down. Others were pulled but we made it through every obstacle with out getting a pull. I did replace the clutch we we get back to MN though. My point is that the driver and how you drive is a big part of what your Jeep is capable of. I was amazed at what Olive could. My other Jeeps (CJ2a and CJ7s) all had open diffs as well but did not have close to the capability of Olive (2014 JKU). I may add lockers at some point but am very impressed at what can be done with out as well. Have confidence in your Jeep and know your driving limitations.
I've never been off-road where you wheel, but in the south lockers are exceptionally great in deep, slick mud. No amount of (reasonable) lift and tire combo would equal the traction of a locker. In a stock rubicon I chewed through mud holes that lifted sports just couldn't handle.
100% agree with the winch. In my limited experience, the winch is probably the single best mod you can get.
Well, here's my dilemma, and the reason behind starting this thread. I don't really want to mess with the diffs and gears for a while, like until the warranty runs out on my Jeep. However, it appears the mod bug has bit after getting way more belly rubs than expected on my latest outing. So, I am trying to get a sense of how many more opportunities (trails, places to go, etc.) I will have with 35's and a rear locker, and if it's enough to get me over my reluctance to mess with gears/diffs right now.
Can some of you share some examples of trails an average guy/gal would be able to do with a JKU on 35's with a rear locker that would not be recommended for 33's and open diffs? Thanks.
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