Nitrojunkie1029

Hey guys, im new here so im probably asking an age old question, but i dont want to put lockers in my cherokee, i would rather swap the axles to something stronger and that could be positraction in the rear and something with manual locking hubs out front. Im on a budget so what are some choices i have?

ohio95xj

okay, first off, what axles do you have, what are the biggest tires you plan on running?what is the jeep's main purpose? what kind of budget are you on? and do you know what locking hubs do? they are often misunderstood

Nitrojunkie1029

I have a bone stock 96 cherokee. I think its the 8.25 in the back and a dana 30 up front? Its my daily driver but i am going to wheel it and im not sure what tire size i will be running yet, i want to beef it up now so i can always go bigger later if i want. Im 18 and still in highschool and i work at a fast food place so a small budget, but im good at saving my money

ohio95xj

your stock axles will be fine unless you plan on running over 35in tires. are you aware that locking hubs do not function as a locker, they are totally different things. do you know how much you want to lift it?

ohio95xj

if you are on budget and want a capable rig/daily driver, i would suggest a 3.5-4.5 lift on 31's(33's if you don't mind trimming your fenders a decent amount) and a lunchbox locker in front, you will still have good street manners and it will be very capable off road as well

if your budget is really tight you could do a 2in budget boost and 31in tires. but you said you're good at saving so i would opt for the first choice

Nitrojunkie1029

What exactly is a "lunchbox locker"? And are they expensive? And should i also put one in the rear?

Nitrojunkie1029

I did not know that, i was messin around in an 89 bronco in 4x4 and i couldnt get over some rocks because both front wheels werent spinning, so i locked the hubs and got right over. And im thinking about 4-5 inch lift. Maybe 6

ohio95xj

lunchbox lockers are torque activated lockers, so they are active whenever there is power to the. so if you put one in front, it is only active when you are in 4wd. when your jeep is in 2wd, you can't even tell it's there. they are around $250 for a d30. i have one in front, and i love it. you could put one in the rear, but it will always be active, causing the tires to wear faster, and hop/chirp around corners.

also if i were you, i would stay under 5" because after that, it tends to get really expensive, because there are many more thing's you will NEED

Luke95

Its around 250-300 smackers for one, You can put one in your rear but it will be noticeable, im going to explain that in a sec.


A lunchbox locker replaces your spider gears in the axle and it makes it so that when torque is applied to the axle it will be locked up like a spool. (I dont know how much you know so, A spool locks both axle shafts together all the time) But when the torque is taken off and a few revolutions around it unlocks. Its great in your front axle because its unlocked until you go into 4x4 then it shows up. In a rear axle you are always applying torque when on the gas so it will chirp around corners and click while making slow turns (IE parking) Its not bad at all and you will be able to DD it. Running them in both would be fine.


Heres two links to them
http://www.aussielocker.com/index.php/ Aussie lockers are great a bit cheaper than Spartans but are still good

http://www.ringpinion.com/b2c/spartanlocker.aspx Comes with a hardened cross pin which is a major plus

jmarks93

Do the locked fronts eat up u joints? The 30/8.25 is a good start, I just paid 100$ to have the same set up (axle wise) as you. You should get yourself a coil spacer/add a leaf kit,not too big and doesn't leave a big hole in your pocket. Or you could put coils as shocks from a zj(90's grand Cherokee) and get around 1.5" of lift

Nitrojunkie1029

Oh ok cool, thanks alot for the help

ohio95xj

no the locked fronts don't eat up u joints, as long as you aren't running bigger tires than 33's or beating the !$!$!@%!@%!@#@#$!@ out of it. i believe you are refering to a spacer/shackle lift

Nitrojunkie1029

[QUOTE=Luke95;2382625] Its around 250-300 smackers for one, You can put one in your rear but it will be noticeable, im going to explain that in a sec.


A lunchbox locker replaces your spider gears in the axle and it makes it so that when torque is applied to the axle it will be locked up like a spool. (I dont know how much you know so, A spool locks both axle shafts together all the time) But when the torque is taken off and a few revolutions around it unlocks. Its great in your front axle because its unlocked until you go into 4x4 then it shows up. In a rear axle you are always applying torque when on the gas so it will chirp around corners and click while making slow turns (IE parking) Its not bad at all and you will be able to DD it. Running them in both would be fine.


Heres two links to them
http://www.aussielocker.com/index.php/ Aussie lockers are great a bit cheaper than Spartans but are still good

http://www.ringpinion.com/b2c/spartanlocker.aspx Comes with a hardened cross pin which is a major plus

So how do i know what spline my axles are? I guess i will know when i remove the cover. Is the chirping/ hopping annoying or noticable? Do you feel it more than you hear it or vise versa?

ohio95xj

[quote/]So how do i know what spline my axles are? I guess i will know when i remove the cover. Is the chirping/ hopping annoying or noticable? Do you feel it more than you hear it or vise versa?[/quote]

the d30 is 27 spline, and your 8.25 should be 27 as well. and as for the lunchbox in the rear, it is definately going to be noticable, you will feel it and hear it. you do get used to it. but people will probably think your jeep is broken if you don't tell them what it is lol. personally for you, i would just do the front. but it's your call.

jmarks93

Cool thanks for the info. And no I didn't mean a shackle, when I bought my jeep it came with 2" coil spacers and an oem leaf pack with rough country add a leaf kit, that's just the way I did it and the kits new are dirt cheap, it may not be the best way but it gets it higher off the ground and in my case it came with the truck so why not.