J3ff3ry_J33pst3r

i have an '11 JKUr built on 37s that's 80% offroad & wheeled ( not some poosy-posure," I wheel hard on speedbumps..." wheeling, but actually crawl it with 'pane buggys) relatively hard. I also have a '95 XJ Country that I have a Rusty's 3" w/bilsteins and steely 15's sporting new 31" Dick Cepek Fun Countrys that is 80% street but wife drives in inclimate weather with kids on all manner of terrain and 'roads' of Tennessee.
I do not run lockers intentionally because when I decided to actually wheel, I gave myself a decade of open diffs to learn to be a good line chooser and to make smart climbs + not be afraid to re-assess( IOWs, a smart, good wheeler)..
I dont know your experience level and I am NOT downplaying lockers in the rear , front or both but unless you're Tim Cameron or John Currie and know how to drive( and I mean really drive) , here is one sggtion for leaving them open but sleeve 'em, gusset 'em and bracket 'em w/ armor and get some great axles shafts and R&Ps that suit your tires/usage instead and a surplus of UJoints to carry+ a winch and a hiLift. Then go out and open diff wheel like a freakin MAN and once you're vision gets so bad you cannot carry-out the line's like ya used to, then lock the diffs...
I think you'll find it much more challenging and enjoyable.
just my 2 cents.
Jeep On, bro

denverd1

for crawling around the park? my jeep is trail only. and I don't see how a locker affects gear ratio

Atmos

I have so many counter arguments I'm not sure where to start. if you like a challenging offroad experience then why are you running 37's? I'd figure someone who likes a challenge would spend less building a jeep on locked 33's and still follow your open diffs everywhere.

without getting into what you can and can't make with open diffs, I'd argue strongly that you will actually break less parts being locked/locked. roasting off your tires is the number one way to break parts. if you're locked you're going to be walking up a lot more obstacles in a shorter amount of time rather than giving it a few goes with the open axles.

I dont know your experience level and I am NOT downplaying open diffs, but if you wanna be a trail tampon for 10 years...
you keep up with buggies? I believe you. but pictures worth a thousand words etc.

denverd1

I think there's some merit to wheeling with open diffs for a bit. Nothing I hate to see more than a shiny rubicon on 20" wheels asking if they can follow me around the park. guaranteed they don't know what they're doing.

10 years on open diffs? my buddies would get tired of pulling me over speed bumps... Not sure I could handle 10 years of open diffs knowing there was greener grass

Atmos

I wheeled with guys for years who weren't open/open but simply open front/locked rear. you're right, they got really good at getting stuck, backing up, trying again, getting stuck, backing up, trying again until they found the right line. when they finally got tired of taking an obnoxious amount of time to get through the more difficult trails they finally locked the front.

the lockers take them right up those old lines now. we actually get through trails in a decent fashion now and have time to play on the bonus lines. even if you do learn something wheeling with open diffs, you're going to take almost none of that information with you when you get lockers. believing that running open diffs is some how going to train you to be a better wheeler is the most silly logic I've heard all month

the grass is greener where you water it. ya dig?

denverd1

What I've heard is that locked/locked made them lazy. point-and-shoot isn't as fun as picking a line and working your way through the trail.

hey I'm not disagreeing with ya! got my front locker ready to go in this weekend. looking forward to getting it in!

Atmos

you're not disagreeing but you think point and shoot isn't as fun? and you're installing a second locker? lol. how about you get that thing installed and come give us an update on this thread once you've tried the locked/locked deal. locked/locked helps you master the obstacles you're trying now and opens doors to let you try new and much more difficult obstacles. you wont feel lazy at all

denverd1

lol

Fred/N0AZZ

As is mine for off road also, if you ask this question you need a lot more help. Tire size is what governs the gear ratio, for a 33" tire needs a 4.56 gear the 3.55's are a dog with 33's 35's. The D30 carrier and Locker size is decided by the gear ratio going up or down from 3.73 in most all case's. If it were a DD you could get by just really poor mpg and no power with trans overheating a lot......I guess you already knew this so I won't bother you any more, sorry.

Fred/N0AZZ

Damn don't know where to start........."A real legend in his own mind".

PurpleToxin505

Haha, I would love for him to come play with me, he'll be real disappointed when the lil XJ on 31s is walking over everything the wrangler is struggling on