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Competition Spool on the street?

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CEstep said:
just wanted to know does anyone run a spool on the street?



When my spider gears broke, it was pretty close to the same as running a spool, everything was locked up. .

Tore up asphault that was hot from the sun shining on it, etc.



You can definately live with it but be careful in the winter time!
 
They will push a little and sometime you will get a tire chirp, but not a real bad deal since all the weight is on the front when you are on the street. If you are going to run stock axles, just weld the carrier solid and save the money for something else. A well welded carrier is plenty strong.



Josh
 
Yeah I guess I forgot to that I had 700lbs in the back when my spiders were locked up. Probably wouldn't be as bad if empty.
 
I don't think I'd recommend welding them if you are going to use the truck on the street. You'll break something. The D80 is plenty strong, but something has to give should that thing actually hook up!



Josh
 
When you say use on the street... are you talking as a daily driver? Short trips here and there won't be bad, but to drive it everyday, you'll kill the tires in short order.



I think it's bad enough with a Detroit, I wouldn't want to DD with a spool.
 
Yea, there is always some "gear head" running a spool or welded spiders on the street! Personally, I wouldn't recommend it at all on a daily driver! If the truck is a toy that will see very limited street use, it still won't be practicle... but toys don't HAVE to be practicle!!! (Been there)



Steve Keim
 
i love it when this question comes up and all the experts who have never done it tell everyone it can't be done ...



jpickens on here had a spool in for a long while on his daily driver ... don't know if he still does but he had it for a long time ...



i ran a ramcharger with a lincoln locker for 28k miles and 35's no problems ...

guy who bought it didn't like it and took it out



was gonna put a spool in my '01, even bought the limited slip carrier, then found out that a dana 80 spool was 800$ ... 200 more than a detroit locker ...



as soon as my house is done i'm gonna figure what i'm gonna do but it's looking like licoln locker time again
 
DPS said:
They will push a little and sometime you will get a tire chirp, but not a real bad deal since all the weight is on the front when you are on the street. If you are going to run stock axles, just weld the carrier solid and save the money for something else. A well welded carrier is plenty strong.



Josh



Welded carriers are not NHRA legal. I only mention this because this message is in the competition forum.



Paul
 
I had a welded rear end in 97 and I put about 5K a year on the truck. I would not suggest it. Tires do chirp, no biggy, but turning stinks, I figured since all of the weight was in the front that the truck wouldn't be that bad, but I since have put in a trac lock until I get the chance to put in the ARB. If it is a pull truck only, then I would do it, if you don't mind the symptons I describe then do it. I would not do it again.
 
I daily drove a Jeep with a spooled rearend for 2. 5 years. Not pleasant, but liveable, since in my mind, it was an offroad toy first and a daily driver second. And it's worse in a short-wheelbase, flexible suspension vehicle (lots of sway going around low-speed corners) like a Jeep than it would be in a truck. Wet traction was tons better, IMO, than a Detroit or Lockrite, both of which I also ran for awhile at different points in the Jeep's evolution.

With the spool in the rain, it always pushed going around corners, which was a pain in the rear, but at least it was predictable - no sudden lockups in the pouring rain getting on the freeway like I saw with auto lockers! It would be okay in a truck, but if you like having a nice, fun-to-drive, comfortable street vehicle, and/or put a lot of miles on it every year, I'd go with a selectable locker...



Chris
 
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