Should I upgrade to 8.8 for a limited locker?

[BombThreat]

I just have a tiny 2.5 5 speed 2wd ranger but in a effort to save on fuel I want to use it to tow my jetski's to the lake in the summer. A good portion of the launches can get somewhat slippery in the way of loose rock or just wetness. I'm thinking a limited locker like a lock-rite might be a good investment. I was wondering, would it be worth getting a locker for the 7.5 or find a 8.8 to swap? If so what year vehicles are a direct swap and I've heard some 8.8s have limited slip already? Any advice would be great!

 

[adsm08]

The 28-spline 8.8 is only an "upgrade" over the 7.5 in terms of aftermarket support.

Get a Mustang limited slip carrier and some clutches and have them put in. That with some good tires should be enough.

 

[Captain Ledd]

Well, there's really nothing called a "limited locker". Do you mean a lunch-box locker? (the ones that just replace the spider gears, and provide full lock to both wheels), this would fit the lock-rite.

Unless you're abusing the 7.5" it's actually an alright axle.

The 7.5's and 8.8's both came with L/S differentials, though the 8.8 significantly more so.

A limited slip will be a lot more passive, and you should barely notice them. A lunch-box locker has a tendency to bang and jump a bit going down the road. They engage when the power is applied to the rear axle, the spider gear cross-pin "cams" the 2 halves of the locker outwards and engages teeth that lock the tires. Sometimes going down the highway that has long sweeping curves, depending on how much power is being applied they can lock or break the tires loose without your intending to. Some have had better success than others.

If the vehicle is primarily a driver I always recommend the limited slip approach. A swap would be the cheaper route, but the clutches would probably need to be rebuilt (replaced). Or you could do a carrier swap on your current axle. In which case you'd be silly to put anything other than a Detroit Tru-trac in it (gear driven L/S, very nice unit, works very well, roughly $500), but then you'd need some setup fees to re-do the ring gear too, but if you're not swapping gear ratio's the cost shouldn't be too bad, most of it is already set up. The FX4 Rangers will have these fancy differentials already and will have a 4.10 gear ratio (deeper gears are rarely bad for a 4 cylinder, I actually saw an increase in mileage swapping to 4.56!)

Alright, swapping. ANY model year Ranger will do nicely, but there are some width changes, stick to roughly 1993+ Rangers. Super new rangers have disk brakes, some have reported issues with brake master cylinders when swapping to disks but I'm not sure the exact issue (never looked, besides, drum brakes work fine). Also, get the 10" brake drums if you don't already have them, don't waste your time with the 9" brake drums.

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/Axles.html

That should get you a pretty good start!

 

[adsm08]

I think he is referring to limited slip when he says "limited locker".

 

[BombThreat]

Only reason I said limited locker is because I seen a post with someone referring to a locker as a "LL". Just thought that's what the abbreviation was. Thanks for all the great information, I did some reading and don't think the lock-rite would be a issue. I dont mind the clicking and such associated with those types of lockers. Just thinking I want something that I know I can count on locking when I need the grip. The winter time driving increased traction is a added bonus. I JUST got done replacing all my brakes on the rear axle including the drums and it is the 10". So sticking with a 7.5 sounds like its not a bad choice. If I found a suitable locker for it and expect to pull a max of 1500lbs including the trailer that should be ok?

 

[Captain Ledd]

Ahh yes, LL would be Lunch-box Locker. As for how the term came about, no idea.

It should be ok towing, it may require a slight change of driving style but they do work as intended.