Differential question

[wfo9]

Yes, you can activate a rear locker in 2wd. I think you can even hard wire the stock e-locker to do this. Its quite a bit of fun on a slick surface if you like spinning in circles.

As far as straight line traction goes, its better than 2wd open, but generally not as good as 4wd open front and rear.

 

[ProspectiveBuyer]

As far as straight line traction goes, its better than 2wd open, but generally not as good as 4wd open front and rear.

That's very counter-intuitive.

 

[jwkilgore]

That's very counter-intuitive.

90% of the time all four wheels are on the ground and pulling, plus there's more weight over the front tires than the back tires which immensely helps traction. An open 4WD will keep going long after an open 2WD is stopped. And the fact that you've got only half the pulling power means that most of the time a locked RWD will start spinning before an open 4WD.

On the other hand, once you start spinning, it's very possible to hit a situation where constant power to wheels on the same axle is much better than power to one spinning wheel on each axle. Still, I'd rather have an open 4WD than a lockable RWD. I'd rather have a lockable 4WD than either, but that's a lot of money.