TJM Pro Air locker question

[CF_Machete]

I recently purchased one of these and on the packing slip, it stated that would not work with 4.56 or 4.88 gears... only stock. This was not specified on the sellers website.

Has anyone purchased one of these lockers? have you been able to modify it to accommodate 4.56 gears?

Any other options to run larger tires without significant power/ millage loss? I've heard that you can regear other parts of the drive train in other vehicles to accomplish similar results.

I'm at 285/70/17s, but 295s or 315's will need a regear since its my DD.

 

[mteolus]

Return it and get an ARB air locker or Eaton Electric locker.

 

[CF_Machete]

I specificly purchased a tjm due to the design. The whole unit is not pressurized, so you don't have the ARB seal failure issue and you don't have a 180 degree rotation engagement like the eaton. If i have to deal with 285s... i will. It will be cheaper than a busted seal or a locker that does not function as needed.

 

[sn_85]

Looks like it might only be for stock gears. I would contact the guys at Just Differentials and see what they have to say about it.

TJM168PL23

 

[JSparky]

Looks like it might only be for stock gears. I would contact the guys at Just Differentials and see what they have to say about it.

TJM168PL23

Agreed. That said, Just Differentials has a very good reputation, but be sure to ask specific questions regarding specific part numbers, I’ll leave it at that.

Also please follow up on this cause a number of us (myself included) are interested in the TJM locker as well.

 

[CF_Machete]

Yeah, already did that. I bought the locker from just differentials, but they didn't mention the gearing on the site, just the packing slip. They put me in contact with Wes at TJM who was very responsive, and confirmed that larger gears would not work with it.

 

[Jetboy]

I'm surprised it won't fit. The 4.56 ring gear isn't that thick. Im curious if they've actually tried it. I can give you all the measurements from a 4.56 setup and you can measure the locker if you want.

 

[4R4Trout]

That just seems weird that it is only for stock gears.

 

[borfoo3]

I'm surprised it won't fit. The 4.56 ring gear isn't that thick. Im curious if they've actually tried it. I can give you all the measurements from a 4.56 setup and you can measure the locker if you want.

I would not put an ARB in either. Even if it were free I'm still on the fence. You've seen my experience... Maybe the best bet is to swap a complete rear elocker axle assembly.

FWIW I also took my 4.56 gears back out. I liked the feel, but 12-15 mpg tells me the engine is working a lot harder. So... I'll have a rear 4.56 elocker diff for sale.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but your experience can help everyone here as well.. What happened after you re-installed the ARB locker? Still had that grinding noise? Any issues with the air actuation? Are you going back to OEM gears?

I'm considering a re-gear, which makes air lockers a viable option too.. I'm back on 275 tires since 285 felt a bit too sluggish in the sand (bogging down). Fuel range is ok, but I'm hoping it won't take too much of a hit if I go to 4.56.

 

[Jetboy]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but your experience can help everyone here as well.. What happened after you re-installed the ARB locker? Still had that grinding noise? Any issues with the air actuation? Are you going back to OEM gears?

I'm considering a re-gear, which makes air lockers a viable option too.. I'm back on 275 tires since 285 felt a bit too sluggish in the sand (bogging down). Fuel range is ok, but I'm hoping it won't take too much of a hit if I go to 4.56.

My final opinion is still uncertain. But... yeah, the new one makes about as much noise as the old one. I'm not happy with it.

 

[mteolus]

Also - yeah, I'm going back to OEM gears. I mostly drive on 275/60/20's (about 33") and usually am empty. With OEM gears I could still pretty commonly get around 18-20mpg on the highway and loaded with a weeks worth of gear, fridge, roof rack, etc. I'd get around 16.5. The best I can get empty with teh 4.56 gears has been 15-15.5. That tells me that the engine is wasting a lot more thermal energy and working harder. Intuitively my take was that 4.56 felt better. Especially around town. But the fuel consumption suggests that the engine isn't operating very efficiently. I'm keeping the 4.56 set for now. So I can swap back if I wanted at some point. If I were spending most of my time off road - 4.56 would be great. My 4Runner is a daily driver as its primary use. So I want what works best for the 99% of my miles, and I'll deal with the downsides for the other 1%.

Hope that helps.

I was thinking about 4.56 too, maybe not now. Thanks for the info.

 

[Jetboy]

I was thinking about 4.56 too, maybe not now. Thanks for the info.

A lot of people have really liked the lower gears. If I were judging based just on feel - they're great. I wish we had a 6th gear. On ramp acceleration and such is much nicer. And trail crawling control is nicely improved as well. But the 1GR just doesn't like high rpms on the highway. Especially at 80mph, it sucks down the gas. If I'm going to accept 15mpg highway - I'm going to trade for an LC200.

 

[CF_Machete]

Well I reached out to just differentials to see if regearing the t-case was an option. maybe another transfer case all together will get the rpms right.