Eaton’s Detroit Locker differential has been a choice of enthusiasts and even racers for years. Serving up power to both drive wheels whenever a vehicle is running in a straight line, the Detroit Locker delivers awesome acceleration capability -or tire frying action if that’s what you’re looking for.
In corners the unit unlocks and allows the inside wheel to continue powering the vehicle through the turn, while the outside wheel can turn at a different speed without hopping or dragging. The outside axle is unlocked in a turn when inertia pushes out the locking mechanism for that particular side. This allows the cam ramps to slide out until the side gear and clutch are released, unlocking the side gear and clutch from the spider assembly.
When the vehicle returns to driving in a straight-line the spring on that side of the differential pushes the side gear and clutch back into position, putting the differential back into a locked mode. All of this operation is automatic, there are no switches that need to be activated in order to lock or unlock this differential.
The Detroit Locker has been used in everything from muscle cars, and street/strip applications, to four wheel drives and offroad trucks. This differential has even seen use in NASCAR racing, showing just how versatile and tough the unit is.
Eaton offers the Detroit Locker for a variety of popular car and truck applications, fitting nearly every popular axle on the market today. For more information check out the Eaton web-site or contact an authorized Eaton dealer.