Front LSD or Air Locker?

Hi everyone!

I have a 2014 G3 Jimny. I just decided on my first mod, a rear air locker and a gear reduction kit! My goal is to slowly crawl over the obstacles to minimize the damage to the car. I am now thinking on what to install for the front axle, one option would be an LSD and forget about it and the other would be to take advantage of the already installed air compressor and have a front and rear locker option.

So far, having a front locker seems like the most capable option. But I would need to be connecting it and disconnecting it to avoid heavy steering.

I'd like to hear opinions about this. If I'm going for an LSD what ratio should it be? What is a good pre load?

I have a Kaiser www.jimnybits.com/suzuki-jimny-automatic...ocker-by-kaiser.html

With a 2014 you should have traction control yes? To that end I would recommend a quaife helical LSD as if will complement the existing traction control system.

When funds allow I will be doing much the same as you and lowering the gearing and adding mechanical traction aids to the axles though I will have quaife differentials both ends as 1 they are fit and forget and 2 they work on road too not just when I remember off road. I know that traction control and LSD are reaction based instead of preemptive but in general conditions that reaction time for a wheel trying to slip is very short.

Also it's not the front locked out that affects the steering it's the back. With the front locked the car will go where the wheels are pointing. With the back locked it will want to continue straight.

It seem's  some previous comments disapeared, possibly while Martin was fiddling with the cables behind the telly! Here's what I wrote before:

You can't go far wrong with either. As Lambert says, the combination of traction control and an LSD works very similarly to a locked diff, albeit with a small amount of lag. Personally I'd have gone witha Quaife in the rear because it improves how the car drives all the time, not just when you're off-road with it engaged. I have a quaife in the back of my Jimny (03 so no traction control) and a welded front diff and it's a good combination. Twin quaifes with traction control would be equally capable and more fit and forget.
And Lambert is correct about the steering thing. Locked rear diffs make a car go straight because the rear wheels are pointing straight. Locked front diffs make the car go in whatever direction the wheels are pointing, so are much more user friendly.

You noticed that too, I thought it was me having another senior moment!

Yes, sorry. If you posted whilst the databases were moved then your posts are on the old server

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I’ve had arb air lockers back and front in my Jimny for the last 10 years and wouldn’t be without them. It means you can drive very carefully over rocky lumpy parts without using momentum to keep,movinng. They flick in and out very quickly so really not a problem. On difficult bits I tend lo leave the rear locker in and when necessary disconnect the front. The locked rear doesn’t stop you steering as generally I’m driving on a loose surface, hence the need for the locker. With arbs you only have to back off a bit, flick the switch and it’s out. Definitely the way to go, but they’re not cheap!