Torq Locker reliability and tire wear

Veganpotter

Veganpotter

Forum Member
Thread starter
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
191
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
Car Year
2006
Car Model
Forester X
Transmission
4eat auto
I'm super torn on getting one for my NA 2006 Foz. I live in Utah and love carving out canyons on pavement(even in my lifted AWD minivan). I don't really drive fast going up so I don't see myself engaging the locker there, and on freeway exits. But I'm worried about it engaging on downhills when stress is put on it. Or is that only when the stress is induced from the throttle? I've also seen people with this type of locker having it engage on rocky trails that are super easy to clear without it. But they wind up getting really bad chirping because it's engaging when the traction is really good anyway. I haven't seen this happen with a Subie, just Jeeps and Toyotas in person. I've also heard one explode but that was on a really heavy vehicle with a ton of power. I'm putting in the 50/50 switch. So hopefully it's a total non-issue on the road. But they do seem to lock up too early/easily on other vehicles.


*My parents are hopefully moving in with me in a year and I don't really want them to have to worry about driving my car with special care on dry roads either.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Locked centre diffs can cause propeller shaft wind up on hard surfaces. This can cause shaft breakage, or more frequently a universal joint to break.

I had this happen once in my 1968 Landcruiser when I accidentally left it in 4wd coming off a loose dirt road onto bitumen. Took about 50m before the front universal joint bolts broke.
 
Upvote 0
I definitely wouldn't be using it on most off-road trails I'm on. The rear locker would just do what it does. Even when I had a 4wd car, I only used the 4wd when I knew there was a 50/50 chance I'd lose forward momentum.

I'd honestly love to see what these could take with someone trying to break them on purpose. With a normal weight in the car.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0
I've never had any inclination to modify any drivetrain components on any of our Subarus.

They will all do a lot more than advertised, and are really quite remarkable general purpose vehicles off road. Not good for dragging a 2 ton vehicle out of a running, rocky creek like my Landcruiser was, and did, but pretty amazing for everything else.

Under body protection, tyre pressures and common sense are probably the most important things you need.
 
Upvote 0
Veganpotter said:
I'd honestly love to see what these could take with someone trying to break them on purpose. With a normal weight in the car.
Click to expand...
Mine was all but indestructible, even with a tonne in the back, and/or a tandem axle horse float (with two horses on board).

Basically, very robust 1950s technology and build.
 
Upvote 0
The TorqMasters TorqLocker is an auto locker, so it's constantly locked & when you go around corners it automatically unlocks
They are extremely reliable, far more reliable than air or e-lockers which can both have reliability issues. They're also much cheaper, both to purchase & to install.
The locker is most noticeable with a clicking noise in slow, tight turns like in carparks or pulling out of a side street
It takes a little bit of getting used to, and does get quieter as it beds in. I found you just need to adjust your driving style slightly, so you accelerate less while turning. It’s noisiest while turning sharply under hard acceleration
In medium speed corners and up, it’s not noticeable at all
There is no effect on handling even when wet

Comparison Video SF/SG Foresters:
Video of the locker in action vs viscous LSD rear diff vs open rear diff.
All cars have the same centre diff (factory 4kg) & same front diff (open):



SJ Diesel Forester on tough rutted climb:
(Clicking noise at 1:06 min)

 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
I'm definitely not at all bothered by the clicking thing. And I'm not in a terribly congested city. But we do have high speed limits of close to 130kph. I'm wondering what kind of speed it can handle without locking on freeway turns. The tighter turns normally have you drop 20-25kph, but it'll still be pretty high speeds.
*A local shop quoted me 6.5hrs billing for the install. Not sure how reasonable that is. They're the only place within 3hrs that said they'll do it so far
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0
Veganpotter said:
I'm wondering what kind of speed it can handle without locking on freeway turns.
Click to expand...
It is always locked on turns, the mechanics of the locker means the outside wheel has to go faster than the inner wheel (thus the clicks). It always drives power to the wheel with the,most grip as opposed to open that always applies to the wheel with the least grip.

Cornering with a torq locker is what concerns me the most, not so much in normal conditions but in evasive manoeuvres.

I'm not an engineer, but that's the way I see it. I'm probably just paranoid.
 
Upvote 0
I didn't even really think about the evasive turns. I need to make those all the time at work since I'm driving 70k a year in one of the snowiest parts of north america
 
Upvote 0
Look. Putting it bluntly, your Forester will do almost anything a rational person would expect it to do, without any modifications. It will do it without fuss. It will do it safely. It will do it pretty economically.

The only thing that is really necessary is a decent sump guard.
 
Upvote 0
I have one that I skinned with polycarbonate(including a transmission and rear diff guard). I just haven't mounted them yet. But I've already gotten stuck on steep dirt trails where I'm fairly confident a locker would have helped. One trail was manageable with my Sienna campervan but I think the extra weight actually helped me there. I am removing my rear sway bars...hopefully that makes a big difference.
*I'm sure airing down would have gotten me up, but I also didn't air down with my minivan.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0
If your Forester will not go places that a minivan would, there's something wrong with your Forester.

Perhaps either the centre diff or rear vLSD, or both, are damaged? Just a thought.
 
Upvote 0
It was given a once over before I bought it. And it's getting upgrades right now. I'm friends with the mechanic and everything looks good. I didn't have the center diff switch yet(getting that now). But I didn't have anything on my van either other than a small lift(not needed on that trail) and slightly toothier tires. My rear wheels just wouldn't move until I stopped... then they spun because the trail was steep and the spinning wasn't getting me anywhere. I don't really spin much at all hitting that with my van. I've done that climb many times because it's my favorite camping spot within an hour. My guess is that the van's rear end activated before I even noticed any slip. And the Forester's didn't until I got stuck. I've also driven the Forester in a couple big snowstorms and tried to get stuck on flat ground on purpose. It totally shined there with gradually spinning out of the snow.
 
Upvote 0
im surprised that for now only those guys making that locker , if more would start to manufacture those they would get cheaper. in russia there are at least 3-4 manufactturers of those lockers , they even making them 2 models harder locking and kinda softer ones called one click, so they click just once not rattle all time.
i can get one here from russia for 300 euros. one that is more reliable as some other manufacturer ones where braking allready for some people, not this one though. more and more ppl here starting to use them and they not going off road that often even. with better sound isolation they almost not noticeable.
i wonder could this locker brake axle same as hard axles braking with locker if one wheel spin fast in air and then it would drop hard on ground getting instant grip , would those situations be problem for those torq lockers as well.
do you have there some other auto lockers but like not 100% , we have here some 70% rear lockers made for those standard rear diffs too. they not click at all , but then they not allways locking fully. still that could be better then open diff for sure.
 
Upvote 0
I'm happy paying $430 US for one. I'm surprised there aren't any available here that are made in China. But that doesn't mean I'd buy it over one made in Australia. I'd actually like an electronic locker. Not sure how much I'd be willing to pay for it though. At least $800
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0
The Torqlocker is only noticeable in low speed TIGHT turns. It is not noticeable at all at high speed. It can't suddenly lock up on you halfway through a turn because it is always locked.

It is an auto locker & is always locked.

It automatically unlocks with a clicking noise when going around a TIGHT turn at low speed. It does this several times per second, that's why you get the clicking:

 
Upvote 0
Just like “shock absorbers” (dampeners), the auto locker is incorrectly named. It should really be called an auto UNlocker. All of them operate the same as described previously.

Cheers

Bennie
 
Upvote 0
@NachaLuva yes, but the high speed turns are what I'm wondering most about. We have roads with 130kph speed limits with turns that aren't really that wide. And quite right turns in canyons at 115kph or so

We have a lot of that here. Plenty to shred tires up
 
Upvote 0
@Veganpotter - are you expected to travel at those speeds on every bend in the road? I’m doubtful.

Do some research on auto locker operation on paved roads and see what you find there. Try to ignore opinions, find those that have them and share their experiences.

Cheers

Bennie
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top