Auburn LSD or ARB Air Locker?

I think this comes down to what you plan to do with your truck. If you are going to wheeling or overlanding a good amount, I say ARB.

if you don’t Offroad the truck, save the money and just do a LSD.

The ARB will be something that you won’t really want to have on during street driving. It’s a full spool when locked. So you probably will find it never on if you don’t hit the trails.

The LSD is more than half the cost of the ARB.

 

I thought that is why most people got that ARB to air up tires, what would you use then, for tat application?

 

So even the big boy Twin ARB compressors are insufficient for filling tires?

 

Glad I saw this thread. I've run the Eaton Truetrac on HD trucks with zero issues, I don't think they make one for the 3rd gen yet, looks I'll wait it out.

 

Wise move.

 

Gonna be waiting a while. This axle has been used for 12 years now without a peep from eaton about products for it. Pretty sure that means they have zero interest in making it. While we love our trucks, and understands toyotas offroad heritage, 99% of Toyotas will never leave the highways

 

There are plenty of us that use our ARB compressors for filling our tires. 20-35psi takes a few minutes per tire. It is on par or slightly faster than the viair compressor that I used to use.
I guess if you regularly air down to less than 10psi you might get annoyed by how long it would take to air up.

 

ARB twin works good for filling up tires, I wheel with guys who have them. I don't plan on having air lockers or hard mounting a compressor so I use a

$221 Viair 400p - 40043 Portable Compressor Kit. Tire Pump, Truck/SUV Tire Inflator, For Up to 35" Tires

Viair 400p to fill up my 35's after wheeling. It takes about 3 mins per tire to go from around 20psi to 40psi. A CO2 bottle will be faster for sure but requires periodic refills.
It's just a convenience thing for me. I've had my compressor over 4 years with zero issues and just store it behind my back seat so it's always there when I need it.

 

How about the reliability of the compressor? @ColoradoTJ mentioned having to replace the O-ring in a pinch.

 

I can’t speak to the reliability of the ARB but my Viair has been trouble free for 4+ years. I store it inside the cab so it’s not exposed to the elements like a hard mounted unit is.

 

Everything could break in real life. A co2 tank could start leaking while on a trail. Dont they have safety burst valves? Back in paintball days co2 tanks would burst the safety valve on super hot days in the sun

 

At the moment I have a cheap Husky compressor that I keep behind the backseat. Something just to get me in the game. I also carry a bicycle pump...cause in a bind it’s better than nothing!

 

I haven't had mine long enough to speak to reliability. Having it mounted in the engine bay means that will need to be checked and cleaned way more frequently than my viair that I kept in a bag inside the cab.
O-rings seem like something that you can easily add to your recovery/tool bag if you are concerned. Probably a good idea along with a spare filter.
BTW I have the ARB single and 35ish inch tires. Rear locker is on the short list.

 

I certainly do miss the g80 Eaton locker in my GMC. Nothing like having the lock when you need it.

Having dealt with many Mercedes air suspensions and Audi air locking mechanisms I can say with some certainty that air systems are prone to failure. There are just to many points of failure because it’s so easy for air to seep by. Rubber o rings rot with time and chemicals as do the air lines. The lines can be pinched or cracked and cause a failure. The compressor can fail. It’s really only a matter of time so it’s imprtant to be prepared to fix those sorts of failures on the go. This is a huge bummer when it’s 35 degrees and raining and your ass is stuck in the mud and you have to diagnose and repair on the fly.


I mean, I don’t have this problem because I’m Hawai’i but you might!

 

I have ARB front and rear and air on board (not double compressor) (ARB was running a deal where they threw in the compressor) for over 2 years and no issues and the compressor is mounted in my engine bay that’s dusty, dirty and hot. I highly recommend ARB.

 

Going back and forth with this as well. Had an Auburn put in my 2013 2WD (1WD) @ 5K miles and to my knowledge it was still working at 140K. Both tires would throw a lot of mud when needed. Reading some recent posts is making me reconsider putting one in my new truck. I dont mind flipping a switch to engage. Basically had to to do that x3 with the Auburn to dissable all of the nannies anyways.

Most offoad will be the typical TX poorly maintained muddy ranch road. High drag, low speed on pavement (no super charger).

New truck is 4WD (2WD) so feel like I need to do something to make it better than previous truck.

Never had an ARB. When it fails does it fail to an open diff like the Auburn? Does it require constant air to keep it locked or it is just to actuate the mechanism? Can it be operated with an aux air source?

 

A 4WD is an improvement over a 2WD. You could just wait to see how it does as is before dropping coin on an ARB. With that said, if the ARB fails, yes, 1) Functionality would default to open differential behavior. 2) Yes, it requires continuous air pressure to remain locked. 3) You can use an air source other than an ARB compressor, but you probably have to be aware of how much pressure is applied to keep from blowing out the locker seals. I don't recall what that pressure is off the top of my head, but I don't think it's a lot, something like 5-15 psi? I'm sure someone here can rattle it off.

 

I have ARB front and rear in the GX
Auburn in the Tundra

So far no issues after 25k with Auburn. It does help a lot in the rain or sleek conditions. The rear does not snap out as easy as before when only one wheel was pushing.

The ARB, both, had to be open twice after they start blowing oil thru the diff breather. At the end ARB came up with a release valve the guys from ECGS installed so the oil does get released down but is not leaking anymore.

Yes, the ARB will outlast the lsd but for everyday use, specially in wet, ice or snow, I feel that the Auburn is better suited.