LSD vs Locker: Ford Explorer and Mitsubishi Pajero Put to the Test on Frozen Sand

Differences, pros and cons, on truck with limited slip differentials and truck with factory lockers.
0:00 intro
2:05 First obstacle
5:02 Second obstacle
7:53 Sand dune
9:08 Forest drive
11:30 Braking through ice
12:49 Recovery
13:50 The end

[@raze4789]

I had a 1991 Ford Explorer it was completely stock with 33" tires. It went everywhere my friends with jeeps and samurai could go, and it was a comfortable ride. They are very under rated offroad.

[@BrentNye]

Excellent comparison/test. Not the result I had guessed. Thanks.

[@JB-dl4ul]

Like always, great video! Thanks for putting these up!

[@shittysolutions]

Thank you!

[@mariusrimkus7377]

Videos are getting better and better

[@shittysolutions]

Ačiū, Mariau!

[@PortugalCarp]

Great video, thanks for posting it. I had LSDs fitted to my old Range Rover P38 to both the front and rear. With the Traction Control they were brilliant. The fact that decent LSDs (the ATB ones being the best one in my opinion) you just have to fit them and then you can forget about them. Even on the normal roads they are a huge bonus.

[@shittysolutions]

Thanks! After couple years of hard use, LSD differentials lost it's traction and now looks more like open diffs, but on slippery roads there's still some additional traction

[@ronaldrrootiii6040]

Yeah ATBs are best with TC. Clutch LSDs wouldn't work well with TC because they require spin to lock up.

[@timwilson7326]

Great video

[@shittysolutions]

Thank you!

[@galenztwo]

Great video..

[@shittysolutions]

Thank you!

[@JeepTJWheelin]

Excellent video! I have an '05 Jeep TJ Rocky Mtn with 3.73 gears, limited slip and the rear Dana 44. Looking to do more challenging off roading this fall and winter and wondering if I even need lockers. But if I do, I will be getting either ARB or TJM lockers with bfg MT's.

[@shittysolutions]

Thank you! If you wouldn't find any rocks while offroading but only snow and mud LSD should be more than enough. Safe trails!

[@recreationalplutonium]

That Pajero looks likes a great fun vehicle. Would love to have such a small off road toy :) (I'm driving a RAM 1500)

[@shittysolutions]

Heh, you're completely right! the shorter they are the more bouncier and more fun to go fast through forest roads 😅

[@ElijahDecker]

Mitsubishi sold the Pajero as the Montero here in the U.S.

[@marinkomilusic9149]

We have 2 Explorers 1993 Very durable cars; Greetings from Bosnia

[@shittysolutions]

Thank you! hope Explorer's stays durable!

[@thetoughcookie3665]

Nice video. I just bought an lsd to my E34 from Lithuania. Earlier have bought torsen locks to my E53. Either one is not on use yet though 😁

[@shittysolutions]

Heh, nice medium size drifters are these e34's especialy with LSD

[@HUNTER23RUSS]

👍👍👍

[@fivefivesix-sevensixtwo4114]

Wow, that Explorer is nice! I have a gen 2 Pajero (it's called Montero here in the US). I can't wait to throw in my lockers and take it to the snow.

[@shittysolutions]

Thanks! Yep Montero with locked front and rear would easily outperform poor explorer But Montero 3 wouldn't, explorer would outflex it 😅

[@fivefivesix-sevensixtwo4114]

Subscribed!

[@lukasmeyer1992]

@@fivefivesix-sevensixtwo4114 Did your Montero come without a rear airlocker? In Europe almost all 2nd Gen have airlockers from factory.

[@fivefivesix-sevensixtwo4114]

@@lukasmeyer1992 My Montero is a 97 LS which means I don't have a factory rear locker and I have 4.27 differential gears (which are bad for big tires). The SR model in the US came with a rear locker and 4.6 gears I believe. I bought a front and rear locker I just need to make time to install them. I also bought 4.9 gears from a newer Montero so I can actually run big tires and not feel like a slug. The gen 2.5 Montero equipped with a winter package came with a rear locker.

[@2GE4EV]

I have explorer 2015 AWD is there any way to install LSD on front and rear ?

[@gepast]

How is maintenance on the Explorer? Can you tell me more about it? Thanks!

[@shittysolutions]

Well it's not that bad, it's quite old and simply built SUV, therefore parts doesn't cost much, sadly I have to ship them from USA to Europe. Changed all fuilds in it, only defferential oil is a bit pricey, cause it has LSD in front and in rear. Everything else is quite simple and cheap. Even brakes lasts for quite long time. Maybe gearbox is it's biggest issue, if you have auto transmission a4ld, when it would need extra radiator for cooling

[@260160nl]

I have a stock Volkswagen Taro Hilux V with LSD in the rear and open differential in the front. Like the Explorer, would changing to LSD in the front affect handling on the road? If so in what way, depending on weather conditons?

[@shittysolutions]

It depends, Taro is permanent 4x4 , 4wd or not? if you can use it on asphalt only as RWD when it's all good. with LSD in front on dry tarmac, you'll notice some strange noises from tires or CV axles, cause tires would want to spin in same speed. Worst part that LSD cluches will worn out more quickly when it should, while using in daily driving. Other than this issue, you shouldn't notice any more issues in handling.

[@260160nl]

@@shittysolutions Taro 4x4 comes with a transfer case. On top of that it has manual locking hubs in the front. My driving is 95% on tarmac with transfer case and hubs disengaged. In those driving conditions LSD in the front differential would not make a difference with freewheeling front tires. Two years ago in spring I was driving through southern Finland, mostly on flat dirt roads covered with hardened snow. I did not have spike tires but 4WD engaged did make a noticable difference driving straight ahead. Rounding sharp corners not so. There wasn't enough friction for the LSD to start slipping internally I guess, so the rear axle remained fully locked. I wondered what the effects would be with LSD in the front and hubs locked. CV joints and LSD will be fighting each other, as would be the case with a selectable locker. Now I start to realise that the difference wouldn't be that significant on dirt. LSD will most of the time act as a locked axle. A 'locked' LSD front axle on flat dirt roads will make sharp turning a little bit easier since it pulls the car in the direction the front wheels are pointing to. On tarmac the front end is disengaged so as to spare moving parts from wear and tear. Am I correct than thinking there is not much difference in handling regarding a front differential with LSD or with selectable locker, whether on pavement or sand? .

[@shittysolutions]

With manual locking hubs you have nothing to worry about. In my experience only on dry asphalt and only making hard turns it was noticable that something different. As long as you turn off hubs on asphalt it's all good. Differential with lockers will always be better than LSD, cause on rocks when one wheels goes up in the air, LSD wouldn't lock as strong as locker and you might get stuck. If you are planning to buy new differential and prices are similar between LSD and locker, i would choose locker.

[@shadeie6395]

If I have a rwd car does the locker or limited slip go in the front? I have no idea how this works lol

[@shittysolutions]

RWD car doesn't have front differential, therefore best you can do is install LSD in rear differential and slide sideways into every corner

[@NBM397]

@@shittysolutions You can get lockers for just the rear.

[@johnnorris5333]

is LSD similar to AWD ? you guys do excellent testing very informative.

[@shittysolutions]

Thank you! LSD differentials can be installed into any vehicle. It's a differential with partial locking when one of the wheels starts to spin freely on that axle. AWD or 4x4 or 4wd defines how your central differential is configured and vehicle sends power to front, rear or both. Then in front or rear you can have LSD, Lockers, or open differentials.

[@massimilianodazzi3315]

I think that the for the clinbs and also for descent+climb at first at the beginnin of video a veichole which has long wheelbase is advantaged but for sure it is inportant to have a LSD differential at the front axle too ... this is the limit of many great off road vehicles ... Pajer GLS has a std 100% lock to reaf differential which isa better tha LSD differenzial of some GLX versions it should be interesting to know if it is possible to install a Torsen diff. to front axle ... Torsen diff some time is installed to rear diff in Lada Niva e this makes the differenze... Torsen normally is used as central or rear diff and this is good also for street roads ... the question is why do not installa a torsen on the fornt in Pajero ?? To have a 100% lock it is better in off road but sometimes the system does not work ...moreover a torsen on the front is good on normal roads and give you an help in offroad.

[@shittysolutions]

Totally agree, for best comparison it would be best to use identical cars, identical tires and same driver. On normal roads it's best to have open differential, especially in front, cause you can feel the struggle in tires while driving on dry asphalt

[@massimilianodazzi3315]

Torsen diff. doesn't transfer the power to the good wheel If the other wheel is completely without grip or not on the ground iven if there are some tipe of torsen which can tender some power iven in this case which is very common in off road... Maybe is not used on front wheel cause some interference with steering wheels I am speaking about reactions

[@ronaldrrootiii6040]

What kind of LSD ? Tru trac or Ashcroft ?

[@shittysolutions]

These were OEM LSD differencials, rear one from ford and front one from jeep, both with clutch pads

[@kandaghatvalley181]

One question lsd works in slow speed only or you need to use hand brakes to engage it Some videos shows that it doesn’t work as they showed in some videos that it works like open diff plz clearify this to me

[@shittysolutions]

LSD works till clutches are in good condition, in couple years they loose most of locking abilities, and you'll need to replace them. Of course little braking can make a huge difference but with new clutches and extra one clutch no brakes are needed

[@kandaghatvalley181]

@@shittysolutions thanks was confused totally whether lsd is a fraud but thanks for clarifying this

[@kandaghatvalley181]

@@shittysolutions one more question came up brother is it possible to make open diff with custom settings into lsd

[@shittysolutions]

You can install LSD into open diff axle just like differential with locker, whole differential carrier needs to be changed or just weld open diff 😅

[@kandaghatvalley181]

@@shittysolutions ok thanks for you reply

[@woxie4990]

LT is Latvia ... or Lithuania?

[@shittysolutions]

Latvia is LV and Lithuania is LT

[@eimantasl9210]

are you from lithuania because the machine numbers are Lithuanian

[@shittysolutions]

Na tai žinoma, juk yra ir keli filmukai lietuviškais pavadinimais :)

[@jlsgarage872]

What brand and model is the lsd In explorer?

[@shittysolutions]

Rear differential already had ford's stock 8.8 LSD installed from factory and in front installed Jeep's XJ stock rear dana35 differential from junkyard. Guess it was from 1996 year model.

[@franciscojavierlopezrubio7119]

@@shittysolutions como puedo conseguir un frente como el de su explorer para ponerle focos aquí en México no salió así ese modelo Saludos

[@shittysolutions]

@@franciscojavierlopezrubio7119 Hi, are you talking about front headlights and grill? it's a bit different cause this Explorer is made for Europien market. Quite rare example and has different headlights and taillights than American models

[@rott153]

The ford have lsd ??

[@shittysolutions]

Yes, ford explorer has stock ford8.8 differential with LSD in the rear and Jeep's dana35 LSD in the front

[@itsaboutfam]

Great video! I wish the swn Pajero was sold in the US.

[@shittysolutions]

Thank you! But still second gen Pajero's were best one's 😅

[@peterpuller8569]

Which is LSD or Lockers?

[@shittysolutions]

Lockers definitely better, just mine budget can afford only LSD differentials 😅

[@davidmendoza5786]

@@shittysolutions it didn't seem like lockers were better.

[@shittysolutions]

@@davidmendoza5786 yep, but terrain in which we were testing didn't let to see real advantages of locker. Although two working LSD differentials are nice, helps to get out of sticky situations 😅

[@tedeganagondi]

Put a air locked in front of pajero and game over.My 2020 triton has front air locker with factory center and rear.ıt is unstoppable

[@shittysolutions]

100%

[@peterpuller8569]

LSD gives me the shits

[@shittysolutions]

yep, LSD is for soft terrain

[@peragames4501]

Jeep is ging

[@shittysolutions]

Jeep ain't here

[@canyonero2050]

Ford Explorer wasn't built to compete with Jeep

[@shittysolutions]

wsad