Question:
how would a detroit affect the freeplay between the ring gear and pinion? do you mean there is more backlash in the "spider gears" part of the locker when compared to the almost nonexistant backlash of spider gears?
Answer:
When I first refered to freeplay, I was not refering to the backlash setting of the gear setup. I was refering to the amount of rotation needed for the carrier to lock to the axleshafts. A Detroit uses two dog clutches on either side of the spider assembly that spread apart and permit the unit to unlock. This requires some rotation of the carrier relative to the axleshafts. On my Jeep, I can turn the driveshaft almost a quarter of a turn before the locker locks. It is unnoticed on the street except for the sometimes sloppy feeling of power transfer that you get as you start to apply power to the drive axle.

-Mark