How differential gears work

2point5RS_Dan

2point5RS_Dan

HATER DAN
While browsing around jeep forums I found this video that explains the concepts of differentials using easy to understand visual concepts.

 
Yes, there are different types of differentials. Open- just spider gears. The wheel with the least amount of traction will spin. Great for those smokey one-tire burnouts. Useless for performance, but welding the spider gears to the case will give you full traction will both wheels ALL OF THE TIME but will make the inside rear tire hop around corners. Most factory posi units are clutch type. It works similar to a Subie center diff. Mechanical lockers, air lockers, and spooled (fully locked, no spider gears) are common in aftermarket performance applications.

 
that is interesting. the lsd version common, is a piece of junk (from gm anyway)..

anyone take apart a sube? My own is some kind of einstein

4lo is full diff lock, and just recently welding in the front end sub structure, is proving all 4 wheels lock up, not just the rear. In 4 hi, it is limited slip, and in two wheel drive it is full open, yet still not as goofy as "one wheel squeal deal".

seeing the torsen worm wheel , I wonder what subaru did. the body had to be made very rigid to gain the functions just mentioned, proving there is something exactly playing with millimeters, (as japan is noted for). a lot of dual range subes did not keep the function of full lock in 4 lo, because the body only needed to move an "a hair" it seemed, to make it not work..That is also a tip for you old sube seekers. simply drop the used buggy in 4lo to see if it locks, if not, get the welder out. 4x4 will typically always work, I am referring to the real lockup. it is a pleasant bonus.
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When they added more spokes to the demonstration in the first vid my brain clicked and I immediately understood. Seeing it as an entirely assembled piece can be hard to grasp at first...

 
Great info ! So can one gather from this that a torsen type rear is about the best for road racing ?
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Looked up torsen quickly, here's what I found:

Torsen homepage FAQ

Torsen Wikipedia Entry

Muscle Car Club dot Com's Diff Page

Bimmer Forum Discussion on Torsen, may be innacturate

I didn't read through all of these yet and cannot account for their accuracy. Cross reference info and look more yourself if something seems wrong, I'm just link gathering.

When they added more spokes to the demonstration in the first vid my brain clicked and I immediately understood. Seeing it as an entirely assembled piece can be hard to grasp at first...
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That's why I posted this. I showed my sister and both of us said the concept clicks in your head once they add in the extra spokes. I figured some folks on here would enjoy it.

 
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