- Joined
- Jul 27, 2012
- Messages
- 1,833
- Reaction score
- 1,148
What is a differential?
A differential is a casing of gears that transfer power to the wheels. Rear-Wheel-Drive (RWD) has a differential at the rear, Front-Wheel-Drive (FWD) has a differential at the front and 4-Wheel-Drive (AWD or 4X4) has one at the front and rear, however they are mainly a different type of differential called Limited Slip (LSD). Now the reason these are necessary to a vehicle is so that when a car turns, for example right, the outer wheel (left wheel in this case) will cover more area than the inner (right) wheel and vice versa. If the differential wasn't there and was replaced with a solid axle, the inner wheel would spin and skip to keep up with the distance the outer wheel has covered. This is how differential gears came about.
Open differentials
The open differential has absolutely 0% lock. This means that one wheel may spin freely while the other doesn't. These are the most common type of differential and are added to almost every vehicle you see on the roads today.
Limited Slip differentials
Limited Slip differentials can be quite confusing when explained in text form but I'll try my best. Unlike the open diff, LSD have an extra gear in the casing so that when a certain percentage of power is put down, the differential locks together so that both wheels spin at a similar rate. These can be found in most sports cars and off-road vehicles such as Land Rover and JEEP and are used to get better traction during acceleration as an open diff would just spin one wheel.
Welded differentials
Now this may not be a 'type' of differential, however they are very common in drift cars so I feel I need to explain what these are for. Basically, a welded diff is an open diff but with certain gears welded together with a metal plate in order for the diff to output 100% lock to both wheels. This means both wheels turn at the exact same rate, pretty much like a solid axle as I explained earlier. So when you turn with a welded diff, the inner wheel will skip to catch up with the outer wheel. These have been proven to be the cheapest and most effective modification for a drift car, not so much for any other type of vehicle.
If you've read up to now then congratulations you nerd. If you didn't then watch this video to fully understand how they work.
Skip to 1:15
It's funny how a video from 1937 is so simply educating than the videos we see today.
Enjoy.
A differential is a casing of gears that transfer power to the wheels. Rear-Wheel-Drive (RWD) has a differential at the rear, Front-Wheel-Drive (FWD) has a differential at the front and 4-Wheel-Drive (AWD or 4X4) has one at the front and rear, however they are mainly a different type of differential called Limited Slip (LSD). Now the reason these are necessary to a vehicle is so that when a car turns, for example right, the outer wheel (left wheel in this case) will cover more area than the inner (right) wheel and vice versa. If the differential wasn't there and was replaced with a solid axle, the inner wheel would spin and skip to keep up with the distance the outer wheel has covered. This is how differential gears came about.
Open differentials
The open differential has absolutely 0% lock. This means that one wheel may spin freely while the other doesn't. These are the most common type of differential and are added to almost every vehicle you see on the roads today.
Limited Slip differentials
Limited Slip differentials can be quite confusing when explained in text form but I'll try my best. Unlike the open diff, LSD have an extra gear in the casing so that when a certain percentage of power is put down, the differential locks together so that both wheels spin at a similar rate. These can be found in most sports cars and off-road vehicles such as Land Rover and JEEP and are used to get better traction during acceleration as an open diff would just spin one wheel.
Welded differentials
Now this may not be a 'type' of differential, however they are very common in drift cars so I feel I need to explain what these are for. Basically, a welded diff is an open diff but with certain gears welded together with a metal plate in order for the diff to output 100% lock to both wheels. This means both wheels turn at the exact same rate, pretty much like a solid axle as I explained earlier. So when you turn with a welded diff, the inner wheel will skip to catch up with the outer wheel. These have been proven to be the cheapest and most effective modification for a drift car, not so much for any other type of vehicle.
If you've read up to now then congratulations you nerd. If you didn't then watch this video to fully understand how they work.
Skip to 1:15
It's funny how a video from 1937 is so simply educating than the videos we see today.
Enjoy.