gsbrockman

Exactly.....my truck dyno'ed at 336 hp and 665 torque......do I want that going to one wheel or two wheels ? Easy answer for me.........
Greg

Raspy

An open differential does not send power to only one wheel. One wheel can spin while the other one does not, but both wheels are always getting equal torque. The overall torque delivered to the ground is limited by the wheel with the least traction, but they are always equal. That's the nature of a differential, equal torque.

Wetspirit

1sttruck

If your tires generally provide adquate traction for the conditions then a limited slip works well. If you're on dry pavement moving at an average speed and then hit a nice long smooth patch of ice, you're now driving with too much speed/power for the conditions, even though the speed/power was ok a second ago. If you have an open diff and one tire spins because traction is marginal, the one tire just spins and you keep going. With a limited slip if one tire spins, it biases some torque to the other wheel which is on the verge of spinning, and now you have a good chance of two wheels spinning. With two wheels spinning you're now out of control, and with a rear wheel drive the rear end will tend to come around. A limited slip with decent snow/ice tires can also work well, provided the tires will hook up, as it's a common setup for rallys. See below for a link to an article about a fancy BMW traction control system.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/at_011219.htm

Conventional limited slip differentials use a little constant pressure on their clutches to preload the differential. This works fine for performance applications but it is undesirable on ice. When two wheels are "locked" constantly together even with limited force, they tend to fight each other when the vehicle turns corners and the wheels have to travel different distances. On slippery, icy road surfaces, the action tends to cause both drive wheels to loose traction. This can have a dramatic effect on lateral stability.

bluepp

Just as a little side note here The Bombardier ATVs use this BMW type of differential on there ATVs on the ft axel. The rear axles dont differentiate, there solid drive. This allows you to have one ft wheel clear off ground and still spin all 3 others even in the dirt. And still have easy stearing, with all 4 on ground.