locking differentials

turbopimp187 · #1 12-13-2003, 03:40 PM

i've heard alot lately about locking the front or rear differentials.
i can see how making a posi-track setup would b good for drifting and draging. I would like more info on the advantages/disadvatages of this upgrade and how to do it.

jaubery · #2 12-13-2003, 04:23 PM

Limited slip diffs come in the awd kit.

turbopimp187 · #3 12-13-2003, 07:53 PM

im not talking about limited-differentials. i meen fully locked differentials. like locking it w/ silly putty

miller · #4 12-13-2003, 08:07 PM

I have my rear diff in my skyline locked. I Tried it before I got the AWD kit and it was definetly uncontrollable. Once I put on the AWD it was awesome. Perfect for drifting and the car was much faster to boot. I didnt use silly putty cause I dont think the silly putty would hold up. I layered about 4 peices of electrical tape with a hole cut out of the center for the axles. It worked great. Im considering on doing it to the front to get big all wheel slides.

neurokinetik · #5 12-13-2003, 11:02 PM

Just gob it up with grease. It holds up well, and is easy to undo it if you want a normal diff. Plus you can try different types of grease and get varying amounts of differential action, rather than having it fully locked.

Cyfiawnder · #6 12-14-2003, 04:15 AM

Did it in my AWD supra... Works great in the rear. I used Rubber cement. Wont stick to the plastic perminently, but It sure does slow things down quite a bit. Set up like that I make tighter turns at 3/4 speed than I do at 1/4 speed cause I get the arse end to whip around while the front end pulls/stears the car. Full speed forget it... it will either flip right over or slide 3 feet too far. That with hard treads on Tight nap carpet. I was using soft treads but they were stretching out too much with the other mods... the hard tires don't appear to do that...

turbopimp187 · #7 12-15-2003, 01:38 AM

could sum1 post pics

Cyfiawnder · #8 12-15-2003, 02:01 AM

Why would you want pics? Don't you know what a differential looks like? That's what they look like locked too... Take the three Screws out, put what your using to lock it in, and put the three screws back in and your done. That's like asking for pictures on how to make soup from a can. Now it would be sweet if someone CNCed Solid differentials out of delrin...

turbopimp187 · #9 12-15-2003, 11:54 AM

fine fine, u dont gota get all hufy about it!

xxspeednplayaxx · #10 12-15-2003, 02:55 PM

im not sure how this wrx but u find ur differential gear (its on the main axel in the middle) and i sumhow jam the gears ( id use electric tape) and wut dis dose is it forces both rear wheels to spin together giving ur a beter launch off the hole shot and beter drift capabilities, how ever drifting is 2 difficult unless u have AWD set up

miller · #11 12-15-2003, 07:17 PM

Another plus is it makes the car faster from what ive seen, makes steering more even, and if you get stuck on a carpet or something it make the car more "off roadable". The electrical tape worked great for me. It was clean and ez and can easily be changed back. Has anyone lovked the front diff on the AWD kit too?

theMonster · #12 12-15-2003, 08:36 PM

I got this from about.com

LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIALS

Here's what happens if you're riding off-road and irregular terrain leaves one of your tires in the air or on a poor traction surface and you have limited slip differentials:

Some 4WD vehicle manufacturers offer a "limited slip differential" option. As the name implies, they limit wheel slip. These use clutch plates to lock the differential, and when turning on dry pavement they just slip.
Unfortunately, they also slip when there is a significant difference in traction between two wheels in an off-highway situation. Limited slip differentials do not prevent wheel slip; they only delay wheel slip. Therefore, traction is lost a little later than without limited slip, and you will be stuck a little later.

Here's what happens if you're riding off-road and irregular terrain leaves one of your tires in the air or on a poor traction surface and you have locked differentials:

LOCKED DIFFERENTIALS

To get true 4WD, the differentials must be "locked".
Locking differentials (or diff locks) are the only cure for the shortcoming of differentials sometimes sending torque to the "wrong" wheel. Diff locks disable the differential's ability to distribute torque equally and its ability to allow the wheels to rotate at different speeds. In some ways a diff lock is the ultimate traction device. Since, all wheels rotate at the same speed when engaged, a vehicle with locks on all axles has traction if just one wheel does.
By disabling (or locking) the differential, steering becomes very difficult and the wheel with the most traction will get the most torque, as much as 100%. This guarantees that any wheel with traction will receive enough torque to move the car. In sum, diff locks will keep you going and keep you from getting stuck.

The drawbacks of diff locks:

Locking (disabling) the differential makes it impossible for wheels to roll at different speeds. Therefore, with lockers engaged, on high traction surfaces it becomes very difficult to make turns, and on low traction surfaces the turning radius gets very wide.
Unfortunately a diff' lock is on or off; there is no in-between. This can make the vehicle understeer (tend to go straight ahead in corners) or veer suddenly sideways if one side looses traction, like on ice.
These serious drawbacks of diff locks require an educated driver who knows exactly when to lock the diffs, usually only for a very brief moment, and when to unlock the diff to maintain steerability.