Can someone explain Differentials

[dpk136]

How do they work, what are they for and what effect does the different oil have on these. Thanks.

 

[Lessen]

Unfortunately, I don't know all the nitty gritty details I just understand the basic idea but try thissite . They generally have really good explanations of stuff.

 

[WA2FAST]

Yup, perfect site for that... I love that site for learning how things work. You should look at THIS page of that article imparticularly because you can see exactly how they work... they have little animations. If you take one of your diffs appart, you'll see plain as day how they work too... incredible little invention.

 

[GaInGrEEn]

Have you not looked inside? Or put them together? shrug they let one side spin while the other doesn't when needed. 2 big gears and 4 small gears.... hard to explain just open them up, hold one wheel and spin the other, you will see exactly how it works then

 

[WA2FAST]

Right... looking at one taken appart (there really aren't all that many parts) is the easiest way to see it... it's actually pretty simple. Otherwise you can look at the links noted above.

 

[Nitro_Freak]

what exactly do all the diff oilds do? how does a heavier one affect the performance of the buggy vs. a lighter oil? always wondered that...

thanks

 

[WA2FAST]

The heavier the weight, the more the rotating resistance within the differential. So 10k vs 1k oil... the 10k is much thicker and thus will not let the differential spin as easily, transfering power differently... instead of spining the one free wheel very easily, it will take quite a bit more energy to spin that wheel which will end up transfering more power to the planted wheel. Too much of this and you may not have enough ease in how the differential works and could break the inside tire loose durring turns for example. Anyway, that was just an example, but that's how they work.

 

[Nitro_Freak]

oh ok, i think i get it. so if i put heavier weight oil in the diffs, then the power goes to the wheel with more traction, right?? if so, why don't we put super heavy weight oil in all the diffs? isn't it good to have all the power go to the wheel with the most traction?

 

[alkyula]

it all depends on your driving style. with heavy oils in all the diffs, especially the rear and center will make the buggy feel more agressive. overall heavier oils in all diffs gives improved traction, and can change the way a buggy handles by controlling how and were the car is applying power. why does silicone do that and not heavy weight grease? grease during operation fly off the gears, and ends up along the diff case. silicone flows back into the gears and causes drag/resistance when the spider gears do there thing.

 

[WA2FAST]

Super heavy oils would warrant the buggy to slide all over the place because the whole point of the diff is to allow turning wheels to turn at the proper rate in order to remain in contact with the road vs. the engine rpm... if you were to put too heavy of an oil in the diffs, they would simply not be loose enough to give, so you'd have a very agressive buggy that would slide everywhere... it all depends on how you drive to how you set them up, but either way, they are there for a reason, trust me... the idea is to tune them to work for your style of driving.

 

[Nitro_Freak]

ok...so i *should* want around 7k in the center, 5k in the back, and maybe 2k in front? what would a good setup be?