Limited-slip Differential: Is It the Best Option for Your Truck?
Posted on: 8 January 2021
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Undoubtedly, trucks take on the most challenging terrains and jobs that would be dreadful when using ordinary vehicles. The nature of the terrains and heavy loads puts pressure on many of their components, with the differential bearing the brunt of these hardships. Essentially, the differential's work is to transmit the torque produced by the engine to the wheels. It takes part in every difficult step taken by your wheels, as it sends the power needed by the wheels to overcome the challenges at hand. There are many types of differentials in the market, but here is what you should know about limited-slip differentials.
The Essential Components
A limited-slip differential's primary components include a pinion gear, ring gear, case, spider gear, and side gear. Moreover, the differential also packs a couple of steel plates and friction plates fitted between the casing and the side gear. The friction plates have internal teeth intertwined with the cogs on the side gear. Therefore, these two components always move in sync when your limited-slip differential is working.
The steel plates interlock with the differential's case. On the other hand, the spider and bevel gears work together. Their work is to transmit the torque coming from the engine through a specialised clutch pack.
The Problem Solved by Limited Slip Differentials
If you have a standard differential on your truck, you will run into problems driving on rough terrain. Think about a situation where one of your tyres is running over a slippery surface while the other tyre sits on an area with good traction. Your standard differential separates the rotations of the right and left axles. The wheel on the slippery surface will spin at high speed while the one with good traction remains still. Essentially, your truck will not move in such situations.
Thankfully, a limited-slip differential reduces the axles' independence, allowing the wheels to support each other when there is low traction.
The Options Available
Modern manufacturers work hard to eliminate the bottleneck of traditional slip differentials. They do this to reduce manufacturing or operational costs. For example, some brands require lots of thick oil to run a viscous limited-slip differential on a big truck. Manufacturers and differential specialists solve this by using electronics and sensors to emulate the actions of a standard limited-slip differential. Furthermore, tech-savvy drivers can also enjoy a computer-controlled limited-slip differential style featuring a unique clutch pack.
Contact a company for more information about parts such as Isuzu truck parts.