Off-roading can be a lot of fun, and there are so many ways in which this is true. But one of the main things that you need to make sure that you are getting right is the details of your off-road build, otherwise you can’t really hope for it to be a successful build at the end. One of those details that you will need to pay particular attention to is the locking differential. You will almost certainly want to use a locking differential rather than a standard open differential if you are going to be going off-road.
So let’s take a look at that in detail and discuss what you might need to bear in mind along the way. The clearer you are on this point, the more likely it is that you can build exactly the off-road vehicle you are hoping for.
What Is A Standard Open Differential?
So what exactly is a locking differential? Well, to understand that, it is important to first have a sense of what a standard open differential is. This is essentially a way of ensuring that power is driven to the wheels so that they can spin at different speeds while turning a corner. Because, in turning a corner, each wheel has to travel a slightly different distance, that means that the outer wheel will always be traveling faster than the inner, having more space to actually travel.
The wheel that is getting the smallest amount of traction will get the most power, as you would expect. And this is perfectly acceptable when it comes to driving in normal on-road conditions. This is why this is the standard differential used in normal vehicles that you see on the roads every day.
However, as we are about to discover, they are not the best option when you have a 4×4 or other off-road vehicle that you are keen to take off-road.
What Is A Locking Differential?
If you are looking at building an off-road vehicle therefore, you will probably find that the better option is to use a locking differential. Essentially, this is a device that works in the opposite way to the standard open differential. With a locking differential, what you get is the ability for both the wheels to actually spin at exactly the same speed, regardless of which one is inner or outer depending on the turn of the vehicle.
Why is this useful? Because when traction is lost for one wheel, power is still delivered to both wheels, allowing them to keep on spinning as they need to. In fact, they will keep spinning regardless of how much resistance they are actually getting. You can probably start to see why that might be useful in an off-road car. You can either have this added to the front axle or the rear axle, or even both – which is the most common situation when people really want to do some maximum off-roading in their vehicle.
What Is The Benefit Of A Locking Differential?
As you can see, there are some distinct benefits to having a locking differential rather than a standard open type. To take an example of how beneficial this can be, let’s think about the following specific situation: you are climbing some rocky terrain when one wheel suddenly gets left dangling in the air. With a standard open differential, the majority of the power is going to go to the wheel with the least resistance, meaning that the wheel still on the ground won’t simply carry on spinning. That is going to be very unhelpful, and difficult to get out of that situation!
Instead with a locking differential, power is going to continue to go to each wheel, so you are going to be able to regain some purchase with the wheel that is still on the ground. That will mean that you can effectively move the vehicle onwards much more easily. So having a locking differential means that you will get stuck in those kinds of situations much less often. Hardly ever, in fact.
Getting A Locking Differential Installed
So if you are thinking about making use of a locking differential, you will obviously need to make sure that you are getting it installed as soon as possible. If you think you might need help with that, or you just want it done professionally, make sure to take a look at Dixie 4 Wheel Drive. They are experts at this kind of thing, and they will be able to help you get your off-road vehicle to exactly the place you want it to be.
