Not sure if something is wrong?

[Franko]

Ok, when i drive out of a corner and want to have some fun by sliding the rear end out what happens is the following;

If i'm making a right turn, then punch it, the right tire spins for 1 second, then it switches to the left rear tire for more traction. If it's to much power then they will both spin and i can have alittle bit of fun. It feels like traction control but i know our cars don't have it.

I know this is probably a good thing as far as road racing but not to have alittle bit of fun

So unless i really hammer it, it feels as if the power is being transfered for more traction. I just know my Vette never did this as i had lots of fun kickin the back end out of it.

Thanks in advance,

Frank

 

[SRTJOE]

Hope this helps

Whats the difference between posi-traction, and limited slip?

Answer

Pretty much posi-trac and limited slip are the same. There are others such as open rearends, locking differentials, and spools. Posi-trac means that both tires are spinning almost all the time. The differential (this is where the limited-slip comes in) has a clutch in it. When both tires get to spinning very quickly (as in loss of traction), the differential transfers the power to the tire with the most traction. Hence the limited slip name. Good example? Say you have a 240 with about 350 hp. Limited Slip diff. You wind it up to about 5g, and side-step the clutch. What do you get? A lot of wheelspin, and two blackmarks for a while. However, if it keeps on spinning, the differential will sense the loss of traction, and disengage the clutch to whichever side has the least traction. Say the left side is hooking up a hair better than the right side -- it transfers the power to that side so that the left side is pulling, and the right side is just rolling. Open differentials are just that. Both tires are free to spin whichever way they want. However, one tire (usually the right) is the driving wheel. That's where all the traction goes. If you wind it up and dump it, and just one black mark appears, chances are you have an open differential, or you are riding a motorcycle. Locking differentials are pretty cool. There are three types -- speed-sensitive, torque-sensitive, and a Detroit Locker. From the way I understand it, a speed-sensitive diff just spins the right tire, but if it senses that it's spinning way too fast, it will "lock-up" the other tire. So for example, if you wind it up and let it go again, the right tire will spin (one blackmark) for a few feet, and then the diff will realize that there's a loss of traction (the car is not speeding up quite as quick as what the wheel is turning), and it will engage the other axle. Torque-sensing acts pretty much the same way. A Detroit Locker acts kinda opposite. It's almost always locked together, meaning it's driving both tires. However, when you go into a curve, and one axle is turning faster than the other, it will unlock and start clicking. (They are extremely noisy.) When you exit the turn, it will lock back up and start turning both tires again. They're kinda dangerous in the sense that when they lock-up, if you're not totally out of the curve, they will create some nasty understeer. Lastly is the spool. You've heard of people welding the axles together, well here ya go. Pretty much the axles are locked together 100% of the time. This is only good for drag racing, or driving in a straight line. You can't take a curve effectively because one axle is not free to turn faster than the other one, causing you to "hop" around a curve.


Posi-traction is Chevy's name for a limited slip diff. Like Bandaid, and Kleenex, the name takes on a generic meaning: a posi rearend is a limited slip unit.

 

[Skip White]

The SRT has what they call a hydrolock setup, and this is not much different than a posi unit. It was rumored to be a torque sensing unit, and I was told by Jerry at Unitrax that it is Nothing more than a posi unit.

The Quiffe is a torque sensing unit, and transfers power very much differently than a posi/limited slip unit. The torque sensing unit senses the wheel that has the most torque on it, and sends more to that wheel. These are priceless when going into a corner, and accelerating, as they apply power sort of oppisite to posi.

If your car had a torque sensing unit, it would have reacted very differently.

By the way there are several torque sensing units on the market, besides Quaffe. There is Detroit Tru-Track, and it's very good also. Buy the way what you are doing is kind of ******* the diff., and it is not a good thing for the diff to operate this way for road racing. It's actually a bit dangerous. Speed sensing, and torque sensing are very different in there nature.

Detroit lockers are for street rodding, and they are very funcional, and sensitive, they go from total lockup of both wheels to open diff, with the slightest turn of the wheel. Very impressive to operate. Drag racing/street rod only. I have one in my S-10.

Skip White

 

[Viper Specialty]

The Dana Hydra-Lok is a pretty cool differential. Basically, it is a hybrid of an open diff and a locker. As long as you are going in a straight line, or around a LONG sweeping curve, it is open. However, once one tire begins to rotate faster than the other, the clutches engauge and it becomes a locker in effect. The amount of torque transferred is directly proportional to the rotational differential between the two wheels it is connected to.

The Hydra-Lok is actually a hydraulic pump, which "squeezes" the clutch pack in the differential. How hard it squeezes is proportional to how fast the carrier output shafts are moving in relation to the carrier. Though it can never be a true 100% lock, as there needs to be a speed differential in order to keep hydraulic pressure up.

Generally, at "hand driven" speeds, you can attain a partial lock at about 3-5 revolutions. Try it next time its on a lift. Just spin one tire, and after a couple revolutions, it will lock. Will happen more quickly at higher speeds.

Anyway... What I am getting to is that I dont think it is normal for you to be able to "feel" the transfer...let alone measure it as about 1 second. It should happen MUCH faster than that. I have never been able to notice it on my car, even when I purposely throw the back end out.