i haven't really seen any discussion into LSD's and torsen diffs. i just bought 2 torsens for my kyosho and there isn't much information on tuning these or maintaining them. Anyone have any experience here? I want all info good and bad!

how do torsen diffs differ against normal diffs, are the good for small tracks? are they good in MT's??

Torsen diffs send power to the wheel with the MOST grip, normal diffs work the opposite.

I haven't tried torsens myself but people who have say they work real nice on a high grip smooth tracks and makes the car inconsistent on bumpy tracks.

A regular differential allows power to be distributed to the easiest to spin end of the differential. This means that when power is applied, it will try to escape via the easiest wheel to spin (in front or rear diffs) or the easiest set of wheels (front or rear) to spin in the case of the center diff. This is combatted by filling the differential with thick silicone fluid to adjust how equally power is distributed. Too thick of fluid will not allow the wheels to spin independently of each other for proper braking and cornering, too thin of fluid will not allow for power to be sent to wheels with most traction.

A TORque SENsing (TORSEN) differential uses a complex design involving straight cut gears and spiral cut (worm) gears. Using a certain mechanical property of the mesh between straight cut and worm gears, the TORSEN diff works in the opposite fashion of a conventional diff. That is to say it applies power to the most difficult to spin end of the differential when power is applied to it. This means the end with the most traction is the end that receives the most power. Also, the design allows the wheels to easily spin independent of each other when off power because it does not use thick silicone fluids. On smooth and/or high traction surfaces this design works great. However, it fails when you are on a rough or slick surface because the differential is constantly switching which end receives power, causing erratic handling, particularly when located in the rear diff position.

NOTE: These diffs operate on a mechanical property, which is not affected by changing the thickness of the fluid used. It is recommended that you use TORSEN specific grease (not silicone oil) and only in minimal amounts (just enough to lubricate).

well at my track its a rough one, so i dont need then but wat if i just use a torsen center diff with normal front and rear diffs.

will this allow normal handling but allow better forward traction (since the rear wheels would get most power)?

couple of links for you guys

[link=http://www.torsen.com/products/products.htm]TORSEN[/link]

[link=http://www.variloc.com/variloc_theory.htm]VARILOCK[/link] (similar to new Fioroni Tractive4 etc)

plus another link to a page that is helpful [link=http://www.houseofthud.com/differentials.htm]HERE[/link]

plenty of good reading for you there

oooo good links. so for tuning there is no tuning and maintance there is special grease. the fluid in my torsens look like thick diff fluid to me. is torsen grease silicone based? if not i gotta flush these out and order some normal stuff. i'll be track testing them early next week

found another good page on Torsen diff theory for you all

[link=http://www.sonic.net/garyg/zonc/TechnicalInformation/TorsenDifferential.html]TORSEN DIFFS EXPLAINED[/link] !!

Ok can someone tell me where they sourced their torsen diffs for RC cars from?

The torsen differential uses the very basic principal that a worm gear can drive a regular gear but the regular gear cannot drive the worm gear.

When both wheels have traction the worm drive principal becomes irrelevant because the ground is giving the proportioned amount of turn into the diff centre( the gears move accordingly). When one wheel looses traction, the diff centre worms acting against the gear attached to that wheels drive gear, they cannot turn it, therefore locking that part of the differential and therefore the whole diff and all drive is sent to the other wheel. Because the forces are always there, it does not require any wheel slip to engage - the wheel without traction will simply be running at the same speed as the other wheel with traction.

You can change at what point it locks up at by the angle of the worm teeth. The gear with teeth having a tooth angle being closer to perpendicular to its own shaft, is the worm (the gear attached to the axle shafts in the case of a torsen).

This type of differential is very effective ina centre diff (transfer case) for All-wheel-drive aswell.

It also negates the use of heavier driveshafts and couplings to overcome issues faced with wind-up from locked axles etc.

Im open to criticism and comments!

Losi SmartDiffs are not true torsens, but they are available.

From time to time they get a bit of wordplay, but in the end, they aren't worth it.

http://www.losi.com/Products/Default...rodID=LOSA3603

At one time, Fioroni made a true torsen (Fioroni Tractive IV Differential). Don't know if they are still available.

The best torsen differentials I've had were Fioroni hyper japan traction 6 gear differentials for my kyosho MP6