New to RC Drifting.
Everyone is saying to upgrade to a locked or ratchet differential. Which is best to use?
Correct me if I am wrong. Do nothing with the front axle. Only lock the rear. But what is the advantage to a Ratchet diff? When to use one?
Also interested in brakes. Are brakes applied though reversing polarity in the motor? Do all new Drift Transmitters and ESC's have brakes?
Thank you.

Doesn't seem to attract any attention. I know they are Newbe stupid questions but I bet I am not the only one interested in the answer.

I have worked on and race real cars for over 50 years. Yes I am the old guy. Some of the terms are the same in Real and RC cars, but applications are very different. Locked differentials are used on many rear axles but never on a front drive axle with the possible exception on a dirt car and then it would be limited slip. Terms like live, locked, spooled and ratchet differentials are similar but not the same in the real World. It appears they might all be the same in RC. Live and Locked have no means to slip at all. Ratchet and limited slip are the same in principle to allow the left and right wheels to turn independent on turns on hard pavement.
I understand some RC'ers use locked axles front and rear and even a different axle racial between front and rear. This would never work in a real race car, but maybe real drifters use it, I don't know. Drifting is new to me.
So any info to help this old guy try a new Hobby is appreciated. Never too old to learn new tricks.

My Corvette uses Limited slip and my Modified Midget uses a live axle.

For rc drifting, a locked rear and one-way front diff is how I would recommend equipping your drift chassis. The front one-way (FOW for short) let's you make use of the braking as a handbrake. One thing it does negatively is take away front tire braking but that's usually a non issue with rc drifting. For a rear, don't use a one-way. Limited slip is alright for rear, but locked helps with keeping its handling predictable when switching directions.

Thank you very much. I will order parts.