- Guys, ever noticed that when you're out
on the trails hitting some pretty challenging obstacles,
and then notice only one of the front tires is spinning.
And only one of the back tires is spinning.
I mean, obviously the vehicle is in four wheel drive.
So how come all four tires aren't spinning?
What's the point of even having four wheel drive then?
Now you can go ahead and jump on our website at Trail Built
and grab yourself some pretty aggressive tires.
And that's definitely gonna help you get
some much needed traction
but it's still not gonna fix the problem
of having only two out
of your four tires doing all the work.
So what is it exactly that we have going on here?
Well, it's pretty simple actually,
and it all starts within the axles differential,
which houses the ring and pinion gears.
And then the ring and pinion gears rotate the axle shafts
that are connected to the wheels and tires.
The reason that all four tires don't spin all the time
is because the tires have to rotate at different speeds
while cornering, hence the name differential.
Inside the differential housing, your pinion gear.
And when you hit the gas,
the engine sends power through the transmission,
through the transfer case, then spins the drive shaft,
which then spins the pinion gear,
and the pinion gear then rotates the ring gear,
which is attached to what's called a differential carrier.
And inside of the differential carrier
is a set of spider gears.
And the spider gears are what rotate the axle shafts.
If it's an open differential,
it means that there isn't any kind
of added traction device installed inside
the differential carrier.
And the spider gears will spin freely
of each other allowing the axle shafts
to rotate at different speeds,
which in turning allows the tires
to rotate at different speeds.
Open differentials are much more common
in the front axle than in the rear axle.
And the most common traction aid is going
to be a limited slip or LSD,
or as some people still refer
to them as a positive traction, also known as a posi.
The limited slip is inside the differential carrier,
and is attached to the spider gears,
and in between the spider gears
and the differential carrier our little clutch plates.
When power is applied to it the friction
from the clutch plates force both the left
and right side axle shafts to spin together simultaneously.
And once the power is reduced, like in cornering,
the clutch plates will disengage
and allow the spider gears to spin freely from each other.
The easiest way to check and see
if you have a limited slip differential
is to jack up your vehicle
so that the tires are off the ground,
have the transmission in neutral,
grab one of the tires and start spinning it.
If the opposite side tire rotates in the same direction,
then you have a limited slip.
If it rotates in the opposite direction,
then it's an open deck.
That's a short cut out way of checking,
but you can also try and read the axle code
that's imprinted on either side of the rear diff cover
or the axle housing itself.
And then you can cross reference that code on Google
to find out exactly what it is.
Nowadays, or even over the past 30 years or so,
many manufacturers have been installing a number
of different kinds of traction aid systems
on their vehicles specifically
to prevent four wheel drive vehicles
from becoming just two wheel drive while offroading.
Nowadays, or even over the past 30 years or so,
many manufacturers have been installing a number
of different kinds of traction aid systems
on their vehicles specifically
to prevent four-wheel drive vehicles becoming
just two wheel drives while offroading.
The Jeep Rubicons have selectable
and electronic differential lockers along
with Toyota TRDs and TRD Pros
and many other four wheel drive vehicles out there
where additional traction aids are going to be needed.
Electronic lockers are activated by a switch
which then sends power to a unit inside
of the differential carrier
and locks both the right and left axle shafts together
for 100% power to both the right and left tires.
Some manufacturers will have some sort
of traction control system installed
that's more controlled by the computer than by the driver.
For example, Toyota has what's referred
to as their active trac or A-trac system,
which steps in automatically
when it senses four wheels slipping as you start
to accelerate on slippery roads or off-road obstacles
by applying the brakes individually to the wheels
with the least amount of traction
in order to regain traction again at those wheels.
And there are dozens of different traction systems available
on many different vehicle brands and models out there.
But really the question becomes,
what if your vehicle has open differentials?
What is the best traction modifier to install
in the differential to get traction to all four tires?
First, there are three things to consider.
Number one, how much do you wanna spend?
Number two, what type of vehicle
with what type of axles are you driving?
And number three, how much time is spent driving
on the road compared to driving off the road?
If you are looking
to mainly drive your four wheel drive vehicle on the road,
then on the inexpensive side of traction devices
are either sourcing a used limited slip unit
from a salvage yard, or you can buy one brand new depending
on your budget, but that's a great way to go.
If you're mechanically inclined
and confident enough to install one
then these can be relatively cheap depending
on the vehicle and pretty easy to install.
I had purchased a used limited slip unit
from a credible source a long time ago
and installed it myself,
which it was pretty basic to install
and it worked great for several years.
And I think I had maybe 150 bucks into it,
and a few hours of time installing it.
But if you're not comfortable with installing it yourself,
then, well, a little bit of extra money
will take care of that.
Another pretty decent option for us budget-minded folks
is what's referred to as a lunchbox locker.
These are going to be more suited for those
of us who hit the trails more often than the roads.
Reason being is that a lunchbox locker
is an automatic locker that locks both the right
and left axle shafts together under power using springs
that push together round plates
with interlocking teeth on them.
If you're driving on the pavement and you're taking a corner
and go to accelerate before you're out of the corner,
it will automatically lock up and make some sort
of goofy nouns and clicking sounds
and is going to make your tires chirp and bark.
Plus it'll lean your body of your vehicle way over,
and you could even potentially lose control
of your steering, especially on slippery or wet surfaces.
And overall just demands a little bit more attention
when driving on the road with one
of these lunchbox automatic lockers.
But then again, they're relatively inexpensive
and also pretty easy to install with just a little bit
of common sense and mechanical knowledge.
And definitely, never run one of these in the front axle
of a vehicle that has full-time all wheel drive
or four wheel drive on the road
or it's not going to be pretty
when it automatically engages during cornering
or on slippery surfaces.
Unless of course you have selectable lockout hubs
where you can disengage the axle shafts from the hubs,
but even then I wouldn't put
an automatic locking lunchbox locker in the front axle
in that type of setup.
For that type of situation,
I'd look at selectable lockers
where you can control them with a switch.
And those will get into shortly.
Detroit Lockers by eating, in my opinion have some
of the best automatic lockers out there.
These are not categorized in the same class
as lunchbox lockers because of their mechanical workings.
And they are going to cost you a bit more money,
because well, they're worth it.
You get a longer lasting
and smoother engaging automatic locker
that can really hold up to some crazy abuse.
And then going up on the price list are what's referred
to as selectable lockers.
Selectable lockers are turned on
with a switch when they're needed
for the most traction possible while off-roading,
and can be disengaged for when you're driving
on the street to eliminate any quirkiness
that auto lockers will give you.
And there are three kinds of selectable lockers.
You have your air actuated,
electronic and manually operated by a cable.
There are a ton of debates
on which one is the best to go with,
because well, air lockers are very robust
and can take a lot of beating and will hold up
if they can hold air pressure,
because there is a greater chance
that there's going to be some sort of air leaks somewhere.
I've seen air lockers work great
for switching on and off when they work.
But so many different times out wheeling,
I've seen them not work because of an air leak.
Even just this past weekend.
One of my wheeling buddies sprung an air leak
in the air line due to an unexpected circumstance
beyond his control.
And that sucks when things like that happen.
Plus air lockers are really electric over air meaning
that you have to wire up an air compressor and pump.
And depending on the duty cycle of the pump,
you also have to install an air holding tank
for instant pressure to the lockers.
But the advantage to that is you can also run air tools
and fill up your deflated tires at the end
of the day before hitting the road again.
With installing all the electrical lines,
the airlines, fuses, relays, and switches,
it can definitely become a bit technical
to install these and can really add up and cost
if you have a technician install them for you.
Now electric locker or E-lockers are more simple in design
and are a bit easier to install and also pretty expensive.
But one of the debates is that they aren't
as robust as an air locker
and won't hold up to the constant abuse.
Plus you can't use it to run air tools
or pump of your tires, but E-lockers being
that they are a bit more simplistic
in both wiring and installation,
means that most of us can do it ourselves
and can install them and there's less chances
that they might not work due to an air leak.
Yes, you could definitely catch a wire on something due
to a crappy wiring install job,
or a wire could wear through its coating and ground out,
or even cause sparks creating a potential fire.
But a really good installation job will prevent most
of that from ever happening.
Plus if you're not going out
and feeding the crap out of your rig every time you drive it
then an E-Locker is a really great way to go.
Another really great alternative to air or electric
is running a manually controlled locker.
Like the OX Locker that uses a cable to engage
and disengage it.
Again, another pricey option but
with a manually controlled locker, there are no wires
or airlines to install, no compressor, or even any switches
just a cable that actuates the locker.
Pull back the lever to engage it
and push it forward to disengage it,
just that simple.
However it is important to install these correctly
to make sure the actuator fork move moves
the correct distance
that it needs to plus have the cable ran properly
so that it functions the right way.
And that's not that it's in harm's way.
But even that is all listed in the instructions
to take all of the guesswork out of it or you,
or at least most of the guesswork depending on your vehicle.
These lockers are also known to be highly robust
and able to take the abuse that at air lockers can as well.
Plus OX does make air lockers and E-lockers too
if that's what you end up deciding on.
And guys, I know what you're thinking,
and know this video is not sponsored by OX in any way.
But I am a huge fan of not always having
to rely on electricity or air to operate something,
and think the cable actuated locker is great way to go.
And again, that's just my personal opinion,
but if you guys are looking to increase your traction
from one front tire spinning and one back tire spinning
into a true four wheel drive vehicle,
then either the limited slip auto-locker
or selectable lockers are going to be your best way
to do that.
Just make sure to do all your research first
on all of these different types of traction modifiers.
So that way you guys will know exactly what you're getting
into before spending that hard earned money
or having a bunch of unnecessary frustrations.
Or if a locker isn't in your immediate future,
then keep in mind a new set of tires
will also do wanders out in the trails for traction.
And something to keep in mind while shopping
for tires on Trail Built is that when you package them
with a set of wheels that we will mount
and balance them for you at no extra cost.
Plus if you live in any state in the Lower 48,
we also ship them to you for free.
And that is one heck of a deal.
About a few 100 bucks in savings, kind of a deal.
Not to mention our different financing options
to really help buying a new set
of wheels and tires, a lot more affordable.
And guys, there's a link in the description
that will bring you right over to our website.
But with all of the different types
of traction modifiers out there,
I'd be really curious to hear back from you guys
on what you currently have.
What kind of vehicle you're running and how do you like it,
or don't like it, if that's the case.
Either way definitely make sure
and let us know in the comments below.
Don't forget to hit that subscribe button,
and ring the little bell next to it before departing over
to our website.
And guys as always, we appreciate all of you
for watching and all of your support.
I'm Josh from Trail Built,
and we'll see you guys
out in the trails.
(bright music)