Torsen Differential

[bplein]

Years ago I learned about the Torsen differential. A very cool engineering design, used in racing vehicles as well as factory automobiles in some cases (the Hummer uses OEM Torsen diffs).

They make Torsens for the Ford 8.8

Anyone hear anything good/bad about these in an off-road application?

For those of you not familiar with the Torsen, they are a Limited Slip design that does not use clutch packs, and they don't do full lock.

Instead, they use a series of gears connecting both sides. They rely on the same principal of gears-driving-gears that a worm gear uses... worm gears are fine for driving a rack, but the rack cannot drive the worm due to the high angle.

By varying the angles of the gears that connect the two sides, the Torsen varies the amount of slip that is allowed between the two sides.

Anyhow, that's my layman's description of a Torsen.

Here is a whitepaper on the concept:
http://www.mindspring.com/~audidudi/Torsen.htm

Check out their site. http://www.torsen.com (although it appears to be down now, I looked at it the other day and it was available, check it out later).

I'm looking at them as a streetable alternative to the lockers and limited slips out there today.

 

[tdavis]

The detroit TrueTrac is also a torsen diff.

It's available for both the 8.8, and the d35.

One of the recommend combinations is to put a locker in the rear, and a trutrac in the front.

 

[bplein]

I've got a '97 with the IFS front end.... is it still true that there is no current L/S or locker for the front? I'd love to drop a Torsen in the front...

 

[Ray Lobato]

Bill,
I am in the same boat as you. Only ARB has metioned that they will look into a airlocker to the IFS Dana35 somethingorother, but it's not gonna happen real soon. If you would, send them a email and ask them when. We are trying to get people to write them and if we can get enough responces maybe they will do it faster.
I see that you live in Elderado Hills? Know any good places to go wheelin'?

 

[bplein]

Originally posted by Ray Lobato
Bill,
I am in the same boat as you. Only ARB has metioned that they will look into a airlocker to the IFS Dana35 somethingorother, but it's not gonna happen real soon. If you would, send them a email and ask them when. We are trying to get people to write them and if we can get enough responces maybe they will do it faster.
I see that you live in Elderado Hills? Know any good places to go wheelin'?

I wrote them a few months back.

Yes, I'm in El Dorado Hills. There's this little trail called the Rubicon that is near by, ever hear of it?

Seriously, though, I've got my eye on a trail off 80 east of Auburn, a colleague at work says that my Explorer would do fine... goes back to a lake where you can fish and shoot. I'm going to check it out later this summer. Not a serious rock climbing trail, but more like a seriously rutted trail. The only time I've been on it was when it was covered in snow and I was on a snowmobile.

 

[RangerX]

Originally posted by tdavis
The detroit TrueTrac is also a torsen diff.

It's available for both the 8.8, and the d35.

One of the recommend combinations is to put a locker in the rear, and a trutrac in the front.

Tom, Is it now made for a front R/R d35? I thought it was only available for Jeep rear 35's. I would consider switching if it was made for mine.