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Open differential

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Gelalthedamned View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gelalthedamned Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Open differential
    Posted: Aug/13/2019 at 8:35pm
can they do wheel stands or just throw you sideways?
*asking for a friend
Calamity - 73 Gremlin X zombie rod (daily driver)
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tufcj View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tufcj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/13/2019 at 9:46pm
If you could keep the traction perfectly equal between both tires, you could.  Trouble is, that when one tire or the other loses even the slightest traction, power starts to shift to the tire with the LEAST traction. Very quickly, the tire with the least traction gets 100% of the power and goes up in smoke.

Bob
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Edited by tufcj - Aug/13/2019 at 9:48pm
69 AMX
74 Javelin AMX
67 Rogue

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Gelalthedamned View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gelalthedamned Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/13/2019 at 10:59pm
unintentional going sideways spooks me. *it’s difficult to correct. Happened last month and was pure luck I didn’t contact anything 
 
Calamity - 73 Gremlin X zombie rod (daily driver)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote WesternRed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/14/2019 at 5:34am
Probably more likely to go sideways with a limited slip diff, as mentioned earlier, once one tire starts spinning the other loses power whereas with a LSD, locker or spooled diff, both tires can spin at the same time and the rear will step out more aggressively, that's when you need more driver ability to be able to control things.
I've finally given up drinking for good...........now I only drink for evil.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/15/2019 at 10:14am
Originally posted by WesternRed WesternRed wrote:

Probably more likely to go sideways with a limited slip diff, as mentioned earlier, once one tire starts spinning the other loses power whereas with a LSD, locker or spooled diff, both tires can spin at the same time and the rear will step out more aggressively, that's when you need more driver ability to be able to control things.


Oh tell me about it! My 73, as Ken has told me "too much HP for the car right now". 
I was driving along in town, two lanes each direction, at a stop light.
Light turns and I start to go - get up to maybe 25 or 30 MPH and I see just across the way my lane is blocked. I look back and see two blocks of cars in the other lane....
So I figure what the heck, the car on my right is just slightly back, a bit of gas and I'm around them and over. 
So I hit about half throttle or so, both tires let loose and the car went half-sideways. SCARY. 
I've had it happen other times - get moving and then half-throttle it or maybe 2/3 and suddenly the car wants to swing it's XXX-end to the right. 

So guess what's in the trunk waiting to get put on the car........ yeah, nice Caltrac setup.

My AMX years ago had the same issue - it was limited slip - and they are not really fun on snow and ice as they tend to go sideways if you do lose traction. They do fine in snow if you have grip on even one wheel but hit less than that and they are worse than an open diff. 
My first wife actually liked that so more than once after a snow that was just right and ended up icy and slick we'd take the car to the mall parking lot after hours and well, we'd go in circles until we got tired of it. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Aug/16/2019 at 6:42am
I got thicker skin than that!! Not really offended... and understood what you meant. But thanks for being considerate after the fact.
Frank Swygert
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rsrguy3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb/03/2020 at 12:11am
So what would you put in for road course performance and the occasional strait line romp?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb/03/2020 at 6:15am
A limited slip is probably the best option. A locker wouldn't help on the road course much, if at all. Either a limited slip or just run an open diff and something to control hook-up. As long as you don't spin the one tire it will still send power to both. Depends on traction control, tires, and how much power you have. Control traction with something like cal-tracs and use sticky tires and an open diff performs quite well even on a drag strip -- as long as you don't have so much power that you break the main drive tire free. Once it's free all the power goes to the spinning tire. Throttle control helps too -- don't just floor it coming off the line. Practice throttle control and see just how far you can press it before the wheel breaks loose, then take off at that part throttle, kick it on to the floor once you hit second gear or get moving good. 
Frank Swygert
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ccowx Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb/03/2020 at 8:53am
I think we sometimes forget how many of these old musclecars came with open diffs. I have a friend that bought a new SC/360 and it had an open diff. It still laid two strips because everything was still factory tight. My Javelin had an open diff when new as well, though I have since replaced it with a correct Twin Grip. 

And of course, no matter what diff you had, "traction control" was not an option in '70!

Chris 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb/04/2020 at 5:57am
It all depends on how much traction you have. If the right rear wheel breaks easily and there is real good traction on the left with an open diff you'll get one wheel spin. Or if the right wheel is just in anything slippery -- the left can be in the same mud/ice/whatever and get not traction and you'll still get one wheel spinning. What usually happens with equal traction is both wheels will spin initially (a foot or two?) then as they heat up the right one has less traction and the left stops spinning as the right starts taking more of the power.

With modest power you're more likely to spin both, lots of power will quickly break the right side tire loose so that the left doesn't spin at all, or only an inch or two.
Frank Swygert
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