Hey guys,

I already did a search for this and nothing really came up... or maybe I was just too lazy to search past the 3rd page..

What the hell is a differential? What does it do? When is a rebuild for a differential required? To gain a higher top speed, does this have to do with something in the differential??

Thanks guys, I appreciate your help

mike

 

a diff applies torque from your motor to your drive wheels. depending on the type, you'll have either full traction all the time, or be spinnin one wheel too many types to get into that right now. there's plenty of places to find that info. typically a diff can't be rebuilt unless it's a clutch type, and even then it's very rare to have one done. the ring gear, which is attached to your diff, is what controls the final drive ratio. getting a smaller number, say a 3.73 versus a 4.10 will net you a higher top speed, but your bottom end will suffer horribly. unless you got a crapload of horsepower, you should not max out the stock gearing

 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential.htm

 

cool, thanks guys

feel free to give any more info
i'm sure there are peeps out there that don't really know what a diff is either