Limited Slip Differential - Explained

How do limited slip differentials work? What is an LSD? Clutch type limited slip differentials use the engagement of a clutch to lock up a differential, allowing for torque to transfer to the wheel with more grip, until the force between the clutch packs is overcome. When the differential is not under load, it allows for both wheel to rotate at separate speeds.
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[@MaddogMD82]

I planned on spending tonight drinking rum and listening to John Mayer. What actually happened was I drank rum and watched all of your videos. Well done mate - you're very good at this!

[@EngineeringExplained]

Thanks for watching? What kind of rum do you enjoy?

[@ChillGuy511]

@@EngineeringExplained 7 years and we've still not gotten an answer 😔 Sigh... 😅

[@__brnrd__]

@@ChillGuy511 he's busy trying them all to decide one

[@hectichive889]

@__brnrd__ This guy is SUPER dedicated to his rum, jeez! I can’t wait to hear his final verdict

[@geofox9484]

Dude you're seriously the best at explaining this stuff.

[@qwasd0r]

You should re-record this video some time, with an actualy LSD to demonstrate the function. This video might be a bit confusing to total laymen.

[@noahway13]

That whiteboard... ugh. Feel like I'm back in school.

[@tim9m]

Not me! I was raised in the chalkboard world.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

Well I would say a total laymen should learn what a differential is first and clutches are as he recommended at the start. I think this video works perfectly well as a progression from those aforementioned topic.

[@nicholaswieczorek4971]

When you finally get it you feel like you're Einstein

[@OColpin]

haha so tru

[@MrBigike76]

I think this kid is smarter than Einstein. I say kid bc he is younger than me (atleast at time of production of this video) but also I say kid because to have so much knowledge he should (imho) be in the near retirement age group. which obviously, he is not. So, no offense to the gentleman making the videos. I am thoroughly impressed with your knowledge.

[@1tsyabo170]

If the gentleman making the videos is "younger than you (at least at the time of production of this video)" then he will always be older than you any amount of years in the future

[@EngineeringExplained]

Very welcome, glad you enjoy the videos!

[@EngineeringExplained]

Yes, I will have a video on Torsen. Cheers!

[@just.jose.youtube]

I'm a fairly recent subscriber and hadn't seen this video yet. It popped when I searched for LSDs. Suddenly we go back in time and you're wearing your safety helmet! 👷‍♂️ 🤣 Love the way you explain things and enthusiasm while doing so. Also appreciate that you give your personal opinions while being super polite. 👌 Great job!

[@EngineeringExplained]

Very welcome, thanks for watching!

[@lancelot1953]

Hi EE, I just wanted to congratulate you and thank you for all the research, time and effort you have put in creating these nice engineering videos for the benefit of the Internet community. As a fellow automotive engineer, I am impressed by your explanations, the diversity of the examples you are using and the way you illustrate your lectures. You would be or are a great asset for any college teaching staff. Thank you again for taking the time to educate the community, Ciao, L

[@gcon92]

Aw man, you've really made learning about cars much more simple and easy to understand with your videos. They will see your videos eventually and appreciate all of the knowledge you've shared.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Yes, I will have a video on VLSD. My diagram is going to be a bit different than traditional VLSDs (I was lazy) but the principle is really what matters anyways. It's basically just a viscous coupling linked to an open diff.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Locking differentials have the advantage of always having both tires spin at the same speed. This can be good in such instances as being off-road, on ice, dirt, etc. Having the wheels locked allows for the maximum amount of torque transfer possible (100%). A limited slip diff only transfers torque up to a set amount, based on the friction force that is needed to be overcome in order for one tire to spin more quickly.

[@Opposed_Motoring]

Man I remember this video when it was first posted, been following this channel since before this video. So glad you are Still around and doing well on YT still

[@EngineeringExplained]

Thanks, I really appreciate you spreading the word!

[@nithin.s9981]

Hey Jason! Great job man! really appreciate for taking out your time to explain automobile stuff for free. Always appreciate your effort in drawing! Keep up the great work. - Fan :)

[@Ricardo95Santos]

Let me tell you this, THANK YOU. I finally got it, you made it look so simple!I love all your videos! Please keep posting

[@TheLonelyBarracuda]

keep these videos coming out! I love your style of explaining mechanical things because you do it in a very clear and logical way. Im fascinated by this differential business and cant wait to see the next video!

[@EngineeringExplained]

Glad to hear!

[@EngineeringExplained]

Okay, perhaps relates to the Torsen diff, which I also have a video on. This uses helical gears within.

[@EngineeringExplained]

What a compliment, thank you!

[@hacke101]

wow, there was just a spoiled girl at my high school who just got an Aventador LP 700-4 for her 16th birthday, and she was extremely angry because she wanted a ferrari instead. She swore at her parents and threatened to move out because the Lambo wasn't good enough. and here you are, knowing more about engineering and vehicles than 99.9% of the population, and you drive a 99 integra. yet the lambo goes to the bratty rich 16 year old. I have much respect for you, keep making these great videos.

[@tattooedmillionair]

I just love how you can take a subject and explain it in a way that is very comprehensive but at the same time express it in laymen terms

[@fpscellphone]

Way to go in depth man, well put together, not just this video but all of the others I have watched so far. Keep it up dude! Very informative.

[@EngineeringExplained]

There is some lock-up, and torque can transfer to the wheel with more grip.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Glad to hear it, cheers.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Depends, if you're accelerating/decelerating (if a 2 way) and one wheel has better traction, it may help. If you're just coasting, than an open will allow the two wheels to rotate at different speeds.

[@michelchartierb.a.1066]

Great video! Thanks for this excellent refresh on what people should know about their cars. I live in Canada because of our rugged weather, I sincerely think that all car should come with a limited slip differential either for front wheel drive or rear wheel drive cars. Open diff or traction control is for moderate weather and it is inadequate for what we have here. I think car companies should make the effort standardize limited slip differential on all models coming to Canada. Keep up the great work!

[@youtubeaccount9636]

oooo myyyy goddd he finally explained something that i was trying to understand for a week in 6 minutes and i have watched all kinds of other technical videos with their confusing mumbo jumbo, this guy iz wat u need 2 understand carz

[@MaximumUtmost]

Thank you so much, I couldn't understand what the clutch packs were being compressed against that caused them to engage the left or right wheel shaft. You explicitly stated that the force from the pinion shaft compresses the clutch packs against the HOUSING, which wasn't clear in other top search results. Thank you!

[@EngineeringExplained]

Doesn't mean you can't work with cars! There is plenty (if not more) material for CS majors to do in the automotive world - everything is going electric and controls are vital.

[@johnathanbeckwith9161]

As for this one, I have no questions. This is quite an impressive tutorial. Again, I greatly appreciate your quick break downs.

[@EngineeringExplained]

I will have a video on Torsen diffs in a couple weeks. :)

[@g-lurk]

i clicked the three links at the beginning of the video before i watched this one. in total i watched about 30 minutes more than i intended.. i also learned much more than 30 minutes worth of information. thank you for your explanations :D

[@EngineeringExplained]

Close to a locked diff, in a sense that it will transfer torque, yes. But it can still allow for differing speeds while accelerating. Depending on the type of LSD, you may have to break a certain amount of friction to do so.

[@OnyxStudios720p]

I love this channel and all ya do!

[@EngineeringExplained]

Thanks!

[@jayb9651]

Great Video. Excellent visual demonstration and description!

[@hariharasubramanianramesh5326]

Very informative channel. Love the way the topics are covered. Keep up the good work.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Well of course if there is wear the life of the item goes down. Yes, it is possible to wear out the clutches of a clutch type lsd.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Thanks Jacob!

[@paulp1008]

my brain hurts,im going for a spin...........................

[@TexasRammer]

perfect explanation, really helps! Ive learned so much from your videos and probably havent even watched half of them yet lol

[@EngineeringExplained]

Thanks!

[@mattloomis1685]

I think my brain just melted a little.... :)

[@christopherzimmermann1250]

more than 7 years old video and still by far the best explanation i found xD nice one

[@IDSKoT]

I really want to thank you. I've had some understanding of a lot of your videos, but you've really solidified my understanding. Thank you very much.

[@EngineeringExplained]

You're very welcome, thanks for watching!

[@EngineeringExplained]

There's more than just a "tilde" missing, punctuation wise. Hence I said punctuation. I minored in Spanish and have the basics down - lived in Spain for 3 months. Senor, dia, espanol, puntuacion, and ingles all require accents of some sort.

[@SoulTravellers]

Great channel dude. Thanks for the quality info!

[@komodomoe]

you the man. Great illustrations and great explanation.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Yep

[@averrrr]

Just to make it even clearer, Ajay, that's why it's called a Limited Slip Differential, because the way it behaves is determined by how much pressure those clutch packs are subjected to.

[@EngineeringExplained]

It's in the axle. I have a video on viscous limited slip diff. Don't know what an "hLSD" is.

[@chunkyfecalbreakfast]

thanks for that. I have a centre locking diff already, and am considering purchasing an air locking rear and an LSD for the front, does this sound sensible?

[@angustarlinton8739]

Great explanation! Thanks !

[@notcrediblesolipsism3851]

Nice, explained very simply. Good work.

[@TheMoghrabimahmoud]

Great vids man !! U explain better than teachers !!

[@mistrlampshade]

really good videos, this is the one that interested/s me most

[@sandroabba1742]

Help me out with this, when you have a locked diff, cornering at high speeds, will it be harder to corner or easier

[@stefanplum]

Very well explained *thumbs up*

[@spnfs]

Thanks Man You Helped Me a Lot !!!

[@gotoheavenfyi]

Nice vids very informative! Maybe you could do one on turbocharged exhaust like how it has to go through the wastegate, o2 housing etc....

[@mrburgermaster]

Finally I understand how my clutch LSD works. Right half shaft spinning faster makes pinion apply pressure left, engaging the left clutch pack. Also explains why it feels like I have a locked diff when I apply heavier throttle while turning.

[@commandershinigami]

Okay, I completely understand how this works, thanks for that. My only question is, after years and years of use (even if you coast corners a lot) wouldn't the clutch pads EVENTUALLY wear out?

[@EngineeringExplained]

Yes, to all of your questions except "best solution in terms of traction out of a corner." Let me ask you this, if you have a FWD car, and one of the front tires breaks free going around a corner, and begins to spin, are you going to go around the corner faster? No, you'll understeer. An LSD prevents one tires from spinning too fast relative to the other tire, and transfers torque if one's about to break free.

[@Videos-ux5nd]

Love these videos man. Very helpful. Where some of the playlist in your "learn how cars work" section deleted. I could be mistakin but I thought there were a few more

[@reuben339]

Hi, could a limited slip differential for a rear wheel drive car cause additional understeer when braking in to, or accelerating out of a corner? Where this acceleration or deceleration was not intended to slide the car.

[@94letal]

Nice explanation, I'm spanish but I understand perfectly your english . Thanks for making that videos!!

[@nickritter1992]

you should teach in automotive engineering you explain this alot better than some of my professors !

[@you1my1]

سلام عليكم hi can i add limited slip additive to any kind of diff even if my car idont know if it limited slip or not

[@nomac5]

good job that's a great explanation now i know how to explain it to ppl allot better thanks.

[@kenandakenandas4913]

Increible, excelente, desde Costa Rica. Great explanation, now I understand.

[@engia1986]

Hi! I've a question to you: in this type of differentials there are some elastic component to keep in position the pressure rings, like springs or other methods?

[@EngineeringExplained]

One wheel drive?

[@cozomozo1]

great vid as always broo!!!

[@EngineeringExplained]

The combined torque of the axles (both wheels) would not exceed the torque from the differntial, so if it were 50 then the one not on ICE may get like 45 lb-ft and the other 5 (or some other split).

[@MariannuMC]

Thank you for expaining how limited slip diff works, i was having a hard time understanding how it works before seeing these vid. Could you explain what's the difference between a limited slip diff and a torsen diff in one of your videos ? Thank you and keep out the good vids.

[@EngineeringExplained]

If someone was holding it you could still rotate it, assuming that you were able to exert a force great enough.

[@EngineeringExplained]

The clutches would be pressing against one another, requiring a certain torque in order for the wheels to rotate at different speeds.

[@FaukenBrian]

Could you explain vLSD vs hLSD as well. Also on a FF platform were would I find the differential itself?? Would it be within the transmission??

[@RegurgitateEucharist]

you're a very good teacher, very clearly explained

[@EngineeringExplained]

Thanks!

[@EngineeringExplained]

If you accelerate while cornering, both wheels will receive the same power, but if the frictional limit of the diff is exceeded, it will allow for one tire (the outside tire) to rotate faster than the inside tire. If one wheel is "locked" the torque will attempt to go to the "locked" wheel in order to break it free.

[@gonzalomauri7373]

how does helical diffs work? does they ever get locked as the torsen or plate lsd? how much torque can they transfer from one wheel to the other? thks!

[@DOWNTOWNINJAnz]

so if you jack up the car with both wheels off the ground and rotate one side forwards, the other side will also rotate forwards? If you got someone else to hold the other side firmly you can still rotate your side right?

[@EngineeringExplained]

So that if one tire has more traction it receives more torque, thus allowing you to put more power down.

[@TylerOstergaard]

ah man your so young this is fun to watch :D

[@kaliuv]

so question. Is there some energy loss due to the heat dissipation in the clutch packs since the wheel rotating faster has to overcome the frictional force and slip? If so, is the magnitude of the energy loss considerable?

[@mikuelable]

great videos you make dude ....most of these difficult elucidation i know already .....but can you explain the S-AWD in the mitsubishi evo X .....

[@varunkhandelwal8680]

This video was awezome brother .......thanks for sharing such valuable information :D

[@rithwikj]

you're awesome, subscribed !

[@darrylm3627]

Good Stuff, Great Tips😃👍🏿

[@jarekluiken7848]

Nice video, I thought it was very well explained. Fascinating that it behaves locked while accelerating and decelerating. Does that mean that braking through a turn on an icy surface is even more dangerous in an LSD than a normal open diff? Seems like on a RWD it would make the back end more susceptible to sliding out if you're already dragging one tire.

[@corychampion9389]

After watching these I have very good understanding of how clutch LSDs work. However, the part I’m still struggling with is how the number of clutches affects the lock up. More clutches increases the locking effect from what I know, but I’m just not getting it. Could you do a video where you go into how the ramp angles and number of clutches affects the LSD? I feel that’s all that is missing from this series to really complete it. Thanks!

[@EngineeringExplained]

What high school did you go to!? I remember our rival in high school's parking lot was the second highest value parking lot in the nation (or something along those lines). I was at lunch once and in the restaurants parking lot there were three well modified cars: a 350z, an S2k, and a Mustang GT. Nothing TOO ridiculous, but still ridiculous for high school - all were students. But yes, I love my integra, it's a lot of fun even though it's incredibly slow. Planning for an STI eventually. :)

[@JayTheMachine]

Thank u soo much bro. Thank u soo soo much. I got this. I have allrdy watvhed tons of animations. But i wasn't able to understand. But u explain to clearly

[@castro1n3]

hi hi every good day EE. i have an issue i have a friend with a mitsubishi lancer libero, with a evo 3 engine. and his problem that gear ratio is different how can or should we address the situation?

[@vhp310]

can you do a vicous limited slip diff? I have one in my car but I dont know what that means, i just know its not mechanical.

[@alexanderzagoro6918]

How would one pick a differential type? electric/lsd/air? i am driving a wrangler and want to start going offroad more. pretty hard to decide which locker to get.

[@DonTruman]

Great explanation. I understood it. But in order for it to go into locked mode, it seems to require power being applied at the shaft *and* resistance to motion. I.e., when *both* tires have traction. Which seems to defeat the purpose.

[@itreallysuxgmail]

Would this work exactly the same with a clutch pack center LSD? I'm trying to wrap my head around, when the diff would unlock and lock. On my bench the diff seems locked tight. I'm assuming this is preload, and once there is the force of an engine turning it, it will let the plates start to slip.

[@flavioxy]

I would love to see a video on ramp and plate diffs like Drexlers!

[@SergeSaati007]

very nice video