torsen or eaton?????

[DirtKing]

Anyone have any opinions about these differentials??? I want something good at the strip as well as the twisties...

[Mr 5 0]

Torsen differentials are excellnt and used on high-end performance cars like the Corvette, Audi Quattro, etc.

FYI: 'Torsen' stands for 'TORque SENsing and it's manfactured by the Gleason Corporation (American).

Very expensive but you get what you pay for.

[ThndrNLightning]

Those are two very good differentials. I run a Torsen in my Lightning and love it. Have not been to the strip with it yet, but on the street and coming out of hard corners, it definately hooks up.....awesome. Since it is clutchless (some sort of gear drive), the wear rate over time is VERY slow, so you get great performance for a long time. The Eaton is also a very durable unit and performs well for a lot of Lightning guys I know on the drag strip. Not sure though how it does coming out of tight corners. It is a speed differentiating unit, so you will see some slip or wheel spin before it kicks in. (I haven't seen that with my Torsen, which is a torque differentiating.)

Bottom line - Both are good, probably won't go wrong with either. But I reeeeeeeealllllllllly like the Torsen in my truck!

Have fun,

- Kevin

[DirtKing]

Sounds like the torsen is a good unit.. I also see that saleen is using a "max grip" diff in their extreme 281 car. It uses some sort of internal pump to lock up. The magazines love it anyway but i'm not sure on price or availability. I've seen torsens for just under 500 bucks (31 spline.)

[ThndrNLightning]

The setup with the internal pump is a speed differentiaing diff with clutches. GKN and Dana are two companies that come to mind as producers of these kinds of differentials. I've worked with the GKN - the internal pump is a shear-plate pump design that builds pressure (uses an isolated silicon-based fluid inside the differential housing, separate from the regular gear oil) to push a piston that pushes on clutch discs. The pushing on the clutch discs is what "locks" both wheels up. Once both axles (wheels) lock up, the speed differential from side to side diminishes, which slows the relative motion of the shear plate pump plates, which drops piston pressure and lockup action. Pretty slick. I would assume that the Dana is configured in a somewhat similar fashion.....pretty straightforward.

This worked very well on the slippery surfaces that I tested it on, but I do not know of the long term real-world durability or performance in a race-oriented vehicle.

Hope I didn't make that clear as mud.

[NoSlow5.0]

I can't rember the exact working of a torsion diff, but here goes nothing. The torsion diff uses a serious of interlocking (meshing if you will) gears to lock the axles. These gears are very thin and are designed for a smooth engagement, that is why they are so good for the street and road course. These gears are very temperamental under a dead dig situation and will not perform very good at the track after a little because the gears are not designed for the sudden shock. A torsion diff is good if you rarely hit the track, but if you plan on running the stang much you will be replacing the torsion diff very soon. I wanted one untill i researched them myself and found that they break under sudden heavy loads, and at ~$400 a pop i am going with a C-locker. These are not really designed for the road though. If i were you i would look into the clutch diffs. They work well and are rebuildable. Light Em Up

[DirtKing]

are there any other differentials out there that you guys like?? (for street as well as strip; twisties as well as straightline??)