Limited Split Diff

A Limited Split Diff is a type of Diff which distributes the Torque to the wheels more evenly by limiting the amount of torque each wheel gets, independently. They are used in Raleigh Cars, Sports Bikes, Double Decker Busses and Large Cruise Ships respectively. Their main function is to increase efficiency by making sure both wheels go at the same speed so the Vehicle goes in a straight line, following the line of reasoning that the most efficient course is one which is plotted in a straight line. In common usage, most people confuse the Limited Split Diff with the Limited Slip Diff, a much different technology. Almost every motoring journalist uses the term incorrectly, hence, everyone who watches Top Gear also uses the term incorrectly.
==Operation Of A Regular Diff==
Almost every modern Vehicle is designed with a Diff of some description, it is the ONLY mechanical link between the engine and the wheels and is necessary to drive both wheels at the same time. A vehicle equipped with a regular Diff often suffers from Sway, Pull, Swagger and Drift due to the performance characteristics of its Diff. A regular Diff takes torque from the output shaft of the engine, goes "meh" and lets the torque go wherever it wants to, it could go to the Left wheel, or the Right wheel, and sometimes it does a complete 180 and goes back into the engine to drive the Supercharger, leading to unpredictable speed boosts. For this reason cars with superchargers are never equipped with a regular Diff.
Because the amount of torque going to each wheel changes, so does the speed of the wheel, naturally, because Torque = Speed X Time and Time is a constant. As the drive wheels are now sometimes spinning at different speeds the following characteristics are observed in the Vehicle:
Sway - The car pulls to one side, then to the opposite side.
Swagger - Like sway but less obvious.
Drift - The Japaneese like to drive this way but no one else does.
Pull - She invites you to go sleep with her, because due to your irratic driving she'd do anything to get out of this death trap on wheels.
==Theory Behind The Operation Of A Diff With Limited Split Characteristics==
The Limited Split Diff limits the amount of torque going to each wheel, proportionally to how much torque is going to the other wheel, so that both wheels are spinning at the same speed at all times. This addresses all four of the problematic symptoms listed above which regular Diffs suffer from.
Sway - The car will no longer sway due to wheel speed imbalance. Only an imbalance of the drivers mental health resulting in erratic use of the steering wheel will make the car Sway with a Limited Split Diff.
Swagger - This will never be a problem again because Limited Split Diffs are good.
Drift - Illegal Japaneese drift racing will no longer be a problem in your quiet suburb streets when the police men force the bad men to put Limited Split Diffs on import cars by the law.
Pull - Girls aren't interested in car geeks who spend all their time fiddling with their engines and obsessing over performance modifications. So dont worry about it! If you're the kind of guy who goes out buying Limited Split Diffs and other crazy shit at the weekend and spend all week obsessed fixing them to your 1.2 litre corsa with body kit extensions then this will never be a problem for you as YOU WILL NOT PULL!
==Where The Name Comes From==
A regular Diff got its name because it is inDIFFerent as to where the torque goes.
A Limited Split Diff is a regular Diff which changes how the Torque is SPLIT between the two wheels by using LIMITING.
==High Performance==
There are special High Performance versions of the Limited Split Diff produced mainly for petrol driven Motorsport and Touring Cars. These are designed not to split the torque between the drive wheels, but to split the horsepower between the wheels instead, for more efficient straight-line navigation and more simultanious horsepower performance to the wheels and more wins on the track!!!
==Implimentation in modern cars==
Modern cars use a microchip fitted (normally by welding) to the drive shaft. It is then connected with High Performance Wires to the ECU in order to get Voltage sent to it. After this it is connected to two devices which measure Torque, connected to each wheel (Usually a Torque wrench is used). Feedback from these Torqueometers are then used by the microchip to determine which wheel is spinning faster. The microchip will, at this point, apply the brakes on the opposite wheel, limiting the torque. This process is performed constantly throughout the life of the vehicle, as the road safety standards in the UK state that any vehicle equiped with a Limited Split Diff must have an operational Limitied Split system which is not user-defeatable and double redundant against power loss. Although this sounds wasteful in practise it is not as when the vehicle is at rest both wheels are going the same speed (0mph) and the system is for the most part* idle.
*Self diagnostic routines run overnight and consume between 43kVA and 500kVA depending on the size of the system. Limited Split Systems are not recommended for night driving.
==The Limited Slip Diff==
Many people confuse the two technologies. It is important to realise that a Limited Slip Diff is a new type of experimental Limited Split Diff. A Limited Slip Diff has a propriatary lubrication system which determines how free the output shafts are able to rotate by limiting how lubricated they are. This system however does suffer from latency compared to its traditional counterpart with cutting edge microchip technology at the current moment in time, so the technology remains in the prototyping stages.
==Safety==
Limited Split Diffs have won several International awards for safety in reducing both the number of fatalities due to illegal Japaneese drift racing and the number of non Japaneese drift racing fatalities. A Limited Split Diff increases driver awareness by reducing the need for Drivers Corrective Action against the forces of Sway, Swagger, Drift and Pull, leaving the driver to get on with what he does best; Driving and talking on the phone.
==Bad Points Controversy==
There have been complaints about the system where drivers have noticed they experience performance losses from the engine, they need to replace their brakes more frequently, and they sometimes cant start the car due to the battery being drained. The Public Relations Manager for "Ricks Garage", the UKs no.1 fitter of Limited Split Systems, has taken the time to put the publics concerns to rest. He states that the public are not replacing their brakes enough these days! The Limited Split system merely makes more efficient use of the brakes while they are in their prime, "they should be refreshed once every 4 months anyway regardless of milage". He also addresses the claims of performance loss as a misunderstanding of the Limited Split Diff's concept. "It is a safety device first and foremost. Everyone knows that slower drivers are safer, therefore the Limited Split process has intentionally been designed with keeping high speed accidents to a minimum in mind!". On the battery issue, he says "Its not my fault if they leave their MP3s and IPODS charging in their cars overnight. They should buy a bigger battery if they're going to do that. 12 Volt batteries aren't designed with todays consumer devices in mind, personally my car runs on a 24volt battery and it really takes off!"
==Bad Points==
THERE ARE NONE!!!
Category:Cars