4×4 vs locking rear differential

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My husband is playing Snowrunner on Xbox.. apparently you start with very few well paved roads and I asked him why he didn’t have a truck with 4×4, he apparently has one with a locking rear differential so I asked the difference (ex.which is best for mud/slush, how can 4×4 have also a locking rear differential etc) and he tried to explain to me but I’m super slow!!

This game is riveting for me…/s.. obviously lol! Honestly learned some neat trucking facts and maybe something about this so!! Not a loss in my books! Thanks for any help!

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4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

I would like to apologize I just wanted give general basis but there certain diffs you need to do certain things & most trucks and cars don’t come with a locking differential.

A few that do (Jeep rubicon, Hummer H2-H3, Dodge Ram Power wagon, Mercedes G500).

Anonymous 0 Comments

A locking differential just means that sometimes, both wheels on an axle are forced to rotate at the same speed. Normally you don’t want that because one needs to go a little faster to go around corners and whatnot, but on slippery terrain it’s useful. A 4×4 with open differentials on slippery ground will wind up sending most of its power to the wheels with the least grip.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Locking your diff causes the wheels to spin at the same time no matter how much traction you have. Unlocking let’s the Cars Ecu – (Brain of the car) To choose how much power to send to each wheel which is good for slick or Icey routes.

He can lock which wheels he needs to put more power into & it goes to a certain area and help dig itself out.

4 x 4 Directs power to all wheels evenly to help with overall traction and stability at low speeds, Towing, Hill climbing.

4H is a mode that puts all wheels at max power & Traction, used for towing, and mountain. (used at speeds around 30 – 60 mph)

4L is a mode meant for off-roading and extremes Like Deep Mud, Soft Sand, Gravel. (Used at speeds around 5 – 25 mph)

Hope this helps

Anonymous 0 Comments

A locking differential has nothing to do with a vehicle being 4×4 or not. You can easily have a locking diff on a two wheel drive vehicle.

A locking diff locks both drive wheels together so that they turn at the same speed. It is great for traction but bad for going around curves. So you leave it open (unlocked) for normal driving then lock it when you need the extra traction. A “live” axle is like a locked diff, but it is permanently locked (often welded) so that both wheels always turn together.

A standard “open” differential (what most cars have) allows the drive wheels to turn at different speeds. Great for going around curves but not good on a slippery surface because one wheel can spin while the other just sits there doing nothing.

A “limited slip” differential will allow the wheels to turn at different speeds for cornering but will limit how much just one wheel can spin relative to the other.