do differentials on a 2 wheel drive car only power one wheel unless the car is going perfectly straight?

Question

do differentials on a 2 wheel drive car only power one wheel unless the car is going perfectly straight?

In: 29

Answer 1

It powers both, until one loses traction, then an open diff will send all power to the wheel without traction.

Imagine you walk through a door with saloon style doors. Your left and right arm pushbthe doors equally. The move, you keep moving. Then image one door is stuck (all traction) and the other is free (no traction).. You walk through again thebdoors and you can go through but when you get resistance from one door, all your energy then goes to the other. That is what happens in an open diff.

Edit for more eli5- walk through the doors above holding a stick horizontally (like a dog). Same resistance on both doors, the stick pushes both equally. One is stuck, the stick opens the free door, stops on the stuck door, and you spin through.