eli5: Why is a car differential always on one side? wouldn’t the middle of the axle be better?
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Rear differentials are most often centered while front diffs are offset. This is because a transfer case typically has the rear output shaft inline with the engine flywheel and transmission and so the front output shaft needs to offset to one side to route back toward the front of the vehicle.
Most of the ones I have seen are in the middle.
It may also depend on where the engine is located, and where the shaft from the transmission emerges. The drive shaft would go straight back from that even if it’s off-center.
Cars are often setup asymmetrically for two reasons: packaging and weight distribution. Front differentials are generally offset for packaging, be it the engine or the passenger compartment everything has to go somewhere. This prevents you from putting everything on the centerline. For rear differentials, they may be on the centerline or they may be offset. If they are offset, it could be packaging again, or it could be that the engine is slightly offset so that the car +driver has a 50:50 weight distribution side to side. This offset for weight distribution can also be seen in front wheel drive setups.
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