Damage to differential?
Discussion
skyrover said:
Plenty of examples out there. It can and will.
No it won't ! There is a degree of tolerance built into the coupling system of around 4% before lock up starts to occur which is more than enough to cover the difference between the rolling circumference of a new tyre and a worn tyre. If there wasn't then just fitting the new spare tyre after a puncture could cause the type of damage you are suggesting.
If you were to run excessively different tyre pressures or the incorrect tyre size then yes the coupling will sense the difference in road speed between the axles and try to lock up constantly, creating heat and wear which could eventually cause the type of damage you claim.
I've known two ZJ jeeps and multiple Gen 1 freelanders with this issue.
One of the jeeps was mine.
The previous owner had run mismatched tyres for years... The transfer case was burnt out by 90,000 miles. No idea how many of those miles it took to ruin it.
There can be quite a difference between tyre's of different makes, especially in the off-road world.
One of the jeeps was mine.
The previous owner had run mismatched tyres for years... The transfer case was burnt out by 90,000 miles. No idea how many of those miles it took to ruin it.
There can be quite a difference between tyre's of different makes, especially in the off-road world.
Edited by skyrover on Friday 10th January 01:12
bigblock said:
There is a degree of tolerance built into the coupling system of around 4% before lock up starts to occur
The idea behind using a VC is to lock when there's a sudden change, e.g. a sudden loss of traction.The tolerance is there to deal with situations such as driving around a corner. Whilst it's capable of dealing with occasional slippage, a constant slippage can damage them and/or other components in the driver train.
M
skyrover said:
I've known two ZJ jeeps and multiple Gen 1 freelanders with this issue.
One of the jeeps was mine.
The previous owner had run mismatched tyres for years... The transfer case was burnt out by 90,000 miles. No idea how many of those miles it took to ruin it.
There can be quite a difference between tyre's of different makes, especially in the off-road world.
I think that you are confusing a wet plate clutch system with a viscous coupling. The Gen 1 Freelanders used a Haldex centre diff with a wet plate clutch, this is not the same as a viscous coupling. After 1995 the ZJ Cherokees also used a wet plate clutch pack for the center diff. These can be much more sensitive than a viscous coupling and are prone to burning out the clutch plates with constant slippage. The OP's vehicle has a viscous coupling.One of the jeeps was mine.
The previous owner had run mismatched tyres for years... The transfer case was burnt out by 90,000 miles. No idea how many of those miles it took to ruin it.
There can be quite a difference between tyre's of different makes, especially in the off-road world.
Edited by skyrover on Friday 10th January 01:12
Edited by bigblock on Friday 10th January 14:56
camel_landy said:
The idea behind using a VC is to lock when there's a sudden change, e.g. a sudden loss of traction.
The tolerance is there to deal with situations such as driving around a corner. Whilst it's capable of dealing with occasional slippage, a constant slippage can damage them and/or other components in the driver train.
M
The tolerance in the VC is there to deal with slight imbalances in the rotational speed of the front and rear axels caused by various factors including the difference between the circumference of a new and worn tyre within normal parameters. I don't think we need to scare people into thinking their drivetrains are going to fall apart because they have lost a few mm of tread !!The tolerance is there to deal with situations such as driving around a corner. Whilst it's capable of dealing with occasional slippage, a constant slippage can damage them and/or other components in the driver train.
M
Edited by bigblock on Friday 10th January 14:56
bigblock said:
The OP's vehicle has a viscous coupling.
The OP hasn't actually stated......but if you look at the OP's garage, there is a RRS Supercharged in there.
So if that is indeed the subject matter for this 'splitting-of-hairs' commentary, the RRS actually has an eDiff, which uses a clutch system.
Either way, it is NOT an open diff, so therefore approach with caution.
M
On LRs the Freelander 1 was the main one for ensuring all tyres were closely aligned - it could strain the driveline which wasn't all that robust to begin with...
Newer vehicles since have a certain amount of latitude in tyre difference front to back and and will be designed with a safety margin in mind. Older stuff cares even less so long as all four tyres are vaguely round!
Rotate the tyres every couple of thousand miles to wear them all equally and you won't have an issue.
Newer vehicles since have a certain amount of latitude in tyre difference front to back and and will be designed with a safety margin in mind. Older stuff cares even less so long as all four tyres are vaguely round!
Rotate the tyres every couple of thousand miles to wear them all equally and you won't have an issue.
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