Air lockers how do they work

If you already upgraded your stock open differential to aftermarket air lockers, then we know you can feel the difference. Having the right differential is critical when approaching obstacles on the trail like slippery mud or even sand dunes. And understanding the science behind them, the different styles available, and the best manufacturers on the market can mean the difference between a fun off-road challenge and an expensive break down.

You probably already have some basic understanding of what purpose the differential serves. This is the basic technology that keeps your car from slipping and sliding during turns.

The simplest kind of differential, an open differential, sends the same amount of torque to each wheel. This is fine when both wheels have traction—like driving on pavement. This is because, as an open differential sends the same amount of torque, the engine power follows the path of least resistance and heads straight to the wheel with the least traction.

Like in our example above, this is how you end up with one wheel maintaining tire contact while the other spins in the air like a useless pinwheel. Open diffs are generally inexpensive and require little maintenance, but the resistance they are avoiding translates to traction. Effective for street vehicles but in any case where real traction is needed, they can be pretty useless. In fact, most trucks today are equipped with these. And while LSDs solve some problems posed by open diffs, they can still present challenges off-road.

When driving with ideal traction, both wheels receive equal torque. These units are useful, but they are still sending an uneven amount of power to the wheels.

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