Differentials
When a car goes around a corner, the wheels on the outside turn faster than the wheels on the inside. The drivetrain needs to allow for these different speeds. The simplest way to do this is through a set of gears called an open differential. This uses a pair of gears called side gears that face each other, with each side gear driving one wheel. The side gears are mounted in a differential carrier that is turned by the transmission. The differential carrier has one or more shafts running from its center between the side gears, perpendicular to the main axle halfshafts. These shafts spin with the carrier. Each shaft has a pinion gear that is free to rotate about the moving shaft. Each pinion gear meshes with both side gears. When ...
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