Dodge 2001 Ram 1500 Owner's Manual page 243

3 - 170 REAR AXLE - 286RBI
REAR AXLE - 286RBI (Continued)
through the pinion mate and side gears. The side
gears are splined to the axle shafts.
During straight-ahead driving, the differential pin-
ion gears do not rotate on the pinion mate shaft. This
occurs because input torque applied to the gears is
divided and distributed equally between the two side
gears. As a result, the pinion gears revolve with the
pinion mate shaft but do not rotate around it (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 Differential Operation - Straight Ahead Driving
1 - IN STRAIGHT AHEAD DRIVING EACH WHEEL ROTATES AT
100% OF CASE SPEED
2 - PINION GEAR
3 - SIDE GEAR
4 - PINION GEARS ROTATE WITH CASE
When turning corners, the outside wheel must
travel a greater distance than the inside wheel to
complete a turn. The difference must be compensated
for to prevent the tires from scuffing and skidding
through turns. To accomplish this, the differential
allows the axle shafts to turn at unequal speeds (Fig.
2). In this instance, the input torque applied to the
pinion gears is not divided equally. The pinion gears
now rotate around the pinion mate shaft in opposite
directions. This allows the side gear and axle shaft
attached to the outside wheel to rotate at a faster
speed.
TRAC-LOK DIFFERENTIAL
The Trac-lok clutches are engaged by two concur-
rent forces. The first being the preload force exerted
through Belleville spring washers within the clutch
packs. The second is the separating forces generated
by the side gears as torque is applied through the
ring gear (Fig. 3).
The Trac-lok design provides the differential
action needed for turning corners and for driving
straight ahead during periods of unequal traction.
When one wheel looses traction, the clutch packs
transfer additional torque to the wheel having the
most traction. Trac-lok differentials resist wheel spin
Fig. 2 Differential Operation - On Turns
1 - PINION GEARS ROTATE ON PINION SHAFT
Fig. 3 Trac-lok
1 - CASE
2 - RING GEAR
3 - DRIVE PINION
4 - PINION GEAR
5 - MATE SHAFT
6 - CLUTCH PACK
7 - SIDE GEAR
8 - CLUTCH PACK
BR/BE
Limited Slip Differential