Torsen vs standard differential from LEGO - explained 

It might be interesting to know that 'torsen' stands for TORque SENse. It's not the name of a Scandinavian inventor...

Of course in the real torsen diff the backlash would be much less than this

This is a good illustration because the real torsen has the helical gears meshing with the inner worms and it gets confusing as to which is the worm and which is the gear. But this model uses straight cut gears and clears all that up. It would have been nice to see the model change direction left or right while it's rolling, but this is pretty good!

this might be one of the worst rendition of Canon in D I've ever heard, wtf.. Interesting video nonetheless

This is great, I've tried and failed to understand Torsen diffs before but this is the first time I get it, thank you.

Hi FUNTastyX, thank you for this excellent presentation. I understand that we have many "armchair mechanical engineering" viewers among YT posters ; regardless of their various criticism(s), your video does give a simpler "down to earth" illustration of the inner workings of the torque-biasing" Gleason-Torsen differential. The principle of the Gleason-Torsen is more complex than other spool, locking, limited-slip, etc. differentials and I was truly impressed that you were able to break it down with the use of LEGO parts (as opposed to Meccano gears). I thank you for the time and effort you spent explaining this important concept for the benefit of the engineer-at-heart viewers. Ciao, L (retired FoMoCo engineer).

Meanwhile real car manufacturers... Project manager: "Aye why don't we make performance cars with open diffs and make them act like LSD by having a crapton of electronics that keeps on activating the brakes independently?" Engineers: "you'll cook your brakes in intensive use that way" PM: "but it's 5 kg lighter" Eng: "you just made us find room for 60 kg of unnecessary extras no-one will ever want" PM: "but it's half a grand cheaper" Eng: "there's 15 grands worth of extras in the brochure" And that's how proper LSDs have vanished from virtually every hot hatch still on the market to this day...

I watched about 5 or 6 differential explanation videos and yours was the first with proper explanation and showcase what actually happens and how. I was already aware what normal differntial does. But I was not aware, that a slipping wheel will render the other wheel with no torque and that a torsen differential solves this. Nice.

That is one of the best videos I've ever seen. Thank you so much.

This is amazing. Good job bro!

this is one of the best explainations about torsen I've seen! Got my ape mind to somewhat understand.

take care: in an open differential the torque provided by the power unit is always distributed 50% per side in every (but really in every) condition, even if a single wheel is slower, blocked or turns in the opposite direction.

For those wondering: The music in this video is Canon In D by Pachelbel

Really awesome, so time ago I made one torsen differential with technic only, it was bigger than yours but work as well, good job, love the video

A real torsen does not work when a wheel is in the air due to the torque multiplication principal. If 1 wheel is at 0% Traction 100% of power times 0% traction = 0 power going to the other wheel. This is why when you snap 1 CV shaft in a 2001 Audi S4 you can't go anywhere. Been there done that....

Excellent demonstration!

Wow, Lego has some thing to teach to every one. Good job for the torsen diff build!

You explain so well

You got it wrong, with an open differential both wheels get the same amount of torque. However, if only one wheel is rotating all the POWER might go to that wheel.

Pretty visual. Nice. P.S. I don't know what to write. Just want to support the video :)

0:57 this is incorrect. Torque flows to both wheels evenly all the time in an open differential except when they both receive none. I have a video measuring the torque of the stalled wheel while varying the resistance on the slipping wheel and you can see the torque on the stalled wheel changes with the resistance of the slipping wheel.

Thank you so much now ik how to fit my ring gear to my torsen diff I had trouble figuring it out for an hour

great explanation

Thanks for the prictial explanation 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 understood well now ❤️❤️😅😅

Really amazing and educational video. It helps understand in action the superiority of the torsen differential. Is it possible to upload somehow the plans or directions to build the torsen differential.

i like the music. interesting rendition.

Thank you for the instructive video. Keep it up.

Very good

Very clever build. Standard diffs are torque balances, so a slipping wheel needs less torque to turn it, meaning the other wheel gets the same low torque which is not enough to drive the vehicle, so it stops with one wheel spinning.

So the only thing lego is still missing is the LSD, on the ramp it just takes the path of least resistance (thus the free wheel), where a LSD would prevent that to a certain torgue.

So clever!!!!

Cool

Torsen differential, Audi, genius principles

2:27 you can plainly see both wheels receiving torque, it’s just the slipping wheel limits the amount of torque available to both wheels. It clearly is jittery. If it “does not work” then it would be dead and not applying torque to the surface. Open differentials are always 1:1 (50/50) torque split, so whatever torque the weakest wheel has the stronger wheel gets (including zero)

Came for the design, stayed for the jazz.

Is no one going to mention the shaft breakage at the on the Torsen rendition model... losing parts while climbing a speed bump, omg, totally has to be a Ford... lmfao!! thanks for the build and vid!!! Great job!!!

Cooool😀👍🏻

This is also not how a torsen works. At 4:11 you can clearly see that it biases torque to the wheel with traction even though the lifted wheel is off the ground. Torsens bias torque off a ratio, so when you lift a wheel they simply spin because 0 times anything is 0. . In a torsen the worm gears are not on the axle outputs and they have spurs on the end. The Spurs mate to each other and force the worms to either not rotate or rotate against each other which provides the differential action. The angle of the helical gear and worm gear interface is what generates axial thrust proportional to the input torque that provides the torque bias ratio. In fact, other helical differentials have gotten rid of the spur gear all together and have the worm gear oriented 90* from a torsen to partially engage the output helical and opposite worm gear to provide opposite or no rotation. . You designed a worm gear locker that functions like a Detroit locker. It will not allow drive to spin the wheels at different speeds but will allow the ground to spin the wheel faster than the driven wheel.

That’s pretty cool, it’d be neat to see with some articulation in the axles for off-road ability but I’m guessing that it’d be pretty hard to do.

Clever stuff

For as big enough as the torsion transmission in the back you could possibly put one of them little Lego piston engines in the middle

I never thought I'd see a limited slip differential in Lego..

Damn. I feel like a child again. I'd like to take a remote controlled lego car and convert it into 4WD layout, with suspension if possible.

Finally, a video with stock music that's actually interesting

Nice video, you made a common mistake though. You claim that when 1 wheel is of the ground that it gets all the torque, this is not exactly the case since a normal differential equally distributes force, if there would be more torque on one wheel then the other the differential itself would turn (if not stopped externally). However, the 1 wheel in the air gets all the power. Since with equal torque, only one of the wheels is able to turn the one wheel stands still, and since power equals speed times force the wheel spinning gets all the energy which is therefore not used on the road.

Gotta love torqe

For the standard you can use the locked difrential method

Open differential is my main issue with my car, gets stuck so damn easy

Perfectooo

this had me reaching for mute faster than any video ever made. but i learned how a torsen diff works!

you music choice reminds me of llamas with hats

You could just lock your diff and get a similar affect. Of course you lose traction when cornering but let be honest you won't be going fast enough for that to be a problem

i wonder how lego will make the tosen diff of their version

I put a ford torsen in front of my 2019 f150. BIG difference vs the open , much more traction. I already have a modified mustang limited slip in the rear

Sick Upbeat canon music in the background

I didn't understand anything, but it was interesting

So would you expected greater losses from a torsen diff then?

wow! i was wondering how my torsen diff works for my toyota fortuner, saw several videos with narrations but got more doubt than answers, got this one without any hope but even without the voice narrating how, i understand now this is the "torsen for dummys" guide... why youtube don't enable the 10+ like button... thanks a lot.

Great video. Why there is a tiny delay when torsen kicks in?

Its pretty good but this should use long time to go front or rear.....

The torsen diff is used in some of the best 4wd vehicles ever built. Like the 4runner and Land Cruiser.

Wow, only wow

Now I understand the point of a locking differential on my truck. And also why they tell you not to use it on the road normally. This really helped it make sense.

so uh whats the use of the differential if the front axle is fixed anyways

It appears as though wheels cannot spin differently forever as it only has so much room before running out of gear and wheels must spin equally again. What happens then?

Being a Lego geek and a fan of the torsion differential you had me at hello lol. Quick question for you, what was with the lag time in the torsion differential demonstration car? I was very impressed you could make one of those differentials out of Lego, keep up the good work and happy building. I will leave a like for a tip and see myself out thank you

would it be possible to make a micro torsen differential or would it have more problems transfering drive and torque climbing up steep hills?

Im vibing with the song that i didn't notice the video ends. I rewatch it, also what's the name of the songs

So torsen differencial can lock like a locking differential, but it may take time to lock itself

Why is there a delay in the Torsen differential?

TORSEN IS GOOOD

What is the music used?

What's with the remix of the wedding march?

If only it was possible to model a torque converter. Ah well. Lovely video :D

Valid point now try a limited slip differential. What an L.S.D. does is cause the wheel that isn't slipping to get more torque making it more reliable that standard and no where near as big and bulky as Torsen.

What next lego ackerman geometry next🙄

Do you have instructions for this?

canon in hyped

Way cool with Legos...especially since all I can make from Legos look like Minecraft

This is just one example of a locking differential and why it should be used instead of an open differential.

Is there a problem with slop in torsens in cars

Anyone else notice that this is a remix of cannon ND

So is thare a way to make it more compact?

Name of the Canon in D remix?

That’s ace. Can you do ATB diff next please?

0:42 DJ Pachelbel :)

Hey I have a question. Where do you get these pieces/parts from. Does it come in a set or kit or something. This is stuff cool and I’d love to get into building stuff like this, just have no clue where you guys get these crazy parts at. Like gears, differentials (if you don’t build them yourself), motors, axels, etc. thanks! Great vid btw so cool obviously

Suspensions on the wheels will make it go up that ramp.

So it’s a geared lsd

Common problem in home made lego torsen differentials is that they get locked too easy. :-( Only when pushing lego car torsen stays open and driven wheels can rotate in different speeds but everytime driven by motor lego torsen locks itself and wheels turn in same speed even in cornering. Torsen should lock only when there is uneven friction between driven wheels. If anyone has solved this problem let me know about your lego torsen design. :-)

Sorry, but you have mistaken in 0:56 . In open diff condition if one wheel slipping it doesn't matter how is distributed torque. Open diff splits torque always in the same ratio which is specified by it's mechanical construction (usually 50:50 %). That is the problem of open diffs.

Why is there so much delay in the Torsten diff turning and then the wheel turning?

I never heard of a Torsen diff before, looks very interesting. Is this the sort of diff used on some offroad vehicles? Could you give me some real life examples?

great video! can someone explain why it takes a while for the Torsten diff to grip when against uneven terrain, as in the last minute of the vid?

yeah but that your system has more weight

Torque sensing. A torsen will not lock when wheel in air. That is not a torsen like my miata has...

There is error in the video. Torque is send equally to both wheels in normal diff. Even when one wheel is slipping, the same torque is send to not slipping wheel. Torque is not rotation, torque is force. Because slipping wheel rotates easily it needs much less torque. And the same tiny amount of torque is send to the not slipping wheel. It is just not enough to rotate it. The torsen also doesn't fix it 100%. What torsen does it can send more torque to not slipping wheel. But it is for example 4 times the torque. So if one wheel is slipping only 4 times that torque is send to the other wheel. In real world example this means, that if you lift one wheel the second might not get enough torque to move the car. It works much better then normal diff, but doesn't solve edge cases. Torsen worked good in your video, because the internal (huge, compared to other forces) friction created a hybrid of torsen/SLP differential. The friction in your design on the lifted wheel side was enough to make other wheel rotate and move the vehicle.

This device could not work as true Torsen. Because gear can not turn worm in Lego, but it can in true Torsen (though with a lot of friction). This construction always give all the tourque to the slower weel even if the difference is very small. If we use two ratchet gears or overrunning clutches instead we will have the same result as from this "Torsen" model

So, if you were to put one of these gearboxes on both the front and rear axles, and then a third one to split between the axles as a transfer gearbox, you could theoretically put all the torque into a single wheel if the other three were slipping? Sounds like the ultimate 4WD to me.

Can someone pls tell me the song used from the start of the video to 2:37 pls