wats the diff??

[wildthing]

Sa mga experts, I always read various types of differentials like AMC, DANA (44, 60, etc)....

All the while I thought each car manufacturer has his own diff to match their engines or tranny.

So what's the diff with all these diffs?

BTW, would adapting diff to another engine pose a problem .... meron bang computation dito?

Hypothetical, can I match the tranny and differentials ng 4x4 na suzuki mini cab to a bigger engine (say 1.8 toyota tamaraw na diesel)?  Then if this combination is possible can I use a 31"-33" tires too?

sorry for my dumb questions ha.

[Wolverine]

Wildthing:

Let me start by saying that your question was not a dumb one at all.

I hope I can answer your question while addressing all the points you raised in a straightforward and simple manner.

Firstly, you are correct in your assumption that the various differentials you stated were created by each car manufacturer for their specific engine or vehicle.

The difference between these diffs lays in several characteristics they possess.  Namely:
1. Their Design
2.  Their Configuration/Ratio
3.  Their dimensions (i.e. size, length, thickness, etc.)

Theoretically,  practically any differential can be adapted to a motor of your choice.  I say theoretically, because there is an issue of the location of the Diferential within the axle housing.  Is it centered, left biased or right biased?  This will have bearing on the orientation of the propeller shafts that will be attached to your transfercase or transmission.  If it's not an exact match, you may have a shaft that slants left to right as well as up and down.  This is not a very desireable condition although it can be corrected with the use of multiple u-joints to address the required contortion.

Having addressed that, you will also now have to match the gear ratio of your desired differential to the gear ratio of your transmission, T-case, and  Tire size.  If the ratio's match (This can be determined with the use of a gear table/chart)  the vehicle will perform in a normal manner.  If the gearing is too tall, your low end acceleration would suffer while top end speed would be diminished if the gearing is too low.

Lastly, the dimensions of the diff are also what determine its durability (i.e. wall thickness, ring size and thickness, etc)  However, in general, the sturdiest diffs are also the biggest diffs hence they require large housings.  If you put a large diff on relatively small tires (e.g. 30-31 inches) you would be compromising your ground clearance.  Further, you would not need something as sturdy for relatively small tires.  The use of the heavy duty diffs is best applied in large tire high horsepower applications that may have the tendency of breaking these components should less sturdy parts be used.

So your hypothetical question of matching a toyota diesel motor to a suzuki axle would be very possible but its compatibility would lie in the relationship of your gearing (tranny and or T-case) to that of the differential and less attributable to the choice of motor (though the type of motor and its characterisitics do have some bearing in the total picture)  In other words, If your gearing requires high rpm to obtain a desired speed due to the gearing combination and you happen to have a low revving engine, they may not be quite compatible.  i hope i wasnt too confusing.

I hope I got to address your concerns.  I'm sure the others here can address other aspects I may have left out.