Time for Differential Service at Spartan Tire Brighton?
September 27, 2016
Hello Brighton - let's talk differentials. If you have a rear-wheel drive vehicle, your differential is on the back axle. With front-wheel drive cars, the differential is up front. All-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive vehicles have three differentials - front, rear and in the middle. So you see, you've got a differential (or two or three) and it needs service now and then.
What does your vehicle differential do? Well, it compensates for the differences in speed between your outer and inner wheels in a turn. Using the dimensions of a typical car, let's compare the distance the wheels travel from the start of a turn through to the completion of the turn.
The inside wheel travels about 12.6 feet/3.8 meters. How much farther does the outside wheel travel? About 18.8 feet/5.7 meters – over 6 feet/1.9 meters more. This means the outer tire has to rotate 9 times in the same amount of time that the inner tire has to rotate only 6 times - so the outer tire has to spin faster in order to keep up. The differential makes this possible.
The gears in the differential are cooled and lubricated by differential fluid. It's this fluid that needs to be serviced. Small bits of the gears break off and are suspended in the differential fluid. The dirtier the fluid, the faster the gears wear.
So your Spartan Tire Brighton technician drains the old fluid out and replaces it with fresh fluid. Some differentials also need a special additive that is put in at this time.
So when should you have your vehicle differential serviced? Intervals vary from vehicle to vehicle – and may be as short as 15,000 miles/24,000 km – so check your vehicle owner's manual or ask us at Spartan Tire Brighton. If you frequently drive with heavy loads, tow a trailer or drive in hot Michigan conditions, you may need to change differential fluid more often. Servicing your differential on schedule at Spartan Tire Brighton can save a pricey replacement down the road.
Give us a call.
Spartan Tire Brighton
4880 Old U.S. 23
Brighton, Michigan 48114
810-355-4388
Need Service?
More articles from Spartan Tire Brighton
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.autonettv.com/files/thumbnails/en_US/generic_webtools.jpg)
What is a TSB? (Technical Service Bulletins)
August 25, 2024
If your vehicle had something in its design or production that the manufacturer had figured out had an unanticipated problem, you'd want to know about it. And you'd want it fixed. There is something that can help drivers with just such a scenario. It's called a Technical Service Bulletin, or TSB.... More
![](/images/tuffy/default_news_imgs/8.jpg)
Flat Tire? Three?s the Charm (Tire Repair)
August 18, 2024
For most drivers, at some point youre going to have a flat tire. Depending on how it was damaged, it may have to be replaced. But sometimes, a repair will do the trick, as long as the puncture isnt on the sidewall and the hole is smaller than inch/6.35mm in diameter. Here are the three common w... More
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.autonettv.com/files/thumbnails/en_US/generic_webtools.jpg)
Poor Reflections (Door Mirror Problems)
August 11, 2024
Mirror, mirror on the door, why is my vision there so poor? Well, you could have a broken outside rearview mirror that's disabled your blind spot vision there and endangering your ability to see some of the traffic around you. Outside rearview (or door) mirrors are important safety devices that ... More