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Ball VS Gear Differentials

Many people struggle with what type of differential to use in their off road cars. Here is a quick rundown of how we determine what will provide us the most performance at the track.

One key property that makes ball differentials and gear differentials react differently is how they bind up under loads. I’m not talking about the transmission binding up and slowing down how fast you can accelerate, but rather how resistant they are to changes in speed between the left and right tire. On the bench, they can seem similar. Spin one tire forward and the other spins in reverse. This is under no load, so it doesn’t accurately portray what happens when you are accelerating.

For 2wd vehicles on a low traction or rough surface, you want your car to be as stable as possible when you accelerate to avoid spinning out. Ball differentials don’t bind up as much when they are placed under load, so they can more efficiently react to changes in traction. If one side loses traction, the differential is more effective at keeping the car going in a straight line. Or if you are accelerating out of a corner, it more readily unloads excess torque to the inside tire, preventing the outer tire from breaking traction.

As traction increases and the surface gets smoother (or you are running a 4wd vehicle), usually you will run faster laps with more on power steering. A gear diff acts more like a limited slip differential when you accelerate as it wants to keep the left and right tires rotating at the same speed more so than a ball differential. This puts relatively more torque to the outside tire than a ball diff would, helping the car rotate as you accelerate away from the corner. This effect can be adjusted by changing the viscosity of the oil inside the differential.

The examples above are for properly built and maintained differentials. If you aren’t sure how to set up a ball diff or simply don’t have the time to do regular maintenance, we suggest a gear diff no matter what conditions you race on. A gear diff with the correct viscosity oil will serve you better than a crunchy ball diff. Now go tame your terrain!

Two for Two in 2016

After a great summer of racing, Chris Peterson of Kriostasis Racing Works was able to come out on top in THE Series. His Serpent SRX2 and 811BE, equipped with DE wheels, topped by Walden Designs, and backed by Nankin Hobby, propelled him to a clean sweep in stock buggy and an extremely close battle for the championship in 8th scale. Be sure to relive the action by checking out videos of every single main at youtube.com/krioscrea or facebook.com/TeamKRW.

Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 Photos, Results No Comments

Double win at first round of THE Series

Round one of THE Series (www.the-series.com) kicked off with 204 entries at Sandpit RC in Jonesville, Michigan. Entered in stock buggy and electric 8th scale, Chris Peterson took home two wins after qualifying 2nd in both classes out of 18 and 26 entries respectively. He was armed with Novak power, Serpent rides, DE wheels, Nankin Hobby support, and topped with bodies from Walden Designs. The slick surface was a battle of patience, consistency, and traction with many lead swaps along the way.

Friday, May 20th, 2016 Photos, Results No Comments

2016 Partners

Kriostasis Racing Works is proud to team up with Novak, Serpent, DE Racing, Nankin Hobby, and Walden Designs to help bring you engaging RC videos for the 2016 season.

Thursday, February 25th, 2016 News No Comments

THE Series Finale at Dirt Burner

With many close battles scattered throughout the point series, it would come down to the wire for many contestants at the final race of THE Series. Hosted by Dirt Burner, the track provided a technical, but flowing layout with tight doubles and chicanes for the 17 heats of racers that showed up.

Thursday, November 26th, 2015 Results, Videos No Comments

Washtenaw RC Raceway Openning Points Race

The first points race for the 2015-2016 season ran this past weekend at Washtenaw RC Raceway. Scroll through the videos to relive some of the action.

Monday, November 9th, 2015 Results, Videos No Comments

Washtenaw RC Raceway Halloween Bash

Washtenaw kicked off its 16th season this past weekend with a Halloween Bash trophy race. 12 heats of racers showed up to take on the unique clay creation hosted at the Washtenaw county fairgrounds.

Monday, October 26th, 2015 Results, Videos No Comments

THE Series at AMS 2015

With winter knocking on the door, the last two races of THE Series are to be held indoors to fend off Mother Nature. AMS provided a fast, flowing track to do battle on while figuring out what tire sauce would provide the best balance of traction and consistency. All the A-mains are embedded below to catch up on the action.