I swear everywhere I go I look for places to go offroading. I don't know if its an addiction, or just a craving or what. I can almost hear construction sites calling me to come drive in the mud/snow/sand. Maybe I need an atv or something so my cravings won't end up with me damaging the element. Are there any companies that make limited diff's for the element?

If you get two ATVs, I'll go with you every weekend. I've had many in the past, but they're so expensive if you can't use them all the time. I also measured to see if any decent models would fit in the E, but they don't.

I went offroading an honest 4 days a week in high school in Tennessee. Around NoVA there is NOwhere to go that is legal, so I had to lose the CJ7. Offroading is incredibly addicting but btw :Construction sites are not offroading!

I don't think there is, or ever will be any type of hardcore 4wd option for the E.

:)

I know constructionsites aren't offroading.... but its all I got between my house and work. ;)

any 3rd party companies offer any limited/locking kits for the CRV?



IF you could combine the functionality of the Jeep and the reliability of a Honda.... You'd own my heart!

If you get two ATVs, I'll go with you every weekend. I've had many in the past, but they're so expensive if you can't use them all the time. I also measured to see if any decent models would fit in the E, but they don't.

I went offroading an honest 4 days a week in high school in Tennessee. Around NoVA there is NOwhere to go that is legal, so I had to lose the CJ7. Offroading is incredibly addicting but btw :Construction sites are not offroading!

I don't think there is, or ever will be any type of hardcore 4wd option for the E.

:)

I know a few people that go up to some places in Front Royal and places out that direction

Yeah, there are places within 1-1.5 hours drive from NoVa, but thats not quite an afterschool activity. Back in good 'ol Tennessee, there was TVA land with about 15 minutes of anywhere that you could putz around and 4 wheel on.

Maybe as part of the next NoVA meetup, we could hit up some light 4wheelin. I did this great fireroad in the shennandoahs that was about 3 hours worth of light wheeling. Only a couple of difficult switchbacks and a few water ditch crossings.

That sounds awesome!!! Let me know when/where! We can trade civic tires/rims for those element tires/rims. j/k

....We can trade civic tires/rims for those element tires/rims. j/k

In the famous words of Wayne:

"She-yeah, right, and monkeys might fly out of my butt"

*tosses you into 'Bruce Almighty' and waits for you to say that again* ;)

Would you want the limited slip in the front or back? For traditional 4x4s limited slip diffs are more common in the back. In the front they are likely to affect steering more, as one wheel looses and then gains traction.

However I also learned from a thread a long time ago, that street racers (Civics, etc) like putting LSD on front wheel drive cars to give stronger, more consistent, acceleration.

Toyota used to offer a Torsen type of LSD on the rear axle of the RAV4. However that car has the AWD control unit mounted close to the transmission, rather than integrated with the rear diff as on the Element.

Can you describe some of the situations that you have gotten yourself into, where you think an LSD would have helped?

paulj

I have not been in a situation that has needed limited/locking diff's yet, but i've done light offroading at best. But I know that you can get one side of your element stuck in mud and be stuck, because it only takes one wheel per axle for you to be stuck. The more wheels that can get power the better chance you have of not getting stuck right? I know that there are kits for civic's, and if they can make a LSD for civics, they can do it for Elements. :) I'm not sure if it would be best to have it on the front or rear axle on the Element. Probably better to have it on the front axle since the rear has overheat protection on it, Wonder if a LSD or locking diff would cause more heat?

Civic's install a LSD so that they can launch faster. Instead of spinning the front wheel, the power is applied to both front wheels, doubling your traction, launching you instead of spinning the tire.

If I read correctly, the Honda Ridgeline has a locking rear diff, that is somewhat automaticly engaged, turning off at speeds above 18mph?

Some (all?) types of LSD don't operate if there is a total lack of traction on one side.

Locking differentials are a different matter.

Really? I thought that limited just meant that one wheel could spin a little, then power would divert to the other wheel. I know that locking diff can't be driven on pavement because it damages the system. I figured that was why limited was used in cars. So you're saying that if one wheel spins freely, it will never divert power to the other wheel?

Addicted to offroading? yes yes!
in trucks or SUVs
on bikes
in boots
with backpacks

Locking differentials (e-locker or arb-locker) would be a terrific upgrades on the axles

I reviewed some of my printed descriptions of differentials. It is the Torsen Gleason type that doesn't operate if there is a total lack of traction on one side. I think this is the same thing that Honda describes as 'helical-type torque sensing limited slip differenctial', used in the S2000.

paulj

I don't see any evidence of ARB making a locking differential for a transaxle awd type of vehicle (http://www.arb.com.au). Now if you'd bought Honda's true 4x4 when they sold it (e.g. Passport) you could have added ARB lockers (models RD94 and RD117).

Lockers increase the forces on the half shaft that does have traction. Applied in the wrong circumstances, you can easily break something.

The ARB application table lists shaft diameters. For the Passport, the diameters are 28.4 and 33.3 mm (front, back). On the Element the diameters are 22 and 27 mm. The Element numbers look more like smaller Suzuki ones, switching front and rear.

paulj

http://www.houseofthud.com/differentials.htm
Differentials (Open, Locked, Limited lip, EDL, Quattro)

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/quaife.htm
Quaife ATB LSD