doctahjones wrote:
ABLS (active brake limited slip) is not a locking diff in any way. it's limited slip, with help from abs. no where in the acronym does it say "locking".
It's also known as EDL or ELD by multiple manufacturers, which do have "locking" in them. What's next, is AWD really 4WD, and what do we do about those pesky LE's (again)?
If we're going to go tit for tat, it's
not "limited slip" with ABS at all. It's an open differential. A limited slip differential involves any of several designs to prevent unlimited wheelspin on either side. Ours is intentionally open.
when ABLS engages it does not lock the diff at all, it merely brakes the spinning wheel so that the diff will be forced (by nature of an open diff) to then transfer most power to the other wheel.
I understand the difference pretty well. The functional allocation here is the same (are you locking one shaft to another mechanically, or locking/arresting wheelspin?) therefore industry gets away with very similar terms on the sale.
Purists can weep in their beer but I can come up with plenty of engineering or other examples where titles are arguably incorrect. Turbines often have a "synchronous self-shifting clutch" which doesn't shift anything and is sort of a clutch. Are piece-wise linear control systems really all that linear? For that matter, is Newton's linear theory of gravity really linear if its only linear under very bounded conditions? The Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy nor Roman nor an Empire after all. I clip into clipless bicycle pedals...
With enough margaritas I could keep going...
Anyway, it does work well for most conditions outside of hard core off roading. Until mine got stuck in three feet of soft snow (I really high-centered on it) I was the *only* thing driving in two feet of snow successfully, with no lift. Saw plenty of erstwhile capable 4WD vehicles not so lucky.
If serious off road is the goal...maybe not a Pathfinder...but I really don't worry about mine getting stuck in anything.