GPtimes2 said:
Thanks GMCSID, Still over my head. Would an open differential pull both front wheels?
If you think about the differences in the turn radius of the front tires when doing say 180 degree turn, you'll see that the outside tire must travel quite a bit further than the inside tire.
Now what if you're on a slick surface and both tires were pulling at the same speed? The vehicle doesn't turn, but merely continues on it's merry little straight line.
So while there are some sophisticated systems out there like the Jeep Quadra drive which claims to be able to handle this, for most non-competition vehicles a locking front differential presents more problems that it solves.
To answer your question, you will occasionally get both front wheels pulling, but it usually is only one in my experience. It depends on how loose or slick the surface is and whether or not you have the steering wheel turned to one side or the other.
Edited by: Zeeb