The only thing the centre diff lock does is ensure power is evenly distributed to the front and rear AXLES. That ensures better traction as that power delivery potentially hits a wheel with traction. Not engaging the centre diff lock and allowing the vehicle’s full time 4WD system to operate means that in a slippery scenario, power delivery could result in it being allocated to a wheel that has no traction (unless a traction control system kicks in). The CDL minimizes this scenario (doesn’t eliminate it unless you have axle lockers) as it forces the front and rear axles to spin at the same rate, thus giving you more traction. Realistically, CDL should only be used when you’re on a low traction surface otherwise your driveline will suffer windup so use it when you think you’ll need it and disengage it when your done.

One of the better explanations I’ve heard. Thanks

Love the 80's theme music at the beginning!

Sir, you are the Ernest Hemingway of the Desert. I too explain the GX’s technology to my wife using birth defects and physical malady analogies. Mostly hers. A-TRAC is like her hammer toes, Adaptive Cruise Control like her lazy eye… etc. etc. 😂😂😂😂

I have watched a bunch of your videos now and subscribed. Four wheel drive education. Thanks a lot!

I think of it as having one shoe in a sneaker the other in a hiking boot. One foot will slip, the other will grip. You'll go forward but rely on the shoe with traction, placing it where it is best used. The other shoe gets traction, but to a lesser degree. You can have two sneakers and will fail on a slope, two hiking boots will get you up that slope and fail at a much higher slope.

Another great vid, thank you.

The 50:50 F:R split is important, because if one end is getting more power than the other, as in a 60:40 split, that end will be more likely to slip. If all wheels are getting exactly the same amount of power, it is more likely that NONE of the wheels will slip. I’m not sure if the analogy with wheel speed is apt or not, but here goes… If the front wheels are turning at a different rate from the rear wheels, it will be impossible for both front and rear to maintain traction. If front and rear are turning at the same rate, it will be possible, and much more likely, for all 4 wheels to maintain traction. Locking the center differential makes a useful improvement to traction - in difficult situations only. In high speed highway situations, it would make the vehicle handle badly, and cause excessive tire and mechanical wear, in a similar way that 4WD does when driven on pavement.

I'm parked uphill, can I use this when car is turned on?

Thank you for the video. highly appreciate it and educational but can you lock the center differential on four high and is there’s a speed limit with the center diff locked? thank you.

Great video. Can you use 4L with the center diff Unlocked on a paved road? I’m assuming there’s no transmission windup if you don’t lock the center diff. Sometimes I need to descend a very steep incline (2 miles) with a heavy trailer and need engine braking.

My only concern to turn on the center dif on regular dirt off road is that to not damage the differential if the dirt road is not that harsh like the dirt road ur going now on this video which is a straight dirt road. Please advise. Thanks

So just turn it on when go offroadi ng to be safe? Also, how is your stock strut and spring system handle all those extra weights you put on? I think sooner or later you are going to need to upgrade to a decent lift system.

The analogy is of good taste.

Snowflake Warning: The disease mentioned in the analogy is completely curable via surgery in modern times. Nobody is afflicted by this condition anymore. You may now chill 😎🤙

How fast can I drive with center lock on? When should one use 4lo AND center lock ? What conditions

I don’t get the analogy. A person with a shorter left leg than right is short on the left side. So does that mean if the road is lower on the left side we should use the center diff?

Can I lock center diff in high 4x4 or only low

I wonder what's this feature is like in the snow?

Is there a speed limit when you lock diff in a GX?

What is the top speed with locked diff?

❤

A rear diff lock is better for off-roading however.

Love your videos, very informative and I learned a lot from them. This is more of a critique of your audio/music. The music on its own is not bad, but all of your selections are off vibe and obnoxious. That 8-bit theme song that comes in the intro is insanely loud and aggressive. In comparison to your vocal audio, it's extremely loud. You might have to crank up your vocals or turn down the music. It doesn't take away from the content you give, but it's more of a nuisance having to lower the volume and then raise it back up when you start talking again. Amazing knowledge when it comes to the GX, but the music selection is bad.

I strongly advise all viewers to not pay attention to this explanation. Have you ever tried to not use your diff lock? The car will drive better in almost all conditions with the diff not locked. The only reason to lock it would be in extremely slippery conditions like mud or deep snow. The Center diff is a so called torsen diff, originally launched in the first audi quattro Models. It locks automatically once wheel spin on one axle occurs. It will do this in less than a second. Only very technical sections require manual locking.

What if the shorter leg is the normal one, and the longer one is the "genetically bad one?" ... Joke ....

This is a weird analogy. You could have chosen something better.

Your Babling made this tough to watch, as if a driver can't see whats in front of him, apply the brakes, put it in 4H and continue? Being you're in the Mojave I must guess you found the one hit sativa cactus? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Terrible metaphor and you're certainly smart enough to explain 60/40 without using a human

The analogy is of bad taste.

I have been following your channel and I really love the way you explain technicalities of various features that the GX460 offers. I find most of your videos very insightful and you explain the details of complex parts in a simplified manner. I started watching this video last night to learn more about how a differential lock works and when to use it. I was not fully satisfied with the analogy/explanation you gave so I watched a lot more videos in the last 24 hrs to find the perfect explanation. I finally found a video that, in my humble opinion, does justice to this topic and gives a detailed explanation of how a differential works, what a differential lock does and how do traction control systems add value. Here's the link to the video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z56JgdN4nK-lgWw.htmlsi=mU-4mGeSGIMprtNk. (the question that was bothering me and was not answered in your video: "how does locking center diff handle the case of a diagonal slippage, where on front and one rear wheel loses traction; the power will still be sent to the two slipping wheels in front and rear even with the center diff lock, as the front and rear diff are still unlocked and can allow the left and right wheels to rotate at different speeds) Also, I would like to emphasise that I do not mean to prove your explanation wrong in any way. I love your videos and I have personally learned a lot from them. I bought a 2017 Lexus GX460 exactly 1 year back and I have only driven it on road so far. But watching your videos encouraged (maybe I can say "pushed") me to take my car off-road as I started to realise that this is such a capable vehicle (thanks to your videos) and it's a shame if I don't take it off-road. Last weekend, I finally joined an off-road club and took my car to the desert where i learnt some basics of driving in loose sand. Thank you so much for your contribution to the community!!! :)