RTAWD Clutch packs vs locking

RTAWD differentials are one of the most important parts of most AWD Conversions on the market today. Commonly found in the 97-11 CRV, 03-11 Element and 10-15 Accord Crosstour. These differentials have proven to be extremely versatile and have been shown to hold power exceeding manufacturers original specs. However good they are from the factory they do have quite a few weaknesses including the clutch packs that we here at AKDBuilt have been working to resolve. In a partnership with Racing Diffs we have provided a few methods for clutch packs upgrades for those needing to get maximum performance from their RTAWD Differential. Both of the following are clutch upgrades you can use to suit your application. 

The first method uses Molybdenum Ceramic clutches and friction discs allowing normal operation of the Dual Pump Assembly internal of the differential. This allows a hydraulic engagement of the rear differential on demand or automatically when the front wheels slip transferring power to the rear wheels to support stabilization and traction under high power launches or low traction conditions where the front wheels slip over driving the rear. This method when used with our quick spool kit and thermal delete switch plug can reduce engagement times and increase performance of the standard RTAWD differential by over 500% greatly reducing front wheel spin before rear diff engagement so you can lock all wheels into driving the vehicle sooner. No modifications to the driveshaft are required for this internal product to work well and it maintains the AWD capability and functionality of the rear differential.

The second method is Racing Diffs Lock Plates. Effectively it is exactly what it sounds like. Locks the clutches together and matches the speed of the driveshaft all the time effectively converting the AWD rear Differential into a 4WD differential. This method will require a hydraulic viscous coupler to be used inline and our 2.545:1 Ring and Pinion giving you a 50/50 Tq split all the time. This system is ideal for off-road high performance and street use with our custom driveshaft and inline viscous coupler.  We discourage the use of Freelander viscous couplers in any high performance build as they are prone to failure causing serious damage to your drivetrain and catastrophic failure due to breaking. This method removes the need for the dual pump to provide lock and allows the differential to essentially bypass the functionality of AWD. The dual pump is still required for dampening and ballast however we recommend removing the pressure relief spring and 2WD/4WD Selector switch spring. 

Either of these methods are capable of sustaining upwards of 1000hp and carry a lifetime manufacturers warranty. Available to you from AKDBuiltPerformance.com