Back to all

Differential Service in Lake In The Hills, Illinois - What You Need to Know

March 5, 2023

Scratching your head? Don't worry, if you don't know what a differential is – you will in a moment. That fact is that if you drive a car anywhere in Lake In The Hills, Illinois, you have a differential. Whether your vehicle is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, you have a differential. Some Lake In The Hills vehicles might even have two or three.

Not surprisingly, a differential's job is to compensate for differences; specifically, they're the differences in wheel speed when turning. For instance, imagine taking a corner near your Lake In The Hills, Illinois, home. Your inside wheel has a shorter distance to travel than the outside wheel as you turn the corner. That means that your outside wheel has to turn faster to keep pace with the inside wheel.

The differential allows the wheels to turn at different speeds while still providing power to your vehicle. Without a differential, Lake In The Hills residents' tires would scrub and hop along the pavement during turns like the early cars.

Ever noticed the big bulge in the middle of the rear axle on trucks? That's the differential. Rear-wheel drive vehicles have a differential in back. Most four-wheel drive trucks and SUVs will also have a similar differential on the front axle. A front-wheel drive vehicle's differential is called a transaxle because it combines the differential and transmission in one unit. An all-wheel drive vehicle will have a differential or transfer case that adjusts for speed differences between the front and rear drive wheels.

It can seem a little complex to some Lake In The Hills drivers - but you can see that all of the engine's power is routed through your differentials. They're strong enough to handle the work, but- we've said it before - they need to be properly lubricated in order to stay strong. So from time to time, you need to schedule a differential service in Lake In The Hills at Tuffy Lake In The Hills. The used fluid is drained and replaced with clean fluid. Some advise certain differentials to have special additives installed.

Get your differential serviced at Tuffy Lake In The Hills in Lake In The Hills.

Tuffy Lake In The Hills
59 West Acorn Lane
Lake In The Hills, Illinois 60156
847-854-9850

More articles from Tuffy Lake in the Hills

Timing is Everything (Timing Belt)

September 14, 2025

Talk about exquisite choreography; it happens under the hood of your vehicle every time you take a drive. Your engines many complex parts must work exactly together. One key is a part called a timing belt, which enables the synchronizing of two of your engines components, the camshaft, and the ... More

Your Vehicle's Other Power Plant (Alternator Replacement)

September 7, 2025

Your vehicle's engine is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a power plant. But it has another power source that is vital as well: the alternator. The alternator is what puts out the electricity that powers such things as your lights, power windows, sound system, and na... More

Giving CV Joints the Boot! (CV Joint and Boot Replacement)

August 31, 2025

Ever wonder how your vehicles transmission is connected to your wheels? After all, when you hit a pothole or some other uneven part of a roads surface, there has to be something that can maintain the connection between the transmission and the wheel yet keep everything moving at the same speed. ... More