Oh I see - a limited slip differential! I believe that functionally the answer is yes. There are individual wheel speed sensors and the hybrid system will prevent overspeed or an excessive wheel speed disparity. I believe it is done with a combination of brake application and limiting the power output of the drivetrain.
LSD while driving a PRIUS? Actually, I really enjoy it without. I can't imagine LSD in the Prius. It would definitely cut down on the fun of driving and might make my MPGs go down, though others may disagree.
Wouldn't a "real" LSD in *any* front drive car cause squirrelly handling characteristics? I'm assuming by LSD you mean clutch plates with a torque bias spring between them? My 1984 Ford F-150 4x4 has a Richmond Gear LockRite - a mechanical locking device that replaces the spider gears - in the rear axle and the factory TrakLok in the front axle. If I try to drive on hardpack snow in 4WD and then try to turn, the front end will do some odd things. It almost feels as if the front axle is trying to steer the back axle.
If you're concerned about traction, the prius does have traction control which uses the anti-lock brakes.
what you need is like the old Glesson TorSen diffy. gears that allow differential action till an obvious loss of traction then lock. Had it in the front diffy of my old 81 Toy 4x4 powered with a turbo charged Buick V6 and auto. Had a TrackLoc in the rear plates and springs. The Gleeson let you steer it under a loss of traction on the front end and really needed it one time when I had it in to the frame on some decomposed granite on an old logging road. Glad for the winch.
LSD is different from traction control. Traction Control is simply the ECU using information from the wheels (usually the same sensors as the ABS system), to back off the throttle when wheel slippage is detected. A Limited Slip Differential, unlike a regular differential, limits the difference in speed betwen the left and right driven wheels and is purely mechanical - it doesn't require any intervention from the ECU. My Mini Cooper S had traction control, and that wasn't enough. The problem is that when accelerating rapidly, if one wheel broke loose (usually the the right front wheel), the ECU would kill power to the engine, which was not all that desirable. A Limited Slip Differential would have instead limited the dispariity of power applied to the left and right drive wheels. The ECU would have only killed power if both front wheels were breaking loose. It was a big problem on the Cooper S, and I think the '05s all have LSD now. Jayman: I don't think LSD makes a fwd car particularly squirrely. I think torque-steer, which is suually caused by unequal length half-shafts, is a much bigger problem. My MINI didnt have any torque-steer problems except on broken pavement, where LSD would have actually helped it a lot. I do not think the Prius has a limited slip differential, but I haven't yet encountered a situation where it really needed one.
Ya, I kind of wish there existed a torque bias (i.e. Torsen) differential out there for the Prius. If there were one for the Camry/Avalon hybrid I'd take one of those too. I do have studded snow tires on and chains in the Avalon. The Prius has cables that came with the car.
