In this edition of THIS VS. THAT, we’ll cover active torque-vectoring systems — specifically brake-based systems vs. active differentials. What’s torque vectoring, you ask? Torque vectoring usually refers to the ability to actively control how an engine’s power is distributed between a vehicle’s wheels (typically between two wheels on the same axle), in order to help improve vehicle performance in corners.

But how torque is vectored makes a big difference, and it’s the reason why we’re covering this topic.

This brings us to brake-based vs. active differential torque vectoring. These systems are specifically designed to help a car while cornering and are active systems (I like to say proactive). They both do this by monitoring a vehicle’s behavior (using lateral g, yaw sensors, etc.) and the driver’s inputs (steering, gas, etc.) and can begin routing torque before wheels begin slipping to actively enhance cornering performance. So what’s the difference between the two?

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