What is a full-floating rear axle, and why does my pro-touring ride need one?

Your car's rear end is often overlooked. Maybe it's because it's behind you?

In all seriousness, the rear end / differential is an extremely important part of any pro-touring build. 

First, lets go through the basics.
The rear end, aka rear end housing, aka differential, aka diff, are used somewhat interchangeably. 

The rear end housing is just that; it is the housing in which you SEE. 
The axle shafts have bearings on them, usually pressed on. The center section houses your differential, which is what transfers driveshaft motion into wheel motion. You may have heard the terms "locker" or "posi" or "track lock" or "LSD." 
All of the above are designed to spin both wheels, versus having a stock "one wheel peel."

Your axle bearings are usually pressed onto the axle shaft, which sits inside the end of the housing. Typically they are roller or ball bearings which do not take side-loading very well. 

In cases of hard cornering, the bearing retainers on a standard (aka semi floating) rear axle will move slightly, or the bearings themselves will move slightly. This results in pad knock-back. Why? Because the rotor is moving (attached to the moving axle) and the caliper is bolted solid to your housing which is not moving. So the pads/pistons get moved away from the rotor.
Ever run out of brakes? Yeah, well you don't want to ever run out of brakes, I'll say that much. Sticky tires (comparing to the 1960's remember) are the norm nowadays, which worsens the problem.

A full floating rear axle has splines on both ends of the shaft. It uses a hub with tapered roller bearings, which slide over a tapered snout. If you've ever taken apart a front hub on any muscle car spindle, you'll get the idea. There is a large nut to tighten the bearings down and keep the slop away. 

The end result is no pad knockback. Yes, NONE. 

We are a dealer for several companies who offer full floater setups, many of which also have brackets that'll bolt to your factory frames! Or get them bare and weld brackets yourself to that custom pro-touring build. 

Be sure to keep us in mind for your next rear end purchase!