SuperATV Answers Some Questions About What A Dual Idler Portal Is.

You’re probably familiar with portal gear lifts—those torque-boosting lifts that simultaneously boost performance and tire clearance. But you might not be sure what dual idler portals are. So, what are dual idler portals?

In short, they’re the newest portal upgrade that boosts the strength and longevity of your GDP Portals.

Let’s take a closer look at what they are, how they work, and why they’re such a big deal.

WHAT IS AN IDLER GEAR?

First, you’re not going to understand why dual idler gears matter if you don’t understand what an idler is in the first place.

Each portal box uses three gears to provide GDPs signature lift and gear reduction—a drive gear, an idler gear, and a driven gear. The idler gear is in between the drive gear and the driven gear. Its purpose is to keep the driven gear spinning in the right direction (so that your wheels move you forward when you hit the gas). The design of the box and the position of the idler gear also help determine the overall height of the lift.

Simply put, it’s another link in the chain designed to get power from your axles to your wheels.

WHAT ARE DUAL IDLER PORTALS?

Dual idler portals add a second idler gear into each portal box. When you see a picture of dual idlers installed in a box, it’s obvious what they are.

These dual-idler gears work together to transfer power from the drive gear to the driven gear in the same way a single idler would.

But what’s the point of the second idler gear?

Strength, plain and simple.

Two idler gears are nearly twice as strong as a single idler. But why is it so important for the idler gear to be as strong as possible rather than another gear, the case, or something else entirely?

Let’s find out.

WHY DO DUAL IDLER GEARS MATTER?

Even when you upgrade housings, bearings, materials, and design, the idler gear remains a weak spot. It’s the only gear that’s in contact with two other gears and it has to handle a ton of force. In fact, the way the drive gear pushes on it tends to make the idler gear want to move out away from the driven gear. When the force becomes too much, the case can crack, the idler gear can chip a tooth, or they can both break simultaneously.

Adding a second idler gear makes it virtually impossible for this worst case scenario to happen. With your wheels stuck and your throttle floored, you’re much more likely to break an axle than a gear in a dual-idler configuration.

But you only get true dual-idler strength when they have another important feature—they have to mate perfectly. If one idler gear doesn’t mate as well as the other, you’ll end up with one idler doing all the work and the other is just along for the ride.

Luckily, GDP Portals have always used perfectly mated gears made with the highest quality gear material. Our tight tolerances, 9310 steel alloy gears, and precision-ground finishing process ensures that our gears have a more perfect mesh than any other.

The result is that GDP dual idlers are nearly double the strength of our single idlers. (By the way, you can’t perfectly double the strength by adding a second idler gear. The laws of physics don’t allow it, but that’s another story.)

Dual idler gears allow you to get wild with bigger tires, a heavy throttle, and crazier rides than anyone else without breaking down.

If you want the very best dual-idler portals on the market,GDP Portals have got you covered with more options for a wider variety of vehicles than anyone else.