yes it uses the brakes to stop a spinning wheel and that forces the power to the other wheel. The noise is when the brake grabs the wheel the spider gears slip just before they break which causes the power then go to the other wheel. The popping don't happen all the time only when lots of wheel spin is accruing and both tires have some grip but one tire slips just a little more then the other. IMO I wish the tolerance for the system was a little looser in this situation but we can't have it all I guess.