Quaife Diff First Impressions

[MRX330]

A mechanical LSD is on my most wanted list. How well do they help with wet weather and snow conditions? I have a few places on my commute to and from work that one tire will hydroplane during wet weather and cause a nervous sensation. Does a LSD help in this type of senario? As in, I can just drive through the situation vs let off.

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Slowing down cures that problem

 

[Dpro]

When I was doing a Dodge SRT track day experience (one of the most fun dealer-provided events I have ever been to!) I ran into one of my old instructors from Skip Barber. One thing we noticed with the 2003 SRT4's on the autocross was that you could basically keep one tire smoking the entire way around the course due to the open diff (and we unofficially competed to see who could get the longest one-wheel-peel) - one of the "students" was talking about how his times would be "way better" with an LSD and that the car was holding him back, and I heard some of the best words of advice ever on the subject. One of the instructors (turned out he was one of my instructors at skip barber!) said "you think an LSD is going to make you a superstar on the track, but it's not. With your level of experience it's only going to turn little mistakes into big mistakes". It was totally savage, but now that I look back, it was totally right. The LSD *does* help a lot, but it also drastically narrows the "oopsie zone" where you can make a mistake and recover. Once I bought an SRT4 (the following year, with LSD) and started autocrossing it, I noticed two things. 1) the steering was way too slow for autocrossing, and 2) he was right. Instead of a tire braking loose to tell you to ease up, the car would understeer severely and suddenly, snowplowing through cones.

That was my long way of saying, anyone doing an LSD install - just be careful, you have to kinda re-learn how to drive the car.

Ya I do agree with part of this except our cars are not SRT4’s. Lol.
Most people that have put LSD’s in our cars have reported nothing but better performance in cornering for our cars no one has spoken up about severe understeer after installing an LSD.
Something to remember is different cars react to mods differently comparing our cars to a SRT4 is not a way to gauge how installing one in our cars will perform. I drive the crest and can tell you quite honestly a LSD would do nothing but give me more grip in the corners. Also I should add everyone that has installed one in our cars reports the exact opposite of what you are describing with your old SRT4 they are describing the LSD pulling the car into the corner. That is not understeer. Lol

Does it change the way the car drives a bit sure. Does one have to go slow before going fast after installing one so they can learn it sure. One could say that about running a hybrid or BT too though as you have more power which allows you to go fast into a corner lol.
Though once the mod is learned it can make the car fearsome in a positive way.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

Ya I do agree with part of this except our cars are not SRT4’s. Lol.
Most people that have put LSD’s in our cars have reported nothing but better performance in cornering for our cars no one has spoken up about severe understeer after installing an LSD.
Something to remember is different cars react to mods differently comparing our cars to a SRT4 is not a way to gauge how installing one in our cars will perform. I drive the crest and can tell you quite honestly a LSD would do nothing but give me more grip in the corners. Also I should add everyone that has installed one in our cars reports the exact opposite of what you are describing with your old SRT4 they are describing the LSD pulling the car into the corner. That is not understeer. Lol

Does it change the way the car drives a bit sure. Does one have to go slow before going fast after installing one so they can learn it sure. One could say that about running a hybrid or BT too though as you have more power which allows you to go fast into a corner lol.
Though once the mod is learned it can make the car fearsome in a positive way.

With the SRT4 it was more.. once all 260 something lb ft could grip, it made the rear end of the car an afterthought - it wasn't really understeer or oversteer, it was just... well you had to re-learn the throttle pedal. It would feel like it was oversteering and understeering at the same time. I think it was worse on that car because the steering was super slow and numb.

my real feedback to anyone going to an LSD is just to take it easy and start slow, and do it somewhere you feel safe. I guess that applies to pretty much any LSD experience

 

[Dpro]

With the SRT4 it was more.. once all 260 something lb ft could grip, it made the rear end of the car an afterthought

my real feedback to anyone going to an LSD is just to take it easy and start slow. I guess that applies to pretty much any LSD experience

Yup even in a RWD car. I was just mentioning how each car reacts can be different. My old Black M3 with factory LSD would just rotate like no tomorrow if I laid into into. I remember coming out of our lot with a lady waiting to come in and there were cars coming up the street and she was getting all annoyed I did not pull out and go up the street. I wanted to go down i.e make a left. I told her to calm down and her passenger started cussing at me. I literally punched it in first and smoked my tires around them sideways leaving them in a cloud of smoke laughing the whole way. Car just drifted out and around and I tore off down the street lol.
Kids do not do this when you drive!

 

[briandee]

Slowing down cures that problem

2 spots that it happens are merging on to a highway. Hard to slow down when trying to accelerate! These puddles tend to hold about an inch of water each when it rains. And only where the left tire hits them.

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[MRX330]

2 spots that it happens are merging on to a highway. Hard to slow down when trying to accelerate! These puddles tend to hold about an inch of water each when it rains. And only where the left tire hits them.

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Its worse with ultra summer tires with virtually no tread pattern

 

[Peter H]

Good to hear you feel it on the streets. Some have installed a lsd and have commented it’s only value is on the track

I've not tracked my car, but I would think that most tracks are smooth enough that, even without an LSD, you could adjust your entry and acceleration points after enough laps to minimize wheel spin out of tight turns. On the street you're often reacting to turns you've not seen before where the pavement is nowhere near as even as a track. When I'm buzzing along a twisty mountain road, one I know or a new one, I'm not thinking about lap times, I'm trying to get the most fun out of whatever surprise is around the next bend. This is where the diff really shines, giving you the confidence to brake later and get on the power sooner when conditions aren't ideal and you may be unfamiliar with the road.

Good to hear it's noticeable right away, it does seem like you have to drive it a bit more 'spiritedly' for the full effect. Something which a few drivers are hesitant of and therefore think it's a track only mod. The corner exits are where I hope it's most evident.

Corner exits are where you notice the diff working the most, but it also deals nicely with the wheelspin and torque steer you can momentarily get when passing on a two-lane road and crossing the painted lines under high boost, especially when the road is wet.

 

[Peter H]

...I'm sure that an LSD moves you into God-mode on an A/C course.

Friends have told me about a guy who regularly smokes everyone at local auto-x events in a Honda Del Sol that's stock except for an LSD. I haven't tried auto-x myself but I'd like to.

This Saturday I'll be running the Maryhill Loops hillclimb, an event I've been looking forward to for months.

 

[MRX330]

Friends have told me about a guy who regularly smokes everyone at local auto-x events in a Honda Del Sol that's stock except for an LSD. I haven't tried auto-x myself but I'd like to.

This Saturday I'll be running the Maryhill Loops hillclimb, an event I've been looking forward to for months.

View attachment 22082

Ooh whee!

 

[MRX330]

Friends have told me about a guy who regularly smokes everyone at local auto-x events in a Honda Del Sol that's stock except for an LSD. I haven't tried auto-x myself but I'd like to.

This Saturday I'll be running the Maryhill Loops hillclimb, an event I've been looking forward to for months.

View attachment 22082

The Sovren event is October 5. Which one are you running?

 

[Phishy]

Coming from the VW world I can say that the Quaife or Peloquin LSD's I had were gamechanger parts. On my old MK2 VR6 swap cars or the newer MKIV 1.8T car it's one one of the biggest things I have ever done that will transform the feel of a car. Hard to put it into words but it really is night and day.

Not cheap and I would have it installed by someone you trust with experiance if not attempting it yourself, which I personally would not consider.

It's worth it though. Down the road a ways or maybe never on this car for me but if you have the means for big ticket stuff like this move it up your to do list.

 

[Peter H]

The Sovren event is October 5. Which one are you running?

This one is hosted by the NWST/RS group.

 

[Phishy]

The comments above put it into words better than I can. Corner exit, inclement weather, 2/10, 10/10 it's there all the time. I knew several straight line/drag types that bought it thinking it would be a huge help in launch traction. In my experiance it wasnt. It helps, but if you are running 300+tq through any moderately light FWD car this wont "save" you.

280wtq at 2200rpm, a Quaife and 15" Hakkappellittas in the snow is some of the most fun I have ever had in a car.

 

[shouldbeasy]

The comments above put it into words better than I can. Corner exit, inclement weather, 2/10, 10/10 it's there all the time. I knew several straight line/drag types that bought it thinking it would be a huge help in launch traction. In my experiance it wasnt. It helps, but if you are running 300+tq through any moderately light FWD car this wont "save" you.

280wtq at 2200rpm, a Quaife and 15" Hakkappellittas in the snow is some of the most fun I have ever had in a car.

Now THAT's what I wanted to hear.