LSD now fitted and wow!

[RedRobin]

What are the pro's and cons of fitting an LSD?
Not done much research into them if im honest, and whats the cost involved?

Do they improve the rate at which power can be applied to the wheels before grip is lost?
I.E what was fitted to the Mk1 Focus RS which made it a little "grabby" on hard accleration.

....If DSG, you most definitely want to use a professional workshop that has experience of fitting them.

A diff won't completely cure wheelspin etc if you are too heavy on the right foot but it sure jumps in and regains grip very quickly (assuming your tyres are in good condition). You can get on the power much earlier in exiting a corner. Of course, if you drive beyond a car's limits you are asking for trouble with or without a diff. It feels extremely reassuring.

[QD MBE]

A mechanical diff will give more power to the wheel with grip. An electronic diff will just apply the brake to the spinning wheel, hence most E-diffs are a bit pants.

My experinece was different than yours.  The E diff was pretty good as found in the Roc R, very suitbale for Road use.  Quaife in the Ed was good too, but I wouldn't bother again, unless tracking the car.

[RedRobin]

A mechanical diff will give more power to the wheel with grip. An electronic diff will just apply the brake to the spinning wheel, hence most E-diffs are a bit pants.

My experinece was different than yours.  The E diff was pretty good as found in the Roc R, very suitbale for Road use.  Quaife in the Ed was good too, but I wouldn't bother again, unless tracking the car.

....Funny you should mention trackdays - I was just about to post that it used to be said that "Don't bother to get a diff unless you're tracking, because you won't use it and it'll be a waste of money". However, you've only to enjoy driving spiritedly on B-roads and roundabouts to action the benefits of a diff. In real world terms it can make sure you retain grip when overtaking on exiting a dual carriageway roundabout without crossing into the lefthand lane. By the same token you can often lose an annoying tailgater through a roundabout but then change lane and let him pass if he's a lot faster. Braking late into a tight B-road twistie and accelerating out without losing grip but feeling it happen is tremendous fun. I personally prefer it to high speed open road driving which can get you into more trouble legally anyway.

But I think you are right in that a diff won't necessarily suit everyone's style of road driving  

I think the fact that VW have introduced an E-diff system as standard must say something about the need for a diff on the road.

[Richn83]

All the MK5 GTI's have something similar to the XDS with the Electronic Diff Lock XDS is just a slightly more sophisticated software deployment and branded all its capable of doing breaking one wheel independently which forces the normal open diff to transfer more power from the brake wheeled to the other.  

I have no experience with a LSD but I believe it will provide a more progressive movement of power from one wheel to the other and without cooking your brakes at the same time!

[rich83]

Mk5 GTI doesnt have an E-diff.

[StuF]

How much does a LSD cost to buy and install (approx) as im sure there are some fluctuations between manufactures?

[RagingKileak]

I always lol@ LSD threads because they usually involve a very definite split which goes like this...

Hello, I have an LSD and I'd like to say that it's wonderful chaps. It really helps me apply power to the road and does a variety of other lovely things, such as....

And the other:

Now den geezas. Onli a clwn wud consida 1 o dem trick difs. I as got 689 BHPs an me car is propa fast. U dont even need it man. get a big turbo from old calibra insted on it and save some doh for beer and dem birds and dat.

My opinion, I bought Hurdy's car because it had a Quaiffe diff fitted and others for similar money didn't. Simple as that.

Any car likely to be on this forum (GTI's or ED30's etc) are likely to have enough power to show a signifcant difference by fitting an LSD. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a damn fool. They MAY be expensive (and are) and that is what counts against them.

I'll try give some 'bang per buck' context. In my old 335d I had a remap which brought it up to 540 lbs/ft torque (yeah, over 700 nm etc) and an Autobox which had no idea what to do with it.... I ran it happily, loving my remap and superfast diesel. Then I tried one with an LSD fitted and it blew me away.... It was SO, SO, SOOOOO much quicker than mine because it was actually using most of that torque, whereas mine simply wasn't able to put it down. If it hadn't been for BMW making such a clever Auto I would probably have been dead to be honest.

Sadly, the LSD for the Auto 335d is only supplied by Birds and costs over £2000. For a Golf you're looking at something like £1000 - £1200 fitted I guess. If you have Stage 2+ etc it's well worth it, makes a world of difference. If Clarkson drove my car now he couldn't POSSIBLY say that FWD cars can't handle over 300 bhp. If he did, I would tell him he was a damn fool too.

Matt

[stealthwolf]

To those of you with an LSD fitted, what do you do to the traction control? Leave it on or turn it off (or press and hold which I'm led to believe deactivates more stuff)?

[RedRobin]

To those of you with an LSD fitted, what do you do to the traction control? Leave it on or turn it off (or press and hold which I'm led to believe deactivates more stuff)?

....On the road I always drive with ESP on. On track, except the narrow with expensive armco Nordschleife section (TF circuit) of the whole Nurburgring, I drive with ESP off as there's plenty of run off area on the modern F1 section of Nurburgring.

[Richn83]

Mk5 GTI doesnt have an E-diff.

Im fairly certain they do its termed EDL and is part of the ESP system.

 Bosch ESP 5.7 Electronic Stability Programme, with Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) traction control system, Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), Engine Braking Control (EBC), with emergency Brake Assist (BA).
Note: The electronic differential lock (EDL) employed by Volkswagen is not, as the name suggests, a differential lock at all. Sensors monitor roadwheel speeds across an individual driven axle, and if one wheel is rotating substantially faster than the other (i.e. slipping) the EDL system momentarily brakes it. This effectively transfers power to the other wheel.

Its much simpler than XDS but uses the same principal, I also think it only applies up to a certain road speed.

[rich83]

Ohh ok. To be honest ESP is crap if your giving it beans. I have lost count the number of times my car has just 'cut out' mid corner or whilst booting it from 1st to 2nd gear. If Im giving my car some bootage in the dry the ESP goes off because it just cuts in too early.

If I had a bank full of money would i get a LSD? Probably yes.

[RagingKileak]

To those of you with an LSD fitted, what do you do to the traction control? Leave it on or turn it off (or press and hold which I'm led to believe deactivates more stuff)?

I do both mate (with similar thinking to RedRobin) because an LSD WON'T save your life if you drive like a punk!!

If I am 'on it' then I will turn off ESP - I just give it one stab. If a long press turns off more, I will try that too (that's how BMW's work) but under normal circumstances, I rarely see the light flicker - which I believe is largely down to getting 10x more traction than a car without an LSD.

Matt

[berg]

speak to alex at bdm for a peloquin as you get the fixing bolts with it whereas with quaife and wavetrac you dont. 

Or if you are up north like me go to Statllers in Sheffield.

i am going for a wavetrac on 15th June at Statllers (as they are 80 miles from me and BDM are 200) with a sachs clutch so will do a full write up like RR's once has been on a few weeks.

[RagingKileak]

speak to alex at bdm for a peloquin as you get the fixing bolts with it whereas with quaife and wavetrac you dont. 

Or if you are up north like me go to Statllers in Sheffield.

i am going for a wavetrac on 15th June at Statllers (as they are 80 miles from me and BDM are 200) with a sachs clutch so will do a full write up like RR's once has been on a few weeks.

I go to Statllers for everything too.

It will be interesting to read the report on your experience with the Wavetrac vs my own Quaiffe. I like the 'fit and forget' aspect of Quaiffe parts, but I was a big advocate of the Wavetrac Diff on some BMW's, mainly because I don't believe how sewn up Quaiffe/Birds have the BMW LSD market. I like free and open competition lol!!

Also, any indication of cost for replacement plates etc?

Matt

[Carrera2RS]

Interested in what the fitted cost is