The Big LSD FAQ thread (About various Limited Slip Differentials)
#121
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3.9 Fd W/ Lsd
Hey fellas. I know this is not the wanted adds but since most of you guys hang out around here I figured I'd post this here. I have a 350Evo 3.9 FD with the stock LSD for sale. Great forautocross ortrack days. If you are interested check it out. The link is in my sig. Oh, and it had a Nismo cooling plate on it also.
#122
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I'm curious how this does as far as how frequently you have to shift - once nice thing about the car as it sits stock is I get into 2nd a few cones in tops and stay there (most courses).
Would I be rowing through gears a ton, or is it not THAT dramatic of a difference?
Would I be rowing through gears a ton, or is it not THAT dramatic of a difference?
#125
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I love my Quaife. Quiet, smooth, and oh so effective. (also so expensive)
Here is part of a pm I sent another Z owner regarding the Quaife LSD
"...Well the wife and I just got back from the Tail of the Dragon, (ZdayZ) and I had a chance to A/B the Quaife vs. the stock LSD and I can say the Quaife is noticeably better. Both the guy I swapped cars with and myself noticed the difference immidiately. The quaife actualy helps the car through the turns. The stock LSD allways seemed a hair "late" hooking up and seemed to be making an "approximate" attempt at traction.The Quaife was always ready and seemed to be waiting on the driver to apply throttle in every turn.
I'm guessing the time it takes for the different wheel speeds to lock the stock LSD gives it that "late" feeling and, when it locked up in a turn, it seemed to do so after the inside tire was already spinning a little too fast, thus giving a little wheelspin from both tires when it kicked in.
This, of course, is all relative to the Quaife. I still remember how frustrating it was to try and power out of corners with my open diff and the stock LSD does a much better job than the open diff, just not as good as the Quaife.
BTW: ...the guy I swapped with [road racer], said he is getting the Quaife ASAP......"
Here is part of a pm I sent another Z owner regarding the Quaife LSD
"...Well the wife and I just got back from the Tail of the Dragon, (ZdayZ) and I had a chance to A/B the Quaife vs. the stock LSD and I can say the Quaife is noticeably better. Both the guy I swapped cars with and myself noticed the difference immidiately. The quaife actualy helps the car through the turns. The stock LSD allways seemed a hair "late" hooking up and seemed to be making an "approximate" attempt at traction.The Quaife was always ready and seemed to be waiting on the driver to apply throttle in every turn.
I'm guessing the time it takes for the different wheel speeds to lock the stock LSD gives it that "late" feeling and, when it locked up in a turn, it seemed to do so after the inside tire was already spinning a little too fast, thus giving a little wheelspin from both tires when it kicked in.
This, of course, is all relative to the Quaife. I still remember how frustrating it was to try and power out of corners with my open diff and the stock LSD does a much better job than the open diff, just not as good as the Quaife.
BTW: ...the guy I swapped with [road racer], said he is getting the Quaife ASAP......"
Last edited by Z1NONLY; 12-10-2007 at 04:30 PM.
#128
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roger, i am currently have a rear diff built with a cusco rs lsd and 4.08 gears. i plan on going to the track on the 16th of this month to test them out (hopefully). if i have any info, i'll be sure to post!
#130
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I have tried almost all the aftermarket LSD type diffs in these Z's and G's.
The quaife is pretty good for maintaining the streetable aspect of the car, and it also gives you a much better surefooted feeling in the corners than the stock VCS/VDC and is a HUGE improvement over an open diff that the base models come with. However, on anything over 400-500 whp on R-compounds or slicks, the quaife shows its limits. At the higher torque load, the Quaife will open up like an open diff and let the inside wheel spin just like an open diff. When this first happend, we thought it was broken, or was a defective unit. We sent it back to them and they informed us that the LSD was fine and was not broken, they were nice enough to send us out a brand new one anyways but that one did the same thing on the higher whp/tq. cars.
The clutch type LSD like Cusco, Kazz, TCS, Carbonetics, Nissmo, etc are pretty descent. The clutch type LSD have a rougher transition than the Quaife, but can withstand all the torque load we seem to be able to through at them.
So to summerize, in most cases the quaife will give you the better street drivability and smoother transitions and can be awesome on a low to moderate whp car on the track, with the only down side being when you step up to bigger power/torque.
The upside to the clutch disc type LSD are they are a little more able to keep up with a bigger power/torque load, but they are nowhere as smooth as a quaife as far as feel and street comfort.
Hope that helped.
The quaife is pretty good for maintaining the streetable aspect of the car, and it also gives you a much better surefooted feeling in the corners than the stock VCS/VDC and is a HUGE improvement over an open diff that the base models come with. However, on anything over 400-500 whp on R-compounds or slicks, the quaife shows its limits. At the higher torque load, the Quaife will open up like an open diff and let the inside wheel spin just like an open diff. When this first happend, we thought it was broken, or was a defective unit. We sent it back to them and they informed us that the LSD was fine and was not broken, they were nice enough to send us out a brand new one anyways but that one did the same thing on the higher whp/tq. cars.
The clutch type LSD like Cusco, Kazz, TCS, Carbonetics, Nissmo, etc are pretty descent. The clutch type LSD have a rougher transition than the Quaife, but can withstand all the torque load we seem to be able to through at them.
So to summerize, in most cases the quaife will give you the better street drivability and smoother transitions and can be awesome on a low to moderate whp car on the track, with the only down side being when you step up to bigger power/torque.
The upside to the clutch disc type LSD are they are a little more able to keep up with a bigger power/torque load, but they are nowhere as smooth as a quaife as far as feel and street comfort.
Hope that helped.
#133
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roger, i just installed my rear diff yesterday with the cusco RS lsd. it is a night and day difference! just like scott says though, since it is a clutch type, it is going to be harsher than the quaife. however, since the cusco RS uses springs, rather than the cone plates (like the MZ or nismo), engagement is a lot smoother. i am very happy with the upgrade over the VLSD. since it is a clutch type, there are some new noises and feelings that you will have to get used to. hell, it almost feels as if it's broken the first time around i think you will be happy, especially if you use it as intended on the track! i will be going to buttonwillow tomorrow to put it through it's paces.
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Originally Posted by n1cK!
roger, i just installed my rear diff yesterday with the cusco RS lsd. it is a night and day difference! just like scott says though, since it is a clutch type, it is going to be harsher than the quaife. however, since the cusco RS uses springs, rather than the cone plates (like the MZ or nismo), engagement is a lot smoother. i am very happy with the upgrade over the VLSD. since it is a clutch type, there are some new noises and feelings that you will have to get used to. hell, it almost feels as if it's broken the first time around i think you will be happy, especially if you use it as intended on the track! i will be going to buttonwillow tomorrow to put it through it's paces.
#136
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will you be using your own ring/pinion? if not, then i suggest you have a shop do it as you may need to set the backlash. there is a DIY, but he got lucky and used the same spacers.
#137
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Originally Posted by BlackStar
Looks like I need to get a cusco on order! Are they hard to install or should I have a shop do it?
Last edited by WA2GOOD; 12-19-2007 at 05:06 PM.
#138
Two thoughts, WA2GOOD:
1) You may have been unloading the inside tire enough that the Quaife stopped working. Helical-gear LSD's act like an open diff if one wheel has no torque on it. You probably know that, but I thought I'd say something.
2) The helical-gear design needs some friction to work. If you were using gear oil with the slip additive for the clutch-type LSDs already added (which pretty much all of them have except Red Line's 75W90NS), there may not have been enough friction under high loads for it to work. In my experience, all oils that have the stinky slip stuff added have way too much.
I'd recommend a clutch-type LSD to anyone, for the street or not. Clutch LSDs don't have to be harsh, and they do work best.
Asterix
Edit: after looking at Quaife LSD, I take back my statements on it breaking. They put the side helices parallel to the axles, which is a far stronger design that the typical Torsen, which puts the helices perpendicular to the axles. And I thought the TruTrac was the only one like that...
1) You may have been unloading the inside tire enough that the Quaife stopped working. Helical-gear LSD's act like an open diff if one wheel has no torque on it. You probably know that, but I thought I'd say something.
2) The helical-gear design needs some friction to work. If you were using gear oil with the slip additive for the clutch-type LSDs already added (which pretty much all of them have except Red Line's 75W90NS), there may not have been enough friction under high loads for it to work. In my experience, all oils that have the stinky slip stuff added have way too much.
I'd recommend a clutch-type LSD to anyone, for the street or not. Clutch LSDs don't have to be harsh, and they do work best.
Asterix
Edit: after looking at Quaife LSD, I take back my statements on it breaking. They put the side helices parallel to the axles, which is a far stronger design that the typical Torsen, which puts the helices perpendicular to the axles. And I thought the TruTrac was the only one like that...
Last edited by Asterix; 12-20-2007 at 07:01 AM. Reason: new info for me
#139
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At the 2007 Runoffs in Topeka we were given a rear to try in mid-week. It was really terrific. To see what the company has and how to contact them go the www.torvec.com . This rear will help a lot on turn-in and not have as much friction drag as more conventional rears. We sent it back to them after the runoff week, with the oil, for them to inspect and they didn't see any wear at all. We are definitely going to use this rear for 2008 in our Z.
#140
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I'm have a 1.5 way Nismo and I love it. It's tends to lock up VERY easily so your tires will skirt doing u-turns or turning slowly into parking spots.
I don't even notice it anymore, but passengers tend to comment on it.
I love it though, I've taken it to 2 drift events so far and have been 100% satisfied with the lockup and predictability
I don't even notice it anymore, but passengers tend to comment on it.
I love it though, I've taken it to 2 drift events so far and have been 100% satisfied with the lockup and predictability