Vigo said:
How does an LSD perform on an underpowered RWD car? Should be perfect, no? Adds some traction out of the corners but there's still not enough power to get in trouble so I wouldn't get any of the bad effects? Sorry to hijack, just thinking about my 3250lbs, 85rwhp car.
I really don't think it will do much of anything for you. Even my FWD cars with that low of power wouldn't benefit much. Limited slips are generally fairly expensive mods and if you don't have the power to spin the tires often and severely i think that money would usually be better spent on other improvements.
I've heard of $900 installed for Z4s. If I thought I'd make that up when reselling I'd do it in a heartbeat, if only just to see the difference. But != sum of its [upgraded] parts and also anyone who would care probably wouldn't be buying my car anyway
I think, as Carguy mentioned with the Lotus... it is somewhat dependent on the car and how it is set up. I have a torsen-style in my Impala SS and it is more predictable in oversteer than the clutch-style stocker it replaced. The stock clutch posi would assign a more fixed level of torque bias. In the dry with good sticky rubber it was fine, but with wet weather it was too much of an equal bias and it got twitchy. Torsens rely on a certain level of grip from both wheels to be LSD and in that way they more or less adjust the torque bias based on the feedback from the wheel with the least traction, like cornering. If you lift the inside tire almost off the ground in a corner and stab the throttle, likely you'll just make pretty smoke on the inside tire but not find yourself in much oversteer. So switching to the Torsen gave me funner street performance, but in the winter I gave up traction. If one tire is on ice and not giving enough torque feedback to engage the worm gear, it acts like an open diff.
Too many variables IMO to say one is better than the other. It is wiser to choose the "right" style
