a funny one

[M-technik-3]

No, Sankin. LSD diffs are worse for everyday traction. With a Limited Slip Differential, both wheels will spin when they lose traction - allowing the car to drift sideways MUCH easier than if it was an open differential and allow only one wheel to spin. The non-spinning wheel on an open differential maintains tractions BETTER and is LESS likely to drift sideways.

For racing around corners, if one wheel is unweighted a bit, the planted wheel will still transfer power to the gound with LSD so you can maintain speed or accelerate (good for racing) but be careful, cause that planted wheel is performing double duty of cornering and accerating, which can exceed the limits of traction (a tire can only give 100% traction, 50% cornering and 60% acceleration ain't gunna work.)

I once saw a program on TV of a guy who liked to drag race his C4 Corvette, so his wife decided to give it a try too. (How hard could it be? Hit gas, go straight.) I 'bout bust a gut when she broke the rears lose and rotated (can you say "torque"?) the vette right towards the guardrail. Poor guy, nearly watched his wife accelerate his brand new vette into the wall. She didn't make contact, but it was funny as anything.

BTW, motown man, I feel your pain. That would be an embarassing mishap. Good it wasn't worse. I took one of BMW's 2-day car control clinics some years back and learned a lot more than I every knew about what is happening with vehicle handling dynamics.

Open diff better for traction ok... Lock when you feel like it.

[MR 325]

Ya, that one's on BFC

[M-technik-3]

Correct, I didn't want to post names or anything else just felt like sharing.

[hamann318is]

Damn, I guess I should sell mine. ;)

[Beej '86 325es]

Open diffs are miserable. I have an open diff on the Jeep and it's frustrating when I just want to haul ass and go, but instead I just sit and spin. Maybe I should just do what my freind did and install a vette LT1 motor and Explorer LSD. :D

[EtaSport]

Yea, cause my '49 chevy with 450hp 327 never goes straight with its positrac rear... lmao.. I hate when both of those tires spin!!!! owned

[Ryan Stewart]

The only problem with that theory is that when that one wheel does break (which happens MUCH sooner than both breaking with LSD) then you only have one tire supporting the forces. So even off throttle you will continue to slide because that half NET contact patch wont hold anything either. At least with LSD I can just lift a bit and the back end comes right back into this timezone.

im not being arumentative, its just that he is trying to defy physics.

[MattM20]

i think what he is trying to say is that even though a open diff offers less traction, it will only cause one wheel to spin compared to having both wheels spin and making the car go sideways. it also isnt wrong to assume that the inner wheel will be the first to break traction when using a open diff, therefore preventing the car from sliding.

i think that his logic holds some truth (during tight turns at low speeds for instance), but overall i think he lacks some common sense and a basic understanding of physics .

[Ryan Stewart]

Well the problem is with ALL of the power going to the inner wheel in a turn it breaks even faster than if only 75% is going to it. Then when it breaks all that load has to be held with the one tire and it cant hold the load so it instantly breaks free.

At least with a LSD the outer wheel takes 25% of the torque load off the inner wheel so it has a bit more force threshold before it has to break. then the same thing happens an the other contact patch is overcome.

And before there is any confusion I am talking about lateral forces here. I know that an open diff is just going to continue to spin the freewheel.

[BS87]

Haha, that's posted in the thread where the guy "accidentally did a 360" in the rain, in a school parking lot. Noone does an accidental 360, i find it hard to even do an accidental 180.

[M-technik-3]

Haha, that's posted in the thread where the guy "accidentally did a 360" in the rain, in a school parking lot. Noone does an accidental 360, i find it hard to even do an accidental 180.

And no one spins a awd turbo car on a puddle, or has a turbo car get a stuck throttle stuck an plow thru a house. 8)

[BS87]

Haha, that's posted in the thread where the guy "accidentally did a 360" in the rain, in a school parking lot. Noone does an accidental 360, i find it hard to even do an accidental 180.

And no one spins a awd turbo car on a puddle, or has a turbo car get a stuck throttle stuck an plow thru a house. 8)

ahah the rex owner, even better.

[Matto]

Haha, that's posted in the thread where the guy "accidentally did a 360" in the rain, in a school parking lot. Noone does an accidental 360, i find it hard to even do an accidental 180.

And no one spins a awd turbo car on a puddle, or has a turbo car get a stuck throttle stuck an plow thru a house. 8)

ahah the rex owner, even better.

Interesting, I always heard rex as in crx not wrx. Confusing.

[bimmerlover]

Haha, that's posted in the thread where the guy "accidentally did a 360" in the rain, in a school parking lot. Noone does an accidental 360, i find it hard to even do an accidental 180.

No one huh? My nittos are determined to kill me in the rain..
I've been through the 360+ thing twice now. Never in parkinglots.. but yeah.
It happens accidentally for me. And yes, I suck at driving.

[DEV0 E30]

Interesting, I always heard rex as in crx not wrx. Confusing.

Indeed, I know a few people with crx's and couldn't afford a wrx because they are lazy.

I just refer to subarus as scooby's.