LSD or not

[bernzpeed]

How can you tell a car is equipped with LSD?

[Predzy743]

2 ways.

Jack the car up. spin the tires. If they both spin in the same direction.. LSD
Look underneath the car, look on the diff cover. There is a metal tab with numbers where you would find your diff ratio. If there is an S stamped on it. Its an LSD

Hope this helps.

[IxTech]

ya what he said

[bernzpeed]

thanks that's exactly what i was looking for. so does an IS have LSD standard?

[TurboJake]

Typically, yes
By typically I mean they come with them standard. But may be switched from previous owners

[Predzy743]

^^ Exactly. And not all 325iS's have 3:73's. Mine had a 4:10 so double check if that matters.

[Overlord475]

Pedzy743 is right... Mine also has a 4.10LSD

[AndrewBird]

My 318iS didn't have a LSD, so not ALL iS cars came with them.

[Butler]

One tire fire? Go drop the clutch.

[Jesse30]

^ like.

thats how i always tell, burnouts are the best sign

[Wh33lhop]

My 318iS didn't have a LSD, so not ALL iS cars came with them.

It's likely that it came with one, but was replaced with an open unit.

^ like.

thats how i always tell, burnouts are the best sign

You can still light both tires up with an open. But it is unlikely that you could spin donuts with one.

For the most reliable result though, just jack up the rear of the car and spin one wheel.

[CincinnatiKid]

As far as I know it was an option on the 318is and standard on 325is. Go find a gravel lot and do a burn out, then look at your tracks.

[gearheadE30]

Yep, it was an option on the 318is and standard on the 325is.

[F34R]

Here is a fast way to find out what kind of LSD you have if you have one.

Lift both rear wheels off the ground with enough room under the car to support it with jack stands. Then slid under and mark the drive shaft then mark one tire with white caulk or something easy to see when spinning the wheel.

Now once that is done lay down and have a friend spin the tire 360 degrees once while you count the rotations of the drive shaft. Each 360 rotation counts towards 1. So if it spins 3 and a half times you most likely have a 3.46 LSD. You can do this with open diffs too.

Here is a link listing the diffs so that you can compare the above to figure out what you have. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_S...30)#Drivetrain

[Wh33lhop]

Yep, it was an option on the 318is and standard on the 325is.

That would explain a thing or two.