LSD for AutoX

[Ian F]

I think it might be you (or your car). Mine has plenty of grip. I wish I was better at utilizing it.

I beat the crap out of mine and it keeps on ticking - unless you're counting the dead slushbox, broken subframe, dead rubber, cranky U-joint, and so on. It is 23 years old after all. Still cheaper (and more fun) than car payments.

Probably a bit of both and mostly me... and somewhat on what you're used to as well. I posted more competitive times (relatively) in an un-prepped H-Stock MINI convertible on Star Specs (which is not my primary driver, so it usually takes 2 runs for me to get used to the car).

In my case, my E30 is one of 8 cars we own and among them it ranks somewhere in the middle on the fun-to-drive scale.

Right now, I'm spending more on fixing the E30 than the payments on the MINI 'vert (the only car left we're still making payments on). And that's just parts alone with me doing the work. I'm already up to my eyeballs in car projects. I didn't buy this car to be another one. :(

[u3b3rg33k]

I suppose that's a matter of opinion... right now, I have a 23 year old car that seems to be perpetually broken and has no grip. While I could dump buckets of money into the car to improve grip, German engineering means it will still break often. After the M3 and 7 years with MINI's, one would think I would have learned... Nope.

I think it might be you (or your car). Mine has plenty of grip. I wish I was better at utilizing it.

I beat the crap out of mine and it keeps on ticking - unless you're counting the dead slushbox, broken subframe, dead rubber, cranky U-joint, and so on. It is 23 years old after all. Still cheaper (and more fun) than car payments.

[CrazyB]

As an update just got home from another AutoX and had a great time. The LSd made a huge difference and helped keep the rear end planted.
Here are some photos from the vent, lots of cool muscle cars running this one.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/vwfix/s...7624661815987/


AAX #10 by VwFix, on Flickr

[Ian F]

Yep. I had this discussion back when I bought my car. Bumps me into STX, where you get to play with AWD Subies. While Doug H has proven an E30 can be competitive in STX, the AST suspension he's running cost not much less than I paid for my entire car... :(

[nando]

the stock 318is and 325is diffs use clutch packs, not VCs, so they're illegal in ST no matter what.

[CincinnatiKid]

Are you guys so sure it'd bump him to STX, according to the 2010 rules

K. Limited Slip Differentials
ST, STS – No limited slip differentials are permitted except for factory
standard viscous coupler type units.
STX, STU, STR – Only standard (as defi ned in Section 12.4) limited
slip differentials (LSD) are allowed on AWD vehicles. For AWD
vehicles that did not come with any type of limited slip differential
(including center differential or transfer case), a single aftermarket
LSD may be added. 2WD vehicles may use any LSD unit.

so if it comes out of another 318is, and was factory, I think it's still legal in ST.

[Ian F]

Well, I kinda like the 23 year old car with 5 year old (tech) tires. they're well suited to having fun.

I suppose that's a matter of opinion... right now, I have a 23 year old car that seems to be perpetually broken and has no grip. While I could dump buckets of money into the car to improve grip, German engineering means it will still break often. After the M3 and 7 years with MINI's, one would think I would have learned... Nope.

[nando]

So One thing has been Bugging me, is The miller Maf DSp or STX legal, Or will I need to get rid of it?

I knew somebody with one in DSP, but I don't remember if he was skirting rules or not. Local clubs are pretty lax, I was in SM with car that had a fully gutted interior, when the rules clearly state you can only remove the rear seat and it has to have a full interior otherwise.

but read the rulebook to be certain, it's usually pretty clear. If it doesn't say you can do it, you can't.

[nando]

Not that bad; radial T/A's - the classic over priced tire.

But aside from tire noise, what do you have against es100s?

uhm, they suck in every possible way imagineable? :p

[CrazyB]

So One thing has been Bugging me, is The miller Maf DSp or STX legal, Or will I need to get rid of it?

[call me jack]

I would tend to agree with this. My car does have the LSD rear, but with the shit tires I have (205/60-14 ES100's), if I try to get on the throttle too early or too hard, I come out of the corner sideways at best, and backwards at worst. Even with a stock M20 with only a cat-back, the margin for error is a bit narrow.

The fact the car is loose w/o a LSD is a bit odd to me. The past RWD cars I've had w/o a LSD, the inside rear tire would lose traction and spin, but only if there was limited traction overall (wet road) would the rear end step out.

think of it this way;

both of the rear tires are gripping as hard as they can, trying not to slip. Power is added, and now your inside tire no longer has grip because it's spinning, so the outside tire starts to lets go as well, since it's under a G load beyond its capacity.

This scenario can only happen in the highest G situations (relative to tires grip capacity), and with a particular suspension set up that keeps both rear tires well loaded (which is how the "highest G situation," as stated previously, is possible)

with a common stock suspension, that has a lot of roll, the inside tire blows it's load ;) and starts spinning at too low of a g level to the point where the outside tire can still maintain grip, which is why a open diff is often considered more forgiving in street car. (most of the time. remember, it's relative to to tires grip capacity. hence why it's so easy to make any rear drive vehicle drift in snow, regardless of the diff.)

[Wh33lhop]

I'm sure it was a good tire 5 years ago.

Nope.

[u3b3rg33k]

Well, I kinda like the 23 year old car with 5 year old (tech) tires. they're well suited to having fun.

[Ian F]

But aside from tire noise, what do you have against es100s?

I'm sure it was a good tire 5 years ago... but technology has moved on.

And since one of our other cars has Star Specs, I've had a taste of those improvements.

[u3b3rg33k]

what, Nankang M&S all seasons? :p

Not that bad; radial T/A's - the classic over priced tire.

But aside from tire noise, what do you have against es100s?