Welded diff - legal for road use?
Discussion
Can't see it being illegal to have a welded diff on the road. Tyres will wear out faster and it will want to push on in corners a bit more. Some older cars even come with locking differentials (totally different to an LSD).
You can also buy spools to replace the differential (mostly used by drag racers where even traction is more important than cornering) which has the same effect as welding the diff and I imagine will reduce the rotating mass.
You can also buy spools to replace the differential (mostly used by drag racers where even traction is more important than cornering) which has the same effect as welding the diff and I imagine will reduce the rotating mass.
Bigends said:
Shouldnt be an issue - doesnt make the car dangerous - will make a few odd noises on roundabouts though
I don't know what the law would make of it, but I imagine it would produce increased tyre wear, and possibly a bit of extra noise at roundabouts and tight turns. Apart from that, I don't see a problem with a vehicle driven in a normal, i.e. unspectacular, manner.Having read some of the comments, I think people are confusing a locked diff, or slipper diff with a fully welded up diff.
When I was late teens, we used to weld up the diffs on our Banger Racers and Hotrods as the local short circuit was a dirt track/we needed traction on the straights and it was cheaper/safer than having an expensive LSD stolen from your car when it was parked up in a friendly farmers yard.
A few people tried copying the idea and ran them on road going Rwd Escorts etc. (again as a cheaper solution to a proper LSD), but the cars skipped about in varying degrees of severity, depending on the corner/camber and had a tendency to knock out any worn bushes in a few days.
Also, as the outside tyre would ALWAYS turn at a different speed to the inside tyre (there being no working planet gear), the rear would always step out in the wet - as that tyre was doing the most work.
Not many people lived with it for long.
Robb F said:
Spangles said:
Robb F said:
DrDoofenshmirtz said:
Not sure why you'd want a car that didn't go round corners though?
TooMany2cvs said:
Can't see a C&U offence, but every urban roundabout might raise sufficient eyebrows for either a s59, careless driving, or even dangerous.
They don't do anything different during 'normal driving'. They just skip the inside wheel during very tight turns, such as parking or U-turns.
Robb F said:
Spangles said:
Skip maybe an exaggeration but one tyre is going to slide somehow.
Like I said the difference has to be made up somewhere, but it is literally unnoticeable until doing very tight turns, certainly never had a wheel skip on a roundabout for example.Hol said:
In reality - you will be doing those turns. Into/out of roads, driveways and parking spaces, as part of everyday driving.
I've done about 15,000 miles with a welded diff in my daily, now that's been relegated to the weekend car. Into/out of roads = no skip unless very tight
driveways and parking = skip
and I've never had the back step out unintentionally.
Robb F said:
Hol said:
In reality - you will be doing those turns. Into/out of roads, driveways and parking spaces, as part of everyday driving.
I've done about 15,000 miles with a welded diff in my daily, now that's been relegated to the weekend car. Into/out of roads = no skip unless very tight
driveways and parking = skip
and I've never had the back step out unintentionally.
Robb F said:
I've done about 15,000 miles with a welded diff in my daily, now that's been relegated to the weekend car.
Into/out of roads = no skip unless very tight
driveways and parking = skip
and I've never had the back step out unintentionally.
Agreed on all points. They are barely noticeable until you come to park, I normally find people who state otherwise have never driven one before.Into/out of roads = no skip unless very tight
driveways and parking = skip
and I've never had the back step out unintentionally.
Benbay001 said:
How did that conversation go?
It went 'Hello can you quote how much extra adding a welded differential and hydraulic handbrake to my car will affect my premium?' 'That will be £35 per year Sir, inclusive of admin fees'
'Please can I have this confirmed in writing?'
Email arrived in ten minutes. Specific amendment to add welded diff and hydraulic handbrake. Lass on the phone was a weekend drifter so knew exactly what I was on with.
broken biscuit said:
It went 'Hello can you quote how much extra adding a welded differential and hydraulic handbrake to my car will affect my premium?'
'That will be £35 per year Sir, inclusive of admin fees'
'Please can I have this confirmed in writing?'
Email arrived in ten minutes. Specific amendment to add welded diff and hydraulic handbrake. Lass on the phone was a weekend drifter so knew exactly what I was on with.
Did you still keep the regular handbrake?'That will be £35 per year Sir, inclusive of admin fees'
'Please can I have this confirmed in writing?'
Email arrived in ten minutes. Specific amendment to add welded diff and hydraulic handbrake. Lass on the phone was a weekend drifter so knew exactly what I was on with.
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