340i LSD
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Discussion

James-m5qjf

Original Poster:

1,845 posts

77 months

Wednesday 9th September 2020
quotequote all
Clearly I don’t need one, and to be fair my 340i Touring with MPPSK hustles pretty well for an estate, but I’m still interested in improving the driving dynamics if possible.

Just wondering if anyone has experience of driving a F3X with an LSD? The eDiff does a reasonable job but clearly nothing beats the real thing.


butch_

83 posts

222 months

Wednesday 9th September 2020
quotequote all
I have the M Performance LSD and I'm very happy with it! I don't drive like Chris Harris, so don't power slide it with kids in the back, but traction is better out of corners and on curved roads.

You should also look at the Quaife LSD, which is a helicoidal design, as opposed to the clutch plates for M Performance diff. It's installed by Birds
https://www.birdsauto.com/news/bmw-m140i-m240i-340...

I would have considered the Quaife diff if the car was out of warranty.


dasbimmerowner

366 posts

171 months

Wednesday 9th September 2020
quotequote all
butch_ said:
I have the M Performance LSD and I'm very happy with it!
What sort of cost are they chap? and are there any additional servicing implications of having one?

James-m5qjf

Original Poster:

1,845 posts

77 months

Wednesday 9th September 2020
quotequote all
Like the look of the Quaife LSD but my car is under warranty and I plan on extending it.

I’ve got a friend who’s a BMW Mec. He quoted me £1893 + £300 to fit.

butch_

83 posts

222 months

Wednesday 9th September 2020
quotequote all
It was installed a couple of years ago, along with the MPPSK. The diff cost with labour was about 2.3k, not sure if that has changed since then.

The oil in the diff needs changing. At how many miles is an open question and different sources come up with different numbers. The dealer where it was installed said 60k miles. Personally, I am going to change the diff oil when changing the gearbox oil, at about 60k miles.

Otherwise not sure what is the expected life time of the clutch plates, depends on how hard it's driven.


Edited by butch_ on Wednesday 9th September 12:43

butch_

83 posts

222 months

Wednesday 9th September 2020
quotequote all
James-m5qjf said:
Like the look of the Quaife LSD but my car is under warranty and I plan on extending it.

I’ve got a friend who’s a BMW Mec. He quoted me £1893 + £300 to fit.
That's slightly cheaper than what I had paid. Cooper BMW in Reading installed mine.

Pizzaeatingking

1,276 posts

101 months

Wednesday 9th September 2020
quotequote all
butch_ said:
I have the M Performance LSD and I'm very happy with it! I don't drive like Chris Harris, so don't power slide it with kids in the back, but traction is better out of corners and on curved roads.

You should also look at the Quaife LSD, which is a helicoidal design, as opposed to the clutch plates for M Performance diff. It's installed by Birds
https://www.birdsauto.com/news/bmw-m140i-m240i-340...

I would have considered the Quaife diff if the car was out of warranty.
I'm in the same car/boat/situation. What does the Quaife offer over the M Perf diff? Mine will be out of warranty by the time I get one.

nomis36

429 posts

194 months

Thursday 10th September 2020
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Birds fitted my quaife ATB on my E92. I know it’s not an f model but a diff is a diff right? Anyway, I’m very happy with it. You really don’t know it’s there in normal driving. When things get slippery the slides are so predictable and controlable. An LSD IMO is essential on all cars especially RWD that have a reasonable amount of power. As for comparing to a clutch type I doubt there is a lot of difference in the way they work but the benefits of the quaife are you use normal diff fluid, it doesn’t need regular fluid changes and they don’t wear out. They really are fit and forget. Probably marginally cheaper as well.

Andy70

1,463 posts

189 months

Thursday 10th September 2020
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I have a 335i and had a quote from birds for £900 to supply a Quaife diff, If I remember correctly £1300 to fit, for me that's ok as they are just up the m4 from me, however they asked if it was a welded diff (which confused me for a sec), but they were referring to the crown wheel being welded on or bolted on, so it would be a bit more money and hassle if its welded. Mine is a 2007 car and it was on the change over apparently so he couldn't tell me unless i got the part number off the diff itself. Hope this helps.

Edited by Andy70 on Thursday 10th September 22:07

nomis36

429 posts

194 months

Friday 11th September 2020
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My car is a 2006 so had the bolted crown wheel. Still cost me £1600 fitted. Maybe mad money to spend on an old diesel but it transformed it. At the end of the day, I could refit a standard diff when I sell my car and get most of my money back for the lsd, they are always rare and sought after.
Can’t do this with an open diff laugh
https://youtu.be/aka-t0XLLuk

James-m5qjf

Original Poster:

1,845 posts

77 months

Friday 11th September 2020
quotequote all
nomis36 said:
My car is a 2006 so had the bolted crown wheel. Still cost me £1600 fitted. Maybe mad money to spend on an old diesel but it transformed it. At the end of the day, I could refit a standard diff when I sell my car and get most of my money back for the lsd, they are always rare and sought after.
Can’t do this with an open diff laugh
https://youtu.be/aka-t0XLLuk
Nice work cool