LSD - Whats it all about?
Discussion
In "normal" & spirited driving i.e. normal driving but a bit faster, on dry roads there is no advantage to an LSD at all. Most people probably don't know they have one and wouldn't miss it if they didn't.
The advantages they give you are basically in traction (without LSD power will be lost on a spinning rear wheel) and in control of the back end when rear traction is lost i.e. when oversteering as it's easier to fully control the slide when you have control over both rear wheels with the throttle (again, without LSD one wheel will spin but the other will be trying to match road speed so it will tend to snap back out of oversteer).
The advantages they give you are basically in traction (without LSD power will be lost on a spinning rear wheel) and in control of the back end when rear traction is lost i.e. when oversteering as it's easier to fully control the slide when you have control over both rear wheels with the throttle (again, without LSD one wheel will spin but the other will be trying to match road speed so it will tend to snap back out of oversteer).
How do you tell if you have a LSD?
I'm assuming with the wheels off the ground they'll both spin the same way? I tried this recently when I had my car up on the jack, both wheels spun the same way, although the other wheel spun noticabley slower. Also my handbrake was only working on one wheel at the time, so with the handbrake on I started the engine and the free wheel spun forwards. I assume from this that if I'm lucky its probabley got a viscous diff that might still work (my car's a 92 Eunos)? or perhaps I've just got it all wrong!
I'm assuming with the wheels off the ground they'll both spin the same way? I tried this recently when I had my car up on the jack, both wheels spun the same way, although the other wheel spun noticabley slower. Also my handbrake was only working on one wheel at the time, so with the handbrake on I started the engine and the free wheel spun forwards. I assume from this that if I'm lucky its probabley got a viscous diff that might still work (my car's a 92 Eunos)? or perhaps I've just got it all wrong!
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