Plate type & Gear type LSD
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plate type is generally considered superior for racing purposes
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IIRC, the lifespan for the plate type LSD is about 20k miles. However, Lotus Sport recommends to send back the whole transmission for "adjustments".
I had the plate type (which is a 1.5 type LSD with 45% lock!!!-eek-) on my previous 111R, and the results were stunning. It might have some light understeer effect when cornering, but this is attributed to the way the LSD works; Since the car is lightweight, until you position it correctly and decisively into the corner, the car's rear pushes it a bit wider. Once you catch your car from the neck
, the LSD does wonders and makes you drive the car with racier lines than before. (Late brake, decisive turn-in etc.)
I absolutely enjoyed it on the road and the track and obviously recommend it to anyone who doesn't have an LSD on its Lotus and want something extra form this beautifully balanced car!
The gear type is more road-use oriented, whereas the plate diff is a must for the track!
A pleasant side-effect of fitting the LSD on your Lotus is that it makes your car slide, and slide, and slide...
:coolnana::nanner::nanner2::nanner::coolnana:
I had the plate type (which is a 1.5 type LSD with 45% lock!!!-eek-) on my previous 111R, and the results were stunning. It might have some light understeer effect when cornering, but this is attributed to the way the LSD works; Since the car is lightweight, until you position it correctly and decisively into the corner, the car's rear pushes it a bit wider. Once you catch your car from the neck
, the LSD does wonders and makes you drive the car with racier lines than before. (Late brake, decisive turn-in etc.)I absolutely enjoyed it on the road and the track and obviously recommend it to anyone who doesn't have an LSD on its Lotus and want something extra form this beautifully balanced car!
The gear type is more road-use oriented, whereas the plate diff is a must for the track!
A pleasant side-effect of fitting the LSD on your Lotus is that it makes your car slide, and slide, and slide...
:coolnana::nanner::nanner2::nanner::coolnana:
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20K isn't a problem, but what adjustments?
anic: We don't have much Lotus support in HK, all the so call Lotus speciallized shops seem like dirty home garage. Things to remember for a plate type/clutch style LSD you will have to flush out the trans fluid out every 5k. Small particulate matter and clutch material tends to build up in the fluid and can lead to premature failure or just not feel as good. But at the end of the day a clutch type lsd will be far better then any helical/gear type LSD.
Sure for them to bend you over and make more money off of you. Only thing I could see is to replace the LSD clutch pack and that does require taking apart the trans and thus causing a rebuild. They basically put in new shims, bearings, set preloads etc... Is what I think atleast. But the idea of a trans lasting only 20k sounds stupid to me personally.
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279 Posts
Your feedback was really helful Rei!
Do you think that this type of work can't be done by every mechanic who knows his job well and has put his hands on Yoda trans many times?
If that's the case, I can't see why should someone send the tranny with a plate LSD back to Lotus...
Do you think that this type of work can't be done by every mechanic who knows his job well and has put his hands on Yoda trans many times?
If that's the case, I can't see why should someone send the tranny with a plate LSD back to Lotus...
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643 Posts
There was an article with some good, general information on LSDs in the previous version of GrassrootsMotorsports:
Articles: What's the Diff?: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine
-Brad
I'm kinda spoiled in this respect, I've rebuilt/modified several FWD Yota transmissions to work in MR2's which is the exact same thing that Lotus did to make the celica trans work in the Exige. Basically all you need to do is drill a hole, seal on one side, and switch the selector shaft around. Not only that I've had the good fortune to go racing with the owner of KAZZ "JDM clutch type LSD manufacture best in the industry" many times and know a very good shop to do the work if I'm too lazy.
So the answer is yes if you KNOW a good tech that knows what they are doing then you don't have to send it to Lotus for a rebuild. Not to bash Lotus or anything but for the love of god it's a celica motor and trans with a few bits moved around. Only thing I would highly endorse as stated before is change out your trans fluid every oil change. It's such a PITA to remove/rebuild your trans/lsd that you will thank yourself for doing it down the road.
So the answer is yes if you KNOW a good tech that knows what they are doing then you don't have to send it to Lotus for a rebuild. Not to bash Lotus or anything but for the love of god it's a celica motor and trans with a few bits moved around. Only thing I would highly endorse as stated before is change out your trans fluid every oil change. It's such a PITA to remove/rebuild your trans/lsd that you will thank yourself for doing it down the road.
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I have a new KAAZ LSD for sale. See:
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f95/fs-kaaz-lsd-1-5-way-2-0-cams-66604/
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f95/fs-kaaz-lsd-1-5-way-2-0-cams-66604/
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I'm biased (torque-biased?) in that I fitted a Quaife to my Exige. A few thoughts though:
1. racers prefer the clutch plate type - principally because:
(a) if you lift a wheel, the quaife loses all effect e.g. if you bump over a curb, or perhaps if the car rolls so much you lift a wheel as it bounces off the ground - this could easily happen with stock Lotus suspension, but then if you're fitting an LSD, you've surely already upgraded the suspension, right?
(b) the clutch type can also be tuned by altering how the clutch pack locks up under a variety of situations
2. the handling differences seem to be down to personal preference and arguable either way I would think - clutch type brings understeer on corner entry but allows more transition to power oversteer. How much of each factor depends on the clutch pack setup. Quaife type has no effect on corner entry and subtle oversteer on application of power - from my direct experience in the Exige.
3. clutch-type LSDs wear out, depending on the type and extent of track use this can happen in one season - racers regard this as "maintenance" whereas you might not be so crazy about transmission tear-downs every so often
For me, having experienced a clutch-type LSD wearing out in a 911 used as a track car, the clutch-type was a non-starter - I wanted an "install and forget" solution to my wheelspin woes in a car to be used primarily for non-competitive track use. I also wasn't interested in anything which added understeer on corner entry. But, as above, there are equally valid arguments the other way. You pay your money, you take your choice
Chris
P.S. my Quaife was installed by Auto Europe in Michigan, who are more than up to the task of the tear down and rebuild, are doing an increasing number of these, have the right tools etc. etc.
1. racers prefer the clutch plate type - principally because:
(a) if you lift a wheel, the quaife loses all effect e.g. if you bump over a curb, or perhaps if the car rolls so much you lift a wheel as it bounces off the ground - this could easily happen with stock Lotus suspension, but then if you're fitting an LSD, you've surely already upgraded the suspension, right?
(b) the clutch type can also be tuned by altering how the clutch pack locks up under a variety of situations
2. the handling differences seem to be down to personal preference and arguable either way I would think - clutch type brings understeer on corner entry but allows more transition to power oversteer. How much of each factor depends on the clutch pack setup. Quaife type has no effect on corner entry and subtle oversteer on application of power - from my direct experience in the Exige.
3. clutch-type LSDs wear out, depending on the type and extent of track use this can happen in one season - racers regard this as "maintenance" whereas you might not be so crazy about transmission tear-downs every so often
For me, having experienced a clutch-type LSD wearing out in a 911 used as a track car, the clutch-type was a non-starter - I wanted an "install and forget" solution to my wheelspin woes in a car to be used primarily for non-competitive track use. I also wasn't interested in anything which added understeer on corner entry. But, as above, there are equally valid arguments the other way. You pay your money, you take your choice
Chris
P.S. my Quaife was installed by Auto Europe in Michigan, who are more than up to the task of the tear down and rebuild, are doing an increasing number of these, have the right tools etc. etc.
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clutch type vs gear type
I am changing it to gear type, because I heard it lasts much longer. Although it still remain to be tested.
see my youtube YouTube - Nitto 3K Standing start part 2.wmv
In races, things wear out so fast. My ATS front brake rotors are about to change in another few hundred km. My front brake pads need replacement just one race I attended 2 weeks ago. (100km roughly. practice, qualification, race day.)
If you track a lot, and track hard in your Lotus, you might discover clutch type is not for you. (premature wear and annoying maintenance after each hard use) But that's just my opinion, I could be totally wrong.
I own a 2009 Exige S, but I race (not fun tracking)on a fully stripped 5th generation civic hatch with a JDM D15B that outputs around 170+bhp crank horse. I had a clutch type LSD but it failed after less than one thousand kilometers of abuse.
I am changing it to gear type, because I heard it lasts much longer. Although it still remain to be tested.
see my youtube YouTube - Nitto 3K Standing start part 2.wmv
In races, things wear out so fast. My ATS front brake rotors are about to change in another few hundred km. My front brake pads need replacement just one race I attended 2 weeks ago. (100km roughly. practice, qualification, race day.)
If you track a lot, and track hard in your Lotus, you might discover clutch type is not for you. (premature wear and annoying maintenance after each hard use) But that's just my opinion, I could be totally wrong.
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Thanks man.
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Just a question here; My 2009 S240 has the LSD option from the factory. Is it clutch or gear?
When cornering slowly in my GT3 RS I can hear the (clutch type) LSD working. That sound is very pronounced when backing up with the wheel turned. In fact it's quite difficult to back up a GT3 with full steering lock as the LSD fights back hard. But I never hear or feel anything similar in my Lotus and I was wondering why not.
When cornering slowly in my GT3 RS I can hear the (clutch type) LSD working. That sound is very pronounced when backing up with the wheel turned. In fact it's quite difficult to back up a GT3 with full steering lock as the LSD fights back hard. But I never hear or feel anything similar in my Lotus and I was wondering why not.
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Do you have the parts # for the gear type?
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quick search @ lotusgarage turned up
"01a Differential Assembly, limited slip SKU: A120F6262S"
, but no idea if it's the right one. :shrug:
"01a Differential Assembly, limited slip SKU: A120F6262S"
, but no idea if it's the right one. :shrug:
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