No Rear Limited Slip: Options?

[Nonrml4]

Okay, so its been snowing alot recently and I've come to find out my rear lsd doesn't exist. I've looked in the door jamb and haven't seen a sticker.. I assumed it had just come off as their looks to be residue from another sticker. Possible oil change sticker idk. But then driving in the snow I get one of the front and one of the rear wheels turning going no where. After getting the car in the garage and jacking it up it doest say anything on the rear. I auto cross the car and plan to drag race it as well. I would like to have a fairly balanced car. I've been told that getting a Lsd whether stock or not will help with both. My question is what are my options and what do you recommend. Sorry for the long post but I was confused and kind of upset I didn't have what I thought I did. Thanks for any help.

 

[1LE]

A stock rear LSD is better than nothing. A full set of (3) Quaifes is the best way to go for autox and street, but is quite expensive.

 

[suicidal2af]

A stock rear LSD is better than nothing. A full set of (3) Quaifes is the best way to go for autox and street, but is quite expensive.

It's been argued that a quiafe center isn't the greatest for the street, as they have a history of destroying themselves due to some of the design characteristics of the dsm awd system.

 

[aves911]

Also, a Torsen rear diff doesn't exist for our cars. FYI.

 

[1LE]

It's been argued that a quiafe center isn't the greatest for the street, as they have a history of destroying themselves due to some of the design characteristics of the dsm awd system.

I don't think there's anything particular to the DSM AWD system that's an issue. Generalizing a bit more (to not be DSM center diff specific), you can break a helical diff in a RWD car just as easy For an AWD, all you have to do is get both fronts on a real grippy surface, both rears on something real slippy, and give it full power... It's one of the tradeoffs. Helicals can be broken when wheels are drastically different grip levels and you try to force large amounts of power to them. Clutch pak diffs need to be rebuilt after a certain amount of usage. Viscous diffs can be overheated and made ineffective (and are arguably less effective to begin with). I won't get into welded, etc., since the positives and negatives are fairly well known.

I went with 2 different directions on my 2 cars... The DSM kept the stock rear viscous (good enough for my purposes) and quaife front & center (the open diffs there were killing me in autox and gravel rally). With AWD drive, the odds on me trying to force massive amounts of power to anyone 1 (or 2) wheels is fairly low. However, on my RWD car, I ended up leaving it with an open diff... I've gotten stuck once where a LSD might have gotten me out. However, with driving that car on events with ice on tarmac, there's a VERY good possibility of me trying to put enough power into 1 wheel while the other grips, that I could break a helical (and a helical is the only type still available for that car anymore).

 

[Nonrml4]

What would that part be called?? The Rear Differential?? I'm sorry for such a newbie question...

 

[jtmcinder]

The DSM kept the stock rear viscous (good enough for my purposes) and quaife front & center (the open diffs there were killing me in autox and gravel rally).

You had a DSM with an open center?

- Jtoby

 

[silvah_gsx]

Open center sounds like a recipe for going nowhere...

Also, how would one overheat our viscous rear diffs? Its not something you could do after several track days, is it?

 

[JrCRXHF]

I saw a guy do a good job on his rear diff in his subi when he went in the ditch in front of me up at rally

one wheel was loaded the other was not and he was putting a lot of power though it trying to get out.

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[laserspeeddemon]

Weld it!

 

[Defiant]

I'd be very, very surprised if yours isn't already an LSD. Have you actually looked at the diff?

 

[Nonrml4]

I'd be very, very surprised if yours isn't already an LSD. Have you actually looked at the diff?

Yes I have, It doesnt say VLSD or whatever its supposed to and It doesn't have any stickers in the door jamb stating it has a lsd. Is there any way to tell from the vin?

 

[Morphius]

Yes I have, It doesnt say VLSD or whatever its supposed too and It doesn't have any stickers in the door jamb stating it has a lsd. Is there any way to tell from the vin?

Jack it up. Remove the driveshaft from the rear pinion. Rotate on wheel. Do they both rotate the same direction, then it's LSD.

 

[Omega]

Jack it up. Remove the driveshaft from the rear pinion. Rotate on wheel. Do they both rotate the same direction, then it's LSD.

That method does not work all the time.

If you have no stickers or tag, the only way to tell for sure is to pop the diff cover off. Even if you do have one, it could just be fried. I have seen a few diff's for sale. I suggest you physicly check since you will need the drivers? side axle because the open diff uses a different one.

 

[jtmcinder]

Com'on folks; this is a below-average thread for us.

There are no helicals for the rear of a DSM.
All 2G AWDs have a VC on the center diff.
There is something special about center Quaifes for DSMs since it's one of the few items that Quaife sells that doesn't have a warrantee; there just doesn't seem to be enough room for their normally strong case.
You don't have to remove the prop shaft to test the rear for a (working) VC.

About the only good technical point here is the warning that the axles are different depending on whether you have limited slip.

With that said: here's what might seem to be really silly question: does the car have a sunroof? I have never seen an AWD 2Gb with a sunroof that didn't have a limited-slip rear.

- Jtoby

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

Hmm? This is interesting... I have the sticker on mine, and I have a 98, unless the 2 other owners, 1 of them put it on there, but I have the whole package on mine, sunroof, Infinity sound system, everything... Now I am questioning my DSM. It has the sticker, but could one of the owners have been wrong too? And if they did all come with rear lsd, why didn't they put the stickers on like the 1g's? Its a bit tricsky I see....

 

[allgripnoslip]

Just look a little harder on the rear diff. its near the top of it. Or you could always bust out the original window sticker and check that, I have mine but its in rough shape