To LSD or NOt LSD ?

[frubpato?]

On the back of the quaife bulk buy and the silly prices on fleabay for Ford units  - do I need to bother? I will only be using it for fast road and touring and it has tops 175bhp.  Will I see any difference in real world usability from shelling out the thick end of 500 quid??

[cng1]

Ford LSDs are peanuts and are one of the best things you can do to your car.  If you go to a breakers yard you'll find 7" LSDs on XR4s and 4x4s, the latter tend to get overlooked so you can usually get the whole back end for just a few tens of pounds.

On my last car I went from 88bhp without one to 133bhp with one and it was utterly transformed.  Yes the quaiffe units are nice but I personally don't think they're nice enough to justify the additional cost over and above a

[bultacobarry]

If you are driving smoothly on the road and never have a problem getting your 175hp to the road without spinning an inside wheel then maybe its not worth the hassle.  

I found that a plate type LSD lets me get more power to the ground and makes rear end drifts much easier to control and modulate (closed road of course)  

[Jenko]

I think on the track with 175, an LSD would be a plus.....not sure with road driving it's a necessity but really depends on how hard you drive the car around corners.....

I recently put a new engine in my car, and have gone from 120bhp to 160bhp.....at the moment, car feels fine on the road, but I cant help thinking at my next track day I will want an LSD................Certainly would not fork out 500 quid when I could get a Sierra one for <100 quid......

[sammy]

don't know much about cars but i have a narrow body westi with a 20 ltr xe the diff(wetfield type diff on it at present )seams to be leaking oil a bit . the gear box is a type 9 5 speed , the westi is a sei , what would be the best solution should i need to change ie, what year car type off car and parts that bee required

sorry if it seams a daft question but still learning all the time thanks

[bultacobarry]

A westfield diff from the early SEI cars contains the diff from a ford english axle (Escort/Cortina/Anglia). I am no expert on diffs either, but if your diff does not make any bad noises and does not have excessive backlash you can maybe stop the leaks by fitting new oil seals  

[sammy]

if i were to put the lsd type diff in would this make a noticeable difference to the car . would the 4x4 our the other mentioned diff fit

[bultacobarry]

A Sierra diff will not fit your car without major modifications. If you want an LSD you will have to fit a Ford English Axle Diff.

For normal road driving an LSD is not really required and a decent set of tyres will probably give more real world impact. But frankly who drives normally in a Westfield      

[sammy]

so an English axil diff would be the best move , were would i get one from are they difficult to fit

[bazz24]

i have a 4x4 diff but im not sure if its a lsd.are all 4x4 diffs lsd ??

and does anyone know what gear ratio my one might be,as the tag with this info was not there??

[perksy]

i have a 4x4 diff but im not sure if its a lsd.are all 4x4 diffs lsd ??

and does anyone know what gear ratio my one might be,as the tag with this info was not there??

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[samcooke]

If you have enough power to break traction in 2nd gear and you enjoy exploring the limits of your grip then an LSD is essential.

I'd say I enjoy an LSD more on the road than when driving 'competitively' on track. Power slides that you though were the preserve of those with talent suddenly become easy to induce and control.

And then there's donuts... no one should be denied the pleasure of the donut.

QUOTE

im not sure if its a lsd.are all 4x4 diffs lsd

Think so, but to be sure jack the rear up and turn one wheel by hand. If the other turns the opposite way you have an open diff.

QUOTE

does anyone know what gear ratio my one might be

Now the car's in the air already turn the wheel again one full turn and count the number of prop turns - that's your ratio. To get more accuracy turn the wheel three times, count the number of prop turns and divide by three.

[bazz24]

thanks perksy.

i think me diff ratio is 3.92 .

do you know if this is a good ratio to have on a 1.8 zetec on webers ??

and will this affect the top speed and 0-60 time.

not that im bothered cos the beast has not seen a road yet    

[bazz24]

i will try that samcooke .

whats it like going sideways.is it easyto master the skill of opposite lock

i havnt gone sideways before.thinkin about it i havnt driven a westy before    

but it should be finished this year

[sammy]

could i change my diff to lsd and also change the shafts to suit . also at the moment i have brums on the back could i get a complete Axel with diff & calipers to fit my narrow body westi