Soldato
- Joined
- 12 Dec 2002
- Posts
- 2,951
For quite some time I have wanted to find out how this electronic "LSD" actually felt, I searched on the Internet and found mainly US forum saying how bad it is and it's just another form of DSC etc...along with a few videos of 1 wheeled burnouts and poor "drifting".
I have driven a few RWD cars with an LSD and a few without, the sensation described in the easiest way I can for people who have not experienced a LSD equipped car is, under power from a corner exit where the inside wheel would spin up you instead feel the rear tyres "smear" across the road and if you give it some Wellington you will end up pretty sideways. Not the best description but the best I can do. The other very obvious effect of a locking diff is from a standstill with full lock applied dump the clutch with lots of revs and the car will whip the back end round and if you continue you will end up performing the RWD holy grail, the doughnut.
Now, my friend has recently bought a 135i and I have been wanting to see how the e-LSD feels, as on the Internet people are saying that it's **** and a locking diff should be the first upgrade done to the car if that's your thing, but, why would BMW decide market the car as having a e-LSD if it is totally pointless. Anyway, last night I met up with my friend, it was damp and had some land where his workshops are to play on. We played about for a while and to be honest it felt exactly like a mech diff bar an initial small jolt, the car would go sideways properly like a LSD car, could do proper doughnuts (I.e not spinning on the spot but go sideway in a circle) the only thing that was noticeable was the brakes started to smell a bit but this would be a non issue providing you didn't drive like a penis 24/7.
So, why does pretty much every BMW forum user slate the e-LSD, my guess is:
A. People don't actually realise how to activate it by holding the DSC button down for over 5 seconds. It's in the manual.
B. Most people commenting don't have a clue what an LSD does.
Most other arguments I have seen against the e-LSD are along the lines of "well all racing cars use mech diffs" well yeah, because they are seamless and won't overheat the rear brakes during the race, or "on a track daytrack/drifting a mech diff will give better times/driftz" well, yep true but 99.9% of people who do trackdays the locking characteristics of a cars diff is probably the last place to be looking to become faster.
Most people who buy an LSD equipped car want one not because of track times but because they want to get a bit sideways or do a doughnut (don't deny it) the E-LSD does exactly that, Infact I doubt most people could tell back to back which had a mech diff and which had an e-diff.
Well, this concludes my longest quite possibly most boring post ever on OcUK I eagerly await the verbal fisting I shall receive by the grammar Nazis
TlDr; Not as bad as most people make out.
I have driven a few RWD cars with an LSD and a few without, the sensation described in the easiest way I can for people who have not experienced a LSD equipped car is, under power from a corner exit where the inside wheel would spin up you instead feel the rear tyres "smear" across the road and if you give it some Wellington you will end up pretty sideways. Not the best description but the best I can do. The other very obvious effect of a locking diff is from a standstill with full lock applied dump the clutch with lots of revs and the car will whip the back end round and if you continue you will end up performing the RWD holy grail, the doughnut.
Now, my friend has recently bought a 135i and I have been wanting to see how the e-LSD feels, as on the Internet people are saying that it's **** and a locking diff should be the first upgrade done to the car if that's your thing, but, why would BMW decide market the car as having a e-LSD if it is totally pointless. Anyway, last night I met up with my friend, it was damp and had some land where his workshops are to play on. We played about for a while and to be honest it felt exactly like a mech diff bar an initial small jolt, the car would go sideways properly like a LSD car, could do proper doughnuts (I.e not spinning on the spot but go sideway in a circle) the only thing that was noticeable was the brakes started to smell a bit but this would be a non issue providing you didn't drive like a penis 24/7.
So, why does pretty much every BMW forum user slate the e-LSD, my guess is:
A. People don't actually realise how to activate it by holding the DSC button down for over 5 seconds. It's in the manual.
B. Most people commenting don't have a clue what an LSD does.
Most other arguments I have seen against the e-LSD are along the lines of "well all racing cars use mech diffs" well yeah, because they are seamless and won't overheat the rear brakes during the race, or "on a track daytrack/drifting a mech diff will give better times/driftz" well, yep true but 99.9% of people who do trackdays the locking characteristics of a cars diff is probably the last place to be looking to become faster.
Most people who buy an LSD equipped car want one not because of track times but because they want to get a bit sideways or do a doughnut (don't deny it) the E-LSD does exactly that, Infact I doubt most people could tell back to back which had a mech diff and which had an e-diff.
Well, this concludes my longest quite possibly most boring post ever on OcUK I eagerly await the verbal fisting I shall receive by the grammar Nazis
TlDr; Not as bad as most people make out.
