LSD in layman's terms?

Only the JDM Civics have LSDs (apart from the 1 special edition) and then only Type-R have them standard fit. There are tonnes of cars with LSDs on, pretty much anything JDM and sporty has one in there.

Totally wrong :eek:

Example
1.8 vti has LSD

EP3 civic type R does not have LSD
 
That's a very generalised statement.

Less power doesn't mean more grip, especially with FWD.

In FWD the weight is over the driven wheels, coupled with the lower power and torque outputs means that an LSD is less likely to be required
 
Most understeer on a fwd car is not caused by the inside wheel spinning it is caused by entering the corner too fast and an LSD will do zip all for that, as the slip is on the outside wheel anyway, however, with some more drive to it, it may help you power thru it, personally I lift off and let the back do the work in those cases

:D
 
You sure? I can't see mention of any 9-3s having LSDs. I'm interested to know as my dad has one. Can you provide me with a link showing which ones have an LSD?

Sorry I was replying to the first part of your post. I have an MX5, not a Saab.
 
You are not putting that much power through most FWD cars to require an LSD, equally with RWD the back end of the car is lighter so an LSD is more beneficial even at lower power levels.

Nice when you can totally ignore the effects of slip angles that make it more significant on a FWD.
 
Nice when you can totally ignore the effects of slip angles that make it more significant on a FWD.

Because a 1L 48bhp Micra is going to be ragged about on a track or on the road to require the LSD ....
LSD is for the more "serious" cars, most FWD cars are a joke. Some FWD cars rightly have an LSD, but that is because they are actually of use as the car has at least some performance
 
JDM EP3 has an LSD, and that is of course what I was talking about.

It's an MB6 you have, never heard of these with a diff, or any UK Civic other than the limited space ship thing.

No I had an MB6 and a MC2 and these both had LSD
At the moment I have an Accord Type R with LSD
 
Because a 1L 48bhp Micra is going to be ragged about on a track or on the road to require the LSD ....
LSD is for the more "serious" cars, most FWD cars are a joke. Some FWD cars rightly have an LSD, but that is because they are actually of use as the car has at least some performance

Someone makes a valid point and you're comeback argument is that every FWD car is comparable to a 1L 48BHP Micra! lol

Start posting facts before people start to think you're the joke!

Just because you think most are a joke doesn't mean some don't need an LSD. You can't write off every fWD car with your sweeping statement.
 
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Normally when thinking of LSDs I just think of RWD. FWD + LSD... it just doesn't compute very well for me. FWD has become a bit of a black art these days with all this "revo-knuckle" and what not.

An open-diff just sends the power to which ever wheel will accept it most easily. So if a wheel starts spinning the open-diff will just keep sending more power to it. Pretty dumb really but for most cars it is fine. An LSD on the other hand will not send as much power to the spinning wheel - but will send it more power to the other wheel. Therefore it keeps traction more balanced and predictable for the driver.
 
I remember cableguy trying to explain this to me. He was like, "you know, when you go round a corner, don't you feel it pulling you back in?"

I obviously drive like a granny :s
 
Calling a differential dumb really doesn't do justice to what is a fantastic piece of engineering, how someone came up with it really is beyond me.

Well yeah. Didn't mean it quite like that. But compared to a LSD, an open-diff is quite dumb :p No disrespect to the inventor of the open-diff :D
 
Wasn't it invented in the 18th century? Pretty much a prerequisite to the industrial revolution wasn't it. A bit like the CV and UV joint.
 
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