Limited Slip Diffs

[Tomcat Nev]

I used to run a 'Detroit locker' and found it a bloody pain in anything other than dry conditions. It just kept making the back end try to go in front every time i braked!

I therefore removed and sold it.

Therefore, i am now wanting to try the Quaiffe ATB or Detroit True Track or KAM LSD.

So to that end has any one any experience of any of the above - i am racing so it may not be completely relevant but the more info the better!!!

And where is the best/least expensive - supplier???? I need two.

Cheers

Nev

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

Mate of mine races and has Quaffie everything, cept when he had to change one and shoved a 4 pin diff in the front, and found he was a LOT faster .......

Quaiffe in the front end is now history, and he will mainly use 4 pin open and Q in the back only

Shafts and parts are top end price wise, but he reckons the quality is superb.

HTH

Nige

[Tomcat Nev]

Nige,

Cheers for that. I would not run anything in the front other than a 4-pin anyway i think.

All my shafts are Ashcroft (except one which is KAM cause one Ashcroft broke and he would only sell me two) so i am just looking at the diff and a supplier of said diff at a good price.

Nev

[BogMonster]

Exmoor Beast has a "free" Quaife in the back of his 110 I think?

[Steve Hiatt]

I ran a true trac, fit and forget.

I had Ashcroft shafts but they were out of stock when I wanted to replace them so I went Quaife. I recall when you took into account the flanges the price was not that different and they were here next day.

[Tomcat Nev]

Hi Steve,

I have thicker flanges on my drive shafts allready so its just diff i need to worry about - till they start breaking!!!

Did you ever use a Detroit Locker to compare the True Trac with?

Nev

[bill van snorkle]

I used to run Detroit Lockers front and rear, then just the rear. After two years of suffering all the ill handling, banging and clanging, broken halfshafts, cv's etc, I ascertained that the most suitable location for them was my scrap metal dump.

[Turbocharger]

A mate and I fitted new diff centres to our rear axles (only) for laning, trialling etc, but not racing. He fitted a Detroit, I put a TrueTrac in. We both do a fair bit of road mileage too, so might not be so relevant to you.

The Detroit locks until there's enough differential force across the two wheels to 'break' that lock, while the TruTrac biases the torque at eg 3:1 ratio, away from the wheel with least grip.

The Detroit definately tends to push the car straight on more than the TruTrac on- or off-road, and the TruTrac acts almost as a locker, up until I actually lift a wheel - the biasing effect is very pronounced in the unit I have. (Even then, using my left foot to drag the brakes lightly can bring enough traction to extract me from a sticky situation...)

On the road, a TruTrac in the rear really really helps high-speed cornering under heavy power, since the car heels over like a galleon and starts to lift the inside wheel. Then the outside wheel receives all the power and it literally flicks the car round, it pushes it really aggressively from exactly the corner of the car that you're looking for. At the extreme of this, it makes the car more oversteery under heavy power. Other than that, ie when you're not slipping a wheel, it's completely transparent and I've had no ill-effects from using it day to day. With the Detroit, however, I've had some more exciting experiences as it locks and unlocks in roundabouts etc, and I personally wouldn't fit one to my daily drive. However, my mate (TroddenMasses on here) loves it.

For racing on loose surfaces or when the wheels are regularly losing contact with the ground, a TruTrac (or similar) might give some interesting effects as power comes from one side of the car or the other, but it ought to be an improvement if power is being transmitted, so long as the car remains controllable?

[ashtrans]

Nige,

Cheers for that. I would not run anything in the front other than a 4-pin anyway i think.

All my shafts are Ashcroft (except one which is KAM cause one Ashcroft broke and he would only sell me two) so i am just looking at the diff and a supplier of said diff at a good price.

Nev

Hi,

due to problems with the old supplier it was very difficult for us to get them individually, with the new supplier not only are they a better product but we can supply individually if required and now come warranteed against failure. in stock,

we can supply Truetracs, phone me with what spec you are looking for, ie, just the diff centres or built up, 3.54 / 4.11, pegged or not,

[Andy]

ive got a detroit in the back & tru-trac in the front of my daily driver. im happy with the setup, but i wouldnt want to race it. as said above the detriot makes it go straight on way too much - i even notice this on tarmac in the wet. as someone said above, the tru-trac offers almost as much grip as a locker till you lift a wheel.

however in the dim & distant past ive put LSDs in the back of road cars & i loved the effect on the handling. less wheelspin so a lot more control of the car with the throttle, power = sideways not power = sideways or tyre smoke.

for racing id go LSD anyday.

[Tomcat Nev]

That sounds interesting. I did not like the Detroit at all in the racer but i had run one in my Hybrid years ago and was more than happy - but it was a lot easier to 'come out' during cornering than the one in the racer.

Any ideas where is the cheapest place for a True Trac?????

Nev

[Andy]

i dont recall more that about £5 difference in prices when i was looking around for my lockers, probably part of the sales agreement?

[Tomcat Nev]

Hi,

due to problems with the old supplier it was very difficult for us to get them individually, with the new supplier not only are they a better product but we can supply individually if required and now come warranteed against failure. in stock,

we can supply Truetracs, phone me with what spec you are looking for, ie, just the diff centres or built up, 3.54 / 4.11, pegged or not,

That is interesting! It was earlier this year - approx Feb - that i was trying to get a single drive shaft. I like the idea of them being warranteed too, i shall bear that in mind the next time one goes twang (if it does that is).

I need two, both just centres. I have the front axle pegged but not the rear - which you did - but i can not remember why now its only the front!

Nev

[Exmoor Beast]

Yep Quaife in the rear axle on mine, I haven't broke it but then I haven't raced it either

Will

[Steve Hiatt]

Nev

I ran a Salisbury, open diff, before the truetrac. I found it very predictable and it never sent the car off in a direction I wasn't expecting.

The biggest benefit was the grip out of corners and the ability to put the power down sooner.

I bought mine from Ashcrofts as they had one on the shelf and the price was about right.

[honitonhobbit]

I have a TruTarac in the rear - have had for about a year. Love it. My RRC is my daily driver, laner, tow vehicle, event recovery bus etc etc

I did put a Quaife in the front for about two weeks. Fuel consumption was down by 8-10 to the gallon and it was pig to drive in the dry. Good off road though.

The quaife is now going in the family 300Tdi RRC 'cos I have found a buyer for the TC module...

[nas90]

I used to run a 'Detroit locker' and found it a bloody pain in anything other than dry conditions. It just kept making the back end try to go in front every time i braked!

I therefore removed and sold it.

Therefore, i am now wanting to try the Quaiffe ATB or Detroit True Track or KAM LSD.

So to that end has any one any experience of any of the above - i am racing so it may not be completely relevant but the more info the better!!!

And where is the best/least expensive - supplier???? I need two.

Cheers

Nev

We have been helping with KAM LSD R&D; testing has been on a Safari Racer twin turbo Diesel with huge amounts of torque. Our latest parts supplied to KAM was a few races ago................

Latest set-up has LSD or Locking Diff or both!

Worth a look, not that I am biased of course!

[MJIbex]

I ran a truetrac for 2 years on and off road with a 3.9 V8 90; the unit failed after this time and operates like an open diff now. I have not striped it but parts are not availible, so I'm told. On the American websites this 2 year period with a V8 seems fairly typical.

Was very good off road in preventing cross axleing. On road I found it made cornering quicker however instead of spinning an inside rear wheel it would spin the inside front.

Mark