VarmintCong
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2016
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- 49
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- Location
- Taiwan
- Vehicle(s)
- 2023 Ford Focus ST Line X (sold 2020 Si sedan)
- Thread starter
- #16
Here's where the LSD benefits, from my experience so far:It seems like the LSD really only helps to put maximum power on the road in case of uneven traction. So it helps with maximum performance on uneven surface. What happens when accelerating hard on a good traction, clear, hard road with a crappy traction shoulders (wet grass, mud, sand, snow) when one wheel gets off the road, with a) regular open differential, b) LSD?
Below (Wikipedia) it says it does not improve cornering or steering feel. So I'm really not sure I would want it if not strictly track racing or driving on bad roads, snow/ice patches, etc.
"The torque difference is zero if the differential is frictionless, and limited slip differentials, intended to increase power transfer, actually make torque steer much worse. For this reason, limited slip differentials by automobile transmission manufacturers like Quaife, Torsen, TrueTrac, Gold Trac have not been much used until recently, and require other measures to be implemented, such as careful positioning of suspension pivot points and driveshaft CV joints, in order to keep the resultant torque steer to a manageable amount. Limited slip differentials do not improve cornering, or steering feel, however they will improve power transfer in situations where one wheel experiences limited adhesion, and so may improve overall performance."
1. Rain - especially turning left or right onto a wet road. Massive wheel spin on the Sport if you get on the gas, with much greater traction in the Si, despite worse tires.
2. I also tried driving in the rain in second gear in a straight line and standing on the gas. This would spin both tires in the Sport, but in the Si, you get much better traction.
3. In the dry, you get the same effect but to a lesser degree, since the car usually doesn't really have enough power to spin the tires in the dry in a straight line.
Torque steer is the same - rare compared to Hondas I've had in the past - modern LSD and suspension design has mostly eliminated that.
One benefit of AWD is when driving in heavy rain, you can hit puddles on the highway at high speed and there's no tugging on the steering wheel, the car just plows through. Haven't tested this in the Si.
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