Yes, I know this is a Honda board, but I figured some of your road racers would be able to provide me with some input...

Come April, ATS will have a carbon LSD ( http://www.a-t-s-usa.com/ats-products/lsd-carbon.shtml ) available for my Z, and I'll be eager to swap out the OEM viscous unit (it's a true POS). I understand that a 1.5 way locks partially while the 2 way clutch-type locks fully under braking. With a 2 way, will my car be more prone to drifting? I'd like to get more rotation from the rear end, but I don't want to have a really loose tail.

Your advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

You want minimal lockup when unpowered - else you'll have a tendency to push on corner entry and you'll have to resort to pitching the car.

Everything I've read says that until you're putting down power an open diff car outperforms any kind of lsd.

Everybody's 1.5 way has a minimal decel ramp angle for mechanical reliability reasons.

Here's a nice tuning guide: http://www.icpcitation.com/variloc.htm

Scott, who understands that viscous lsd's aren't any good unless they're electronically controlled...

 

Wow, that's an intensive read. So intensive, that I'm truly having difficult understanding it. If someone is able to put it in more laymen's terms? to the person who can decipher it...

 

which part don't you understand?

thanks for the link scott, yet another one added to the favorites list.

nate-who understands but sucks royally at explaining.

 

Subarus seem to do okay with them...

 

The Z one seems to really be the weak link between the driver and the road...at least it hampers me at times....not to mention that it would happily spin one wheel in the snow while the other one was sitting quietly on the dry road... ...i almost had to use the civic to push the Z up the driveway...

grrr...viscous = :thmub down:

 

The inherit problem with viscous LSDs is that no power will be transferred until one wheel begins to slip. It's more of a reactive LSD than a Torsen / helical type or a clutch-type.

 

from reading Scott's link
http://www.icpcitation.com/variloc_tuning.htm

That tuning example basically tells me the answer to whether you want more or less lock on decel depends on whether you find the car too loose on corner entry. If it ain't broke, don't fix it? If you are noticing it's too loose for your liking on entry, and you feel it's not bad driving habits, alignment, tires, etc., go with the 2, it seems.. otherwise go 1.5 (if those are the choices)? (since the viscous unit is disliked, I'm assuming it's not so effective, thus putting it's performance closer to a 1.5 than a 2?)

Heh.. like the answers to all involved questions everywhere, "It depends"..

My advice is probably worth less than you paid for it.. go with what makes sense for you.

Are there any Z boards with people whose replies will be based on something other than fashion?

 

It's difficult to procure answers from other message boards. I think I'm beginning to understand how the ramp angles work now, but what throws me off by this page is that there is only one cam with a locking ramp rather than two...


If you compare the design to the Kaaz unit, you'll see the difference in the cams:

 

but since
" until you're putting down power an open diff car outperforms any kind of lsd"

wouldnt that be a good quality? since the locking effect is only used when needed. And with a highperformance viscous unit, they can be set to very high locking rates and almost instantaneous reaction time.