Diff for a T...?
There's a group buy on the cliosport forum. A LSD would be a useful mod if you're going to use it on track etc but an expensive mod for daily road use where you wont get the most out of it. A benefit of getting one is that you can change the final drive to a variety of ratio's. Most people aren't too bothered with a 130mph+ top end so gear it down for a quicker 0-60. I've driven a R26R with one and that felt great, and I've got one in my rally car, but that's a 'Jack Knight' plate type. Gives you loads of grip, doesn't spin a wheel / loose traction in and out of bends and seems to pull better out of tight sections. Check that thread out, it's very useful and you may get one a little cheaper! 
The Quaife is known as an ATB - and is a gear type - they are more user friendly than a plate type, but have the drawback that both wheels need to be firmly in contact with the ground to work. I have seen a Clio 182 using one in competition, and your T still beat him! Plate type diffs can be very clunky and noisy, pa\rtuclarly in 'parking' type manoeuvers and really need overhauling regularly - we monitor our customers quite carefully and the loss of locking action is quite marked and rapid. Carbon plates can help, but the annual operating cost in way out of most normal budgets. It is probably cheaper, and more civilised, in the long run to fit something like racelogic traction control. If I were to hill climg a T again, an LSD would not be high on my list.
Mark - Track focussed Clios could well have the Challenge suspension and tyres - the spring rates are 5 or 6 times stiffer than the T - and hopefully may be a lot lighter! You could almost tell which side of a coin you are driving over!
Surely there must be a relatively hassle free version available. I guess the Honda torsen diffs don't take a lot of upkeep? Can't remember how they work though. I think if the T becomes a second car I'd like a diff at some point.
Mark, have you been on track yet in yours?
Mark, have you been on track yet in yours?
Luke - Torsen (Torgue Sensing) and the Quaife are near cousins - both gear type, hence minmal maintenance (actually ideal as the cetnre diff in a 4WD car, particularly as there is a version with torque biasing built in). The one in my DC5 has limited benefits (still spins wheels out of slow corners) - most people who race DC5's change to a plate type - the best are those with the ability to change the ramp angles, pre-load and number of plates so that they can be fine tuned. BTCC Hondas use a bespoke sequential box with a fully tunable plate diff. The Clio challenge cars have a Sadev sequnetial box which I guess would come with a similar diff.
I have not driven a Megane, so can not comment on how well their LSD diff works - It is a gear type made in Japan under licence from GKN.
I have not driven a Megane, so can not comment on how well their LSD diff works - It is a gear type made in Japan under licence from GKN.
We have a quaife atb in our track day Fiat Cinquecento and it runs o ly 120bhp from it's 1.4 16V 6 speed conversion from a Panda 100HP & it's a great bit of kit.
Our FTO GP version R has a Torsen LSD & it's brilliant, to day it had no use on the road is folly. During the heavy snow we had in winter the FTO made easy progress in it due to diff constantly shifting power between the front wheels, my T on good Michelins was rubbish. The FTO is running Uniroyal Rainsport 2 which is not considered as good as Micheln though I rate highly.
In think a good ATB diff would be brilliant on the T and when I get round to it would like to fit one to my T.
Drive an I Integra Type R & tell me you can't feel the LSD making a difference.
PS the GKN diff on the Megane is just one fitted to Nissans which of course Renault own, so it as adapted cos it was cheap to do so. Plus there head office is in the UK Worcestershire iirc
Our FTO GP version R has a Torsen LSD & it's brilliant, to day it had no use on the road is folly. During the heavy snow we had in winter the FTO made easy progress in it due to diff constantly shifting power between the front wheels, my T on good Michelins was rubbish. The FTO is running Uniroyal Rainsport 2 which is not considered as good as Micheln though I rate highly.
In think a good ATB diff would be brilliant on the T and when I get round to it would like to fit one to my T.
Drive an I Integra Type R & tell me you can't feel the LSD making a difference.
PS the GKN diff on the Megane is just one fitted to Nissans which of course Renault own, so it as adapted cos it was cheap to do so. Plus there head office is in the UK Worcestershire iirc
j333evo. I work for one of the leading motorsport gearbox companies and we have found limited benefits from the gear type diff (as I said earlier they work well in specific applications, but are not a universal panacea)- with further development they could be improved - but then you can do so much more with a plate type or a multi functional type.
re the DC5, what I said is that it still spins its wheels out of slow corners - my fellow competitors at hill climbs have commented on this short coming. I can certainly feel that it is having an effect in other circumstances, but there is not a dramatic improvement in traction over the Trophy.
re the DC5, what I said is that it still spins its wheels out of slow corners - my fellow competitors at hill climbs have commented on this short coming. I can certainly feel that it is having an effect in other circumstances, but there is not a dramatic improvement in traction over the Trophy.
For competetion terms, yes plate diffs are better, we have lots of Nissan 240RS dif packs from Emmas dads Nissan Team Europe days sat in a corner of the garage. In fact we rebuilt a few 240RS diff's recently for a historic rally car owned by a very wealthy client who I believe competed in it over in Begium. getting genuine Nissna parts is getting harder now, but not impossible as Nissan used to leave container loads of parts all over the world when they rallyed as cheaper leaving them behind than moving them on, thats how they rolled in the 80's!!
Plate diffs have come along way from horrible snatchy devices they used to be.
But many good FWD road cars have a Torsen type as for road work they are no maintenace, quiet and nice to use.
DC2 and DC5 Championship Edition Civic Type R, 80 of the 500 or so production run of Ford Racing Puma's, Rover 200 BRM (BMW threw way to much money at that car for little reward) FTO GPvR, Celica SSIII, Megane R26, Focus RS MK1 and MK2 etc
But if I was wanting to do lots of track days maybe a Gripper plate diff would be the order of the day. though for me for my road car that i enjoy driving on opur not so brilliant roads,I'd go for a Quaife but that's me.
Plate diffs have come along way from horrible snatchy devices they used to be.
But many good FWD road cars have a Torsen type as for road work they are no maintenace, quiet and nice to use.
DC2 and DC5 Championship Edition Civic Type R, 80 of the 500 or so production run of Ford Racing Puma's, Rover 200 BRM (BMW threw way to much money at that car for little reward) FTO GPvR, Celica SSIII, Megane R26, Focus RS MK1 and MK2 etc
But if I was wanting to do lots of track days maybe a Gripper plate diff would be the order of the day. though for me for my road car that i enjoy driving on opur not so brilliant roads,I'd go for a Quaife but that's me.