Who makes better lsds, KAAZ or Torsen? Dont know which to buy...

 

It's not a matter of "better" it's a matter of what you want to acheive. The KAAZ is a clutch type LSD and the Torsen is totally different, and isn't a LSD in the strictest sense, it's a torque biasing diff. If you want to drag race, or have enourmous amounts of torque, then the KAAZ will be better. For normal driving, autocross, and road racing, the torsen will be better as it isn't as stiff as the KAAZ, it also can't handle as much power. The torsen is smooth, progressive and is linear in it's ability to limit slip vs torque. The KAAZ is more or less an on/off swich and will go abruptly from being effectively open to effectively locked (an exageration, but you get the picture). This on/off characteristic can make driving smoothly every day a problem as the diff cycles from open to closed as you try to park for instance. It can also meke cornering a problem and cause you to swerve and weave around corners unless you are actively accelerating or are off the throttle. The good news is that you can find used Torsens in the junkyard. TII's can use FD torsen's and normally aspirated cars can use 1.8 Miata torsen's, they fit into the stock diff housing, and should cost you alot less than a KAAZ. For most people the Torsen is the way to go.

 

thanks

 

Hrm.... The kaaz makes multiple types of lsd's 1 way, 1.5, and 2 way read about those. From what I know about the torsen lsd, its not very good. Pretty much it multiplies by 4 the torque from the tire with the least amount of traction and puts it to the other tire. So if one tire is slipping, it will multiple the torque by 4 to the other tire. Now think about this. If one tire is on ice then it have zero traction, zero x 4 is zero. so there fore you have no torque to either tire. Also the torsen uses the strength of the housing to engage. So if there is a failure in the torsen lsd then it some cases it has been known to blow apart the housing. I'm planning to go with a 2way Kaaz.

 

You can cheat the Torsen on a slippery surface by using the brakes. For example if you have 25 ft/lbs of brake pressure you can put 100 ft/lbs to the opposite wheel, but then you have to subtract the 25 ft/lbs brake torque. Hummers (H1 not the pos H2) have torsens and you have to use the brakes in rock crawling and other low traction situations.

Most people don't have enough power to blow up a Torsen, but some do. My feeling is that if you're under 300hp and not drag racing the Torsen is fine. But if you are drag racing and especially if you're using slicks less hp will still break the Torsen. It's all about the peak torque loading.

BTW, Black91n/a described the diff operation very well. Kaaz diffs are very agressive. OEM clutch type diffs are no where near as abrubt and are much easier to live with. I put a TII diff in my car as it was cheap, easy and should suit the car just fine. How long it will last I don't know, but since I'm going drag racing it should last longer than a Torsen.