Question for the S4 Drifters
 

How is the stock clutch-type differential (when rebuilt of course) for drifting? What are the performance differences from the stock clutch-type and an aftermarket unit such as KAAZ or Quaife? Whats the average lifespan on a differential on a daily driver that goes drifting maybe twice a week?

Would you recommend the FD3S Torsen unit over the S4 clutch type?

For drifting, IMO, a torsen or quaiffe is not what you want. A 1.5 or 2 way lsd is much better suited for drifting(stock clutch is 1 way). This is just due to the design of the diff itself. The ability of a good 1.5 or 2 way clutch lsd to keep the wheels "locked" while off the gas is a key in how it affects drifting, allowing the car to maintain a slide while off throttle. A torque biasing diff will not act like this and can make the slide more difficult to maintain. In theory a stock s4 clutch lsd would be better, but a stock s4 diff is most likely wasted from age and abuse. However, any type of lsd is better than an open diff.

Since the stock is a 1 way, i'd have to do all power-drifts... is there any affordable (cheaper than aftermarket) to convert the 1 way to a 2 way? or maybe 1.5....

buy a KAAZ

Not necessarily, its just that having a 1.5 or 2 way gives you another tool to maintain a drift. Plenty of people can drift very well on a 1 way diff.

No, aftermarket is going to be your only option.

damn...KAAZ are hella expensive...would you recommend rebuilding the stock one for learning? so im not tearing up a new KAAZ diff? how often should i replace the clutches?

People do all kinds of things to make up for poor driving skill... Learn to control your car... Once you can do that, you're ready to make it a little easier on yourself... That's just my .02 :)

Don't rebuild the stocker unless it needs it... If you plan on tearing it up anyways, just go ahead and tear it up before you rebuild it... Then either rebuild or upgrade once you have to... And yes I agree KAAZ 2-way is the way to go...

I just hate driving with an open diff (which is essentially what a 148,000 mile clutch type is). I can do basic slides, but i cant maintain anything low speed. Every maintained drift i do has to be fast enough for the weight transfer to keep me sideways...its like drifting an FF

And the KAAZ i see, low end, are like $800, which is just a little less than what i've set aside for my JDM motor. Thats a ridiculous price

Are we talking about non-turbo's?
Cause the turbo clutch-type LSD is clearly a 2-way.
You'll clearly see the diamond-shaped hole in the innards.


I disagree.
Drifiting is all about being on the throttle.
The 2-way has nothing to do with keeping the car sliding when off the throttle.
It has everything to do when you lift off the throttle...
The quick lock-up helps kick the rear out, so you just pump the throttle to get the car sideways.
For the FC, we've found this is really unnecessary, unless we're talking really low-speed stuff.
If the suspension is set-up right, all you need is a slight steering change, slight lift off the throttle to weight shift forward, and the back end will come around in a hurry!


-Ted

Ted, that is what I was getting at. It sounded like I implied that you slide off throttle, I was getting at its abilty to "upset" tractiong when lifting.
As for a stock TII diff being a 2 way, I was not aware of this fact. It definitely doesnt feel like the 2 way in my brothers 240, but that could also be because that mine is all worn out.
And I definitely agree that car setup is more important than the type of lsd you have.

a worn out clutch type is a 0 way. REBUILD IT before you bitch about its performance!

I rebuilt the clutches in my stock clutch type and added some extra shim making in very tight. I havent put any friction mod. in it yet but right now it is basicly locked up like a spool. But if you use good fluid and some friction mod it should be fine. If you want to just rebuild to factory specs just run strait gear lube and no friction mod. My friend did that in his bmw and it worked great.

how would you rebuild a turboII clutch lsd? Where can I find a place to buy new plates?

well i have the torsen and they are all right above, its all right for on throlltle drifts only..as soon as the tires sense traction its gets rough and jerks back and forth side to side while it tries to settle back down to settled suspension stance instead of being in a cross load from sliding left to right..¿½φ²♠♠ô↔Θ♂ html codes hehe

http://www.mazdatrix.com/g8.htm

So do all '86 GXLs have LSD's? This guy wants to sell me the full drive train (blown S4 motor, good trans, and the rear end) plus 2 extra blown motors for like $150 or $200 (he is plannin on putting some of those stupid piston thingies in there) and I want to know if all '86 GXLs came with LSDs like I believe they do.

If you're serious, don't fuck with the stock LSD.
The stock LSD will last maybe 10,000 miles with hard drifting.
It's always highly recommended to go aftermarket for serious drifting.


-Ted

OK, where can I find a good LSD, and how much will I be spending. From what I know they go for around $800 or so, and I will need a TII trans/drive line.

I was plannin on getting a TII trans anyway. so it won't be that big of a deal.

you could always swap in a welded diff, it wont be that great on the street, but it is driveable

do all 5 lugs have a LSD?

No.

Series 4 GXL, GTU, Turbo2
Series 5: Turbo2, GTUs

how much is a rebuild kit for a s4 t2 diff it looks like 500 when i add all the plates up this looks wrong.

its drifting, of course its gonna be expensive. if you want to save money buy a open diff, take it out and apart, weld all four spider gears and BAM! you got yourself a 2way that doesnt do u-turns without drifting. i call it drift or die.
ps- dont listen to me ive never taken apart a fc open diff it may be different. but if it was a 240 or corolla you could