Kleemann LSD Vs. Quaife LSD
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Thanks for the help Vlad. I'll definitely be doing some thinking about which is the right option for me.
Zepplin, I believe the Kleemann is $1600 while the Quaife is $2000 installed.
Zepplin, I believe the Kleemann is $1600 while the Quaife is $2000 installed.
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From: Canada
eclectic assortment of cars
Difference of $500 is a no-brainer to me - Quaife all day. I'm with Zeppelin on that.
My experience with the Phantom Grip type unit in my old Saab was that it was inconsistent - the initial drive after the install was great, it felt good. After a while, I did not always detect that it was working. The unit I had (it was custom made in Sweden for the Saab) was adjustable, so I kept cranking it up. Then I'd feel it in daily driving, which was a pain - as ASP mentioned, at times it felt like the diff was almost welded, so in daily driving cornering, it was (negatively) noticeable. Mind you, this was on ~300 crank hp FWD, not RWD, so I'd feel a lot of feedback in the steering. Despite all that, I still wasn't convinced of the performance gain and wanted a genuine LSD that would 'hook up' when needed, but was unobtrusive the rest of the time.
The current owner of my old car now has a Quaife in it; he owes me a drive in it, I would like to compare now.
My S2000 has a factory LSD, and predictably, it is not noticeable in daily driving, ie. no welded diff feeling. But get on it hard, and the benefits are noticeable.
My experience with the Phantom Grip type unit in my old Saab was that it was inconsistent - the initial drive after the install was great, it felt good. After a while, I did not always detect that it was working. The unit I had (it was custom made in Sweden for the Saab) was adjustable, so I kept cranking it up. Then I'd feel it in daily driving, which was a pain - as ASP mentioned, at times it felt like the diff was almost welded, so in daily driving cornering, it was (negatively) noticeable. Mind you, this was on ~300 crank hp FWD, not RWD, so I'd feel a lot of feedback in the steering. Despite all that, I still wasn't convinced of the performance gain and wanted a genuine LSD that would 'hook up' when needed, but was unobtrusive the rest of the time.
The current owner of my old car now has a Quaife in it; he owes me a drive in it, I would like to compare now.
My S2000 has a factory LSD, and predictably, it is not noticeable in daily driving, ie. no welded diff feeling. But get on it hard, and the benefits are noticeable.
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If that's true about the Kleemann diff, it's gone up in price a lot. Last price I saw quoted was ~$900 from what I remember, plus labor to R&R your diff and ship it to Kleemann USA for them to do the work and ship it back (that way they warranty it with their typical coverage). IIRC... YMMV.
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The Kleeman "LSD: is not an LSD. It is a spring block that loads the spider gears in your stock diff. If anything it's "fake LSD". One of the many drawbacks is that when you do get wheelspin, the wear is metal on metal (unlike clutch-type LSD's which wear the clutch material). The result is metal shavings in your gear oil. See photos below. This type of fake LSD (often referred to as Phantom Grip, since that company sells a similar product) is primarily useful for differentials that have no "real" LSD available (such as OE Mercedes, Quaife, or OS-Giken). Yeah, the spring block is better than a peg-leg open diff, just make sure you change your gear oil frequently.
Now, if the Kleeman "fake LSD" was like $500 installed and the Quaife was $2000, then ok, I could see some people opting for the cheaper route. But $900 for fake LSD? Seriously? Complete waste of money, IMO. Especially when the Quaife has no clutches to wear out, and a lifetime warranty, even if used in competition.
For the record: I have Quaifes in both of my 124.036's and they are excellent.
I have factory MB LSD in my 124.133 because, sadly, Quaife does not make a 185mm ATB diff.
Kleeman link:
http://www.kleemann.dk/Performance/h...ferential.aspx
Now, if the Kleeman "fake LSD" was like $500 installed and the Quaife was $2000, then ok, I could see some people opting for the cheaper route. But $900 for fake LSD? Seriously? Complete waste of money, IMO. Especially when the Quaife has no clutches to wear out, and a lifetime warranty, even if used in competition.
For the record: I have Quaifes in both of my 124.036's and they are excellent.
I have factory MB LSD in my 124.133 because, sadly, Quaife does not make a 185mm ATB diff.
Kleeman link:
http://www.kleemann.dk/Performance/h...ferential.aspx
