C63 AMG (W204) 2008 - 2015
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Is LSD a must???

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Old Mar 20, 2012 | 08:29 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by natman316
sorry for slightly thread jacking but I guess this will help the OP too.

is the factory LSD or a quaife better? I think the factory is 30% lock up while the quaife is 100%? does that mean the quaife is better?
In a word NO

On their own web site it states, "It will never lock 100%"

The design, based on a Gleason torsen diff, does not allow for both wheels ever being locked.

It is a VERY good unit, but it differently does not allow for both wheels to ever lock up.

Note: It does give a MUCH better ratio over the stocker, and its cheaper to boot.
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Old Mar 21, 2012 | 05:42 AM
  #27  
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Go after market. its cheaper and better then the factory option.
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 07:49 AM
  #28  
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Drexler LSD

I don't normally reply to forums..but damn I feel strongly about this.
Any c63 with an LSD is a heap of junk on anything other than a perfect stretch of Tarmac. Add any bumps, curves, water, expansion joint...and you have a 1 wheel wonder.
I went frustrated for 6 months and then got a drexler LSD. I can accelerate harder in the wet than I used to in the dry. Then I got toyo r1r tyres which crap on the standard Pirelli. I can virtually flatten in off the lights with no spin.
Ignore everything I said if you drive like a grandpa......
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 10:06 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by jsal0988
I don't normally reply to forums..but damn I feel strongly about this.
Any c63 withOUT an LSD is a heap of junk on anything other than a perfect stretch of Tarmac. Add any bumps, curves, water, expansion joint...and you have a 1 wheel wonder.
I went frustrated for 6 months and then got a drexler LSD. I can accelerate harder in the wet than I used to in the dry. Then I got toyo r1r tyres which crap on the standard totally useless piece of crap Pirelli. I can virtually flatten in off the lights with no spin.
Ignore everything I said if you drive like a grandpa......
Fixed that for you....
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 10:50 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by propain
Tell that to the 50 foot stretch I put down with both tires without an LSD.
Ditto. Who does 1-wheel peels on a C63?
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 06:07 PM
  #31  
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2012 C63 AMG
My first 2010 C63 didnt have it my new one does...

Pros so far on the street- Better hook up off the start, and I feel more controlled powering out of the corners.
Cons- it has a whine to it during certain times and and RPMS, not a big deal but be aware of that. Plus you have to pay and get it serviced in the first few thousand miles I think it was $100 or so. But thats pennies when it comes to this car.
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 06:27 PM
  #32  
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My first C63 did not have LSD. My second one has LSD. The cars are dramatically different in my experience. Without the LSD, the car breaks traction when you romp on the gas in all the low gears. With the LSD it is much harder to break traction. I can say, being able to spontaneously break traction is much funner and gives you a much more vicerally exciting general driving experience. You will go through rear tires much faster as well. This is part of the charm and personality of this beast of a car. However, with the LSD, the car feels much more planted if you are accelerating in a curve. You will likely be faster on a track with the LSD. It is not as much fun as the non LSD car, but now I can better keep pace with my friends' Ferarri Challenge Stradale and F430's. They pull from me in the turns but I reel them back in on the straits. The LSD makes the car feel much safer in aggressive driving with turns. When I let my 430 buddy drive the non LSD car he even commented that it felt freakishly unsafe but much runner than his M5. NO LSD IS NOT ESSENTIAL. It depends on what you want the car for.
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 08:17 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Jean Valjean
My first C63 did not have LSD. My second one has LSD. The cars are dramatically different in my experience. Without the LSD, the car breaks traction when you romp on the gas in all the low gears. With the LSD it is much harder to break traction. I can say, being able to spontaneously break traction is much funner and gives you a much more vicerally exciting general driving experience. You will go through rear tires much faster as well. This is part of the charm and personality of this beast of a car. However, with the LSD, the car feels much more planted if you are accelerating in a curve. You will likely be faster on a track with the LSD. It is not as much fun as the non LSD car, but now I can better keep pace with my friends' Ferarri Challenge Stradale and F430's. They pull from me in the turns but I reel them back in on the straits. The LSD makes the car feel much safer in aggressive driving with turns. When I let my 430 buddy drive the non LSD car he even commented that it felt freakishly unsafe but much runner than his M5. NO LSD IS NOT ESSENTIAL. It depends on what you want the car for.
I 110% disagree, it not that dramatic, its slightly noticeable. But its not as dramatic as say the old transmission vs the new MCT. Any car with 450hp and anemic rear tires has traction issues. The main benefit of the LSD is powering while cornering, strait line meuh I doubt anyone could really tell.
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 08:23 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by 2012C63AMG
Cons- it has a whine to it during certain times and and RPMS, not a big deal but be aware of that. Plus you have to pay and get it serviced in the first few thousand miles I think it was $100 or so. But thats pennies when it comes to this car.
The Quaife unit does not whine or have sharp jolts when it engages.
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 08:28 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Jmoley
Good Monday morning....

Question for all gurus here.....

Is the factory LSD...aka limited slip differential a 'must order' option when speccing the car?

Many thanks....
An LSD (factory or otherwise) is a must if you wish to acheive the full potential of the car. Our rear tires are way undersized for the power and torque of the car. Without LSD you're basically having one rear tire (or the other) do all the traction work. Wider rear tires only give nominal benefit compared to an LSD. I mention aftermarket LSD as the factory LSD uses wet clutch packs to limit slip. Eventually these wear out. The factory option may also be expensive depending on were you live. A Quaife uses helicut gears to limit slip and they don't wear out like clutch packs. The total cost installed cost maybe cheaper than the factory option and perform better.
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Old Aug 3, 2012 | 09:37 PM
  #36  
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I got to say, I love my factory LSD. I think it is night and day difference between having the LSD vs. the open diff. I had the open diff before and I always felt like the car wasn't as planted. The LSD helps in cornering and straight line acceleration. My car with the P31 can break the tires loose pretty easily, but the car feels wqy more predictable when the rear tires are peeling out. Putting the power down through turns is way easier and the car always feels more planted. This is just my experience. I think tye LSD makes the car much more fun.
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Old Aug 5, 2012 | 10:03 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by DuaneC63
An LSD (factory or otherwise) is a must if you wish to acheive the full potential of the car. Our rear tires are way undersized for the power and torque of the car. Without LSD you're basically having one rear tire (or the other) do all the traction work. Wider rear tires only give nominal benefit compared to an LSD. I mention aftermarket LSD as the factory LSD uses wet clutch packs to limit slip. Eventually these wear out. The factory option may also be expensive depending on were you live. A Quaife uses helicut gears to limit slip and they don't wear out like clutch packs. The total cost installed cost maybe cheaper than the factory option and perform better.
+1
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Old Aug 5, 2012 | 12:07 PM
  #38  
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My car did not include the factory LSD but I have added a Quaife unit since. I have put many road course laps on the car before and after. All the drag strip runs were done before the Quaife was installed and I haven't been back to the strip since.

First thing that I would reinforce and I apologize for being elementary is that open diff cars do not only get power to one wheel. In 99% of straight line accelerating situations, both wheels will break traction and connect virtually at the same time which would not involve an LSD. See video below:


Differentials work by allowing a flexible distribution of drive between the wheels on an axle, which allows for the different rates of rotation while cornering. However this flexibility is also the differential's weakness, as it will always allow drive to 'escape' via the easiest route. So if you are turning a corner while hard on the gas in a powerful car, you can find that the inside wheel starts spinning (due to the weight transfer leading to less grip), and you lose the ability to put power down on the road via the outside wheel. This isn't good, especially if you're trying to put in a good time on the track, and this is why the limited slip differential (LSD) was invented.

The difference in accelerating out of corners with the LSD is night and day. If you like to explore your limits on twisty roads then an LSD is well worth it.
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Old Aug 5, 2012 | 01:49 PM
  #39  
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Maybe a stupid question...does a quaife or diff in general affect gas mileage for a DD ? Or is it nominal?
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