SUNILP

I finished installing a quaife LSD locking diff on a 2007 Sl55. I've got a few pics of the install that I will post later. If anyone has any questions regarding installing of the unit, feel free to ask.

Anthony 98 GTS

At what power do you start to need a Quaife diff?

Seems like most here are a long way off?

jcjmw

Sorry for the stupid question, but did the Quaife come with installation instructions? If so, can you post it? Thanks ahead for any response.

SUNILP

Anthony, it was a customer request. He has a renntech stage 3 on his car already.

jcjmw, there are no instructions included with a quaife diff.

CynCarvin32

SL550 needs an LSD. Every AMG car should have one. I can say from driving a C32 with and without the diff that it makes a night and day difference in putting the power to the ground. Launching my SL55 is impossible even with 285 tires.

One day all AMG cars will have locking diffs just like oh... BMW M Power cars!

CynCarvin32

Well done Sunil.

We were the first people to get a Quaife into an AMG car. Well we were the reason quaife even made them for MB's. They finally got sick of us trying to order a run of 20 diffs for W203's that they went ahead and made them for all current mercedes cars (two different sizes).

It was a bit of a puzzle but it was not that big of a deal. Were there any hick-ups for you with the SL55? Did you find it hard to get the shimming correct on the diff?

theboogers

pictures and description will be appreciated.

SUNILP

Pictures to follow soon. I have been swamped. I had to shim it a minor (.1mm)

jm55

It was my car. I have yet to really hit it hard since the install because of rush hour traffic and rain, but what little I have been able to do, it has made a big difference. One thing I noticed almost right away was that ESP was no longer shutting down the engine on a regular basis when pulling out onto a main street from a side street if I was in a hurry. I will get a better chance to see what it is like now that the weather has cleared up. With the kind of torque these cars put out, IMHO it is really needed even if you do not upgrade a car's power. Compared to the AMG and other versions, IMHO Quaife is far superior and cheaper too.

Sunil was great to work with and I expect he will have my bank account empty by the end of the year. Too many choices.

SUNILP

Jerry,

Great working with you as well and glad you like your new LSD.

jm55

Since the weather was finally nice I was able to take it out for little try out last night. I can still break the tires loose, but it is a lot better. Without ESP, of course now both tires spin instead of just one which is nice. It still can break the tires loose if I come on too strong from a stand still, but it seems that ESP only interrupts for a brief second if I have it on and then it is back to full power. I will have to re-learn how to launch the car, but since I have not had it too long that should not be a problem. I think the car is certainly better with LSD.

theboogers

jm55, before or now have you ever noticed the rear wiggle every one talks about. has the lsd changed any of this for you? i wonder if the wiggle is tire related, suspension, traction or tie link related?

jm55

I really don't have much of a wiggle either before or after. IMHO, the wiggle is caused by the rear bushings being too loose. I understand RennTech has a solution for this and perhaps others as well. Since I don't currently have the problem, I have not really pursued it. But my car is still pretty new and I will probably end up with the problem as soon as it really starts to wear in. The big problem I had was wheel spin on one side or the other. I can now turn off ESP and floor it from a stand still (I don't just stomp on it, I still have to feed it over about 1 seconds time). I will still get some wheel spin, but now it is both wheels and they hook up in short order. Even with ESP enabled, it's interference is much reduced. My objective was to have both tires pulling and stop so much ESP interference. I am pleased with the results.

theboogers

jm55 are you running ps2 for tires?

jm55

Car came with Bridgestone Potenza. I will drive these till they are worn and then start looking around to see what looks like the best replacement.

Auraraptor

Quaifes are great pieces of tech. How much do they cost?

SUNILP

They retail for 1795.00 plus installation

SUNILP

Sorry for the delay but here is a pic of the internals of the diff after the quaife unit was added.

Jrocket

Do you have to pull the entire pumpkin out of the car or can you just pull the internals?Cant you drop the driveline,stub axles and rear cover or was removing the whole 3rd member easier?What are the specs(clearances) they recommend?I take it you use MB's specs for clearances not Quaiffe's?Did you have to add the shim to the side's?How was the pinion depth looking? Did it look like the stock gears were strong or did they have alot of wear on them already?

Thanks....John

SUNILP

John,

The entire pumpkin has to come out. To take it out, sub axels have to come out. There is no room behind the pumpkin to just remove the cover. I used mb's specs. Shimming is required. Nothing with the pinion gear has to be adjusted. Only side to side shimming is required. Stock gears are very strong with NO wear on them.

Jrocket

Thank you very much for the info.

Auraraptor

Hmm, anyone know of a competent mechanic in the anywhere from DC up to Philly area that could do this. I don't want problems when I install this on my 04 SL600.

Auraraptor

Also sunil, do you get the Quaife life time warranty with the unit as well?

SUNILP

Yes, of course the lifetime warranty comes with the diff.

SUNILP

also remember, even though Quaife does not list the sl600 as an application, it has the same diff as the e55 so the e55 quaife lsd works fine.